There are “Privacy Policy” links on almost every website. You may have wondered why it is on almost every website you have ever visited.
“Privacy Policy” is key when putting a website up skies. Of course, there are reasons, and we well discuss them right here. Just hang on a bit and I’ll take you there.
What is a Privacy Policy?
First of let me clarify what a Privacy Policy is.
It is basically a legal statement that declares how an entity collects and handles personal information of client/customers. Personal information includes anything by which an individual is identifiable. These include, but not limited to Names, Age, Date of Birth, Medical Records, etc.
Anytime one logs onto a website, say dreblo.com, there some information that is picked. These include your I. P Address, Service Provider, Geolocation, Device OS and more.
A website’s privacy policy explains to the visitor which of these personal data are being captured, the medium through which they are captured, how the data is stored, and who are they being shared with. This gives a visitor hopping from page to page on your website to know what traces he or she is leaving behind, and if he or she is not comfortable, they’d just have to say, “Goodbye, Dear Web Owner” or simply not take action that will lead to the capturing of information which they are not willing to share – such as filling of forms-
Having a Privacy Policy on your website is beneficial to both the website owner and the website visitor. Most often, in terms of legal issues, it provides a way out for website owners, if they are really innocent. Let me explain that.
Website visitors who feel that their personal data has been stolen, or not used according to what is stated in the Privacy Policy, can report to the appropriate authorities. In Ghana, the Data Protection Commission, established under the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) seeks to protect the privacy of the individual and personal data by regulating the processing of personal information. If you ever feel that a website does not keep to its stated privacy policy, you can lodge a complaint here.
You must have a privacy policy on your website for the following reason.
It required by law.
In most countries, it required that all website owners let their visitors know what information they are picking from them and how they are being used.
Third-Party Requirement
It is required by some third parties service providers that you may need to enhance your website or service. Example, to be able to run google ads on your website, google requires you to have a privacy policy page.
It Creates Trust
Letting your visitors know what you are keeping about them ensures transparency and creates trust. Think of customer/visitor retention.
It is ideal to make your privacy policy easily accessible to all visitors. Most people are concerned about their privacy, and they actually take some time to go through it. That is why a link to the Privacy Policy page is usually placed in the footer of a website since it is a global element (it is accessible from almost every page of the website).
For ecommerce website owners, it must not be taken for fun since a lot more sensitive data (credit card info, address, …) is collected.
We understand that is sometimes boring and time consuming in generating a standard privacy policy, but then there are online resources that help you generate one for free. However, if you need a more personalised privacy policy, we are prepared to help you generate one. Kindly speak to us.
