When the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was passed in 2016, it created several rules that businesses and website owners must comply with.
One of these rules was having a comprehensive and GDPR-compliant privacy policy to outline how they handle user data.
Below we’ll provide you with a free GDPR privacy policy template and go over what it includes and where you should post it on your site.
The GDPR was enacted by the EU to protect the privacy and data of consumers and is intended to:
The inclusion of a privacy policy on a business’s website is one of the many provisions covered by the GDPR.
Privacy policies are far from a new concept. They have been a part of business practices for decades, but the GDPR has specific requirements that have altered or expanded upon the policies that many organizations previously had in place.
While a GDPR-centric privacy policy should be customized for your business, there are certain standards it should meet, such as:
The need for a privacy policy that complies with the GDPR is dependent on two factors: whether you collect personal data and whether you offer goods or services to any citizen within the EU.
While there are exceptions, a significant number of websites satisfy both of these requirements and, thus, need to have a GDPR-compliant privacy policy.
Even if you don’t realize that your business’s website collects data, it is your responsibility to comply, and you will be penalized if you fail to do so. Ignorance does not equate to a lack of accountability.
Never assume that your website does not collect customer information, and keep in mind that almost all websites collect at least some data through cookies. In general, your website collects data if it:
If any of these attributes apply to your website, it is likely that you are collecting and processing customer data.
In addition to analyzing your website’s data collection, you will also need to consider your customer base.
There is sometimes a misconception that only businesses with headquarters within the EU need to comply with the GDPR. In reality, it is not the location of the business but rather the location of the customers that matters.
Businesses face severe penalties for failing to comply with the GDPR.
The maximum fine for a violation is 4% of a company’s annual global revenues or $22.8 million, whichever is greater. Initially, companies were fined at a relatively slow pace, but regulators have become more strict as time has passed. In fact, the year 2021 saw $1.2 billion in GDPR fines.
Fortunately, your business can avoid the costly penalties that result from a missing or insufficient privacy policy. The key to compliance is ensuring that you have included all the necessary information for your business or organization.
First, your policy must identify who is processing the customer’s data.
However, simply stating your name or the name of your business is not enough. You must also give a physical address or phone number and identify the data protection officer responsible for ensuring that all data is securely processed and stored.
Your policy needs to include a legal justification for why your business is collecting data from consumers.
The GDPR has six legal bases for data collection:
Although consent and legitimate interest are the most frequently used legal bases, you should base your selection on the structure and services provided by your business. Your privacy policy must clearly identify which basis or bases you have chosen.
You should use the official terminology laid out by the GDPR so that there is no mistaking your intention.
In addition to the legal basis for processing data, your business must also articulate its purpose for collecting this specific information.
For example, you might use the data you collect to customize the user experience on your website. Or, you might use the data to verify a user’s identity, send messages or updates, or improve the website’s design.
The explanation of why your business needs data from consumers should be specific and detailed. Saying that you use data for personalization is much too broad. Instead, your policy should identify what is involved in this personalization.
At times, it’s prudent to include multiple purposes for different kinds of data. After all, you may collect home addresses for a different reason than the one for which you collect email addresses.
Your business is obligated to explain not only why you are processing data but also how it will be collected, used, and transferred. As you outline your privacy policy, follow these steps:
You might give each of these details a separate section within your business’s privacy policy. You can also incorporate them into a single section as long as they are well-defined and distinguishable.
Remember that addressing one of these points does not mean that you have achieved full compliance. In other words, if you reveal that you transfer information to third parties but do not divulge that those third parties are international, you have failed to comply with the GDPR.
Consumers deserve to know not only that you are collecting their data but also exactly what information is being used. The GDPR’s definition of personal data is quite broad, so you may be processing more types than you realize.
Personal data essentially boils down to any information that clearly references a specific person. Depending on the context and the amount of data processed, this might include a user’s:
Much of this information on its own would not be enough to identify a particular individual. For instance, knowing a person’s religious beliefs does little to narrow down a pool of possible individuals. However, if you collect several types of data at once, such as the person’s religion, physical address, and date of birth, this may be enough for definitive identification.
Ultimately, it is your business’s responsibility to protect all personal data.
If you’re unsure of whether a certain piece of information falls into this category, it is best to be cautious. Include it in your privacy policy so that you avoid an accidental GDPR violation.
The GDPR does not provide a specific limit on the amount of time for which your business can store a user’s data. However, that doesn’t mean you can keep your users’ data indefinitely.
The regulation states that businesses should store data for the shortest amount of time possible. Businesses may translate this as a set time span, such as three months or a year, or they may choose to keep the information as long as is necessary for tasks to be completed.
After that point, the data should be removed and the retention period that your business establishes must be included in your privacy policy.
In addition to explaining how long you will be storing personal data, it is also wise to identify the security measures that you have taken to protect it. This reassures your customers that you have their best interests at heart and prioritize their privacy.
The GDPR defines the eight rights of users. They must be listed in some form within your privacy policy so that customers are fully aware of what actions they can take with regard to their data:
While listing these rights fulfills one aspect of the GDPR’s requirements, there is an additional step. Your privacy policy should also indicate the method by which these rights can be enacted.
You might provide a business phone number or a web form that can be used to make a specific data request.
There will likely be times when you need to update your business’s privacy policy to accommodate changes in the company structure, the data you process, or how you use this data. One of the many possibilities is that, over time, you may incorporate a new feature into your site that requires information that you did not previously collect.
When you make changes to your privacy policy, it is important to promptly inform your website users.
You should be up front about the potential for changes and articulate the possibility within your privacy policy. Likewise, you should explain how users will be notified about policy changes, such as by email.
The most important thing to consider when deciding where to include your privacy policy is whether it is easily accessible, which is a core requirement of the GDPR.
You should add a link to your privacy policy from your current legal policies or terms and conditions. If you choose to link to your privacy policy from these documents, make sure that it is clearly labeled.
Another logical place to include a link to your business’s privacy policy is in the website’s informational menu or sections, particularly those that relate to the history or background of your organization. In many cases, a business has an “About Us” section that includes a reference and a link to the privacy policy.
Website footers are the most common location for privacy policies, and they’re often the first place a customer looks when seeking such policies.
Including a clearly labeled privacy policy link at the bottom of the webpage helps it stand out and makes it easier for customers to locate and identify the policy. However, scrolling to the bottom of certain websites is impractical, in which case it may be better to include the link elsewhere.
If you want to ensure that your site’s visitors do not miss the privacy policy, you can create a pop-up or banner that appears at a specific point during a customer’s interaction with the site.
Many business websites include an opportunity to sign up for a mailing list, a newsletter, or a free download like an e-book. Your organization’s privacy policy should be included in the process of signing up because this is a point at which many users are asked to provide personal data.
Similarly, you might include your privacy policy during the checkout process. Checkout, by nature, requires the disclosure of personal information like a person’s name, address, email address, and phone number. It is, therefore, highly appropriate to provide a direct reference to your privacy policy on your site’s checkout screen.
One of the best ways to know how to create a strong privacy policy is to look at examples from other businesses. However, do not be tempted to simply copy and paste a policy for your own business. The details in your privacy policy will differ from those of other companies, and copying could lead to a compliance failure.
Facebook Inc. was recently converted to Meta Platforms, which owns some of the world’s biggest companies, including Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. As a result, Meta has created an extensive new privacy policy.
Meta’s policy is especially effective because the information is clearly organized, with a table of contents on the left for quick access. It also offers the information in multiple formats, with much of the policy described in short videos as well as text.
Many sections of the policy include direct links to the corresponding pages within Meta’s products, particularly Facebook.
For example, the section of the policy devoted to how information is shared offers a link to the specific locations on Facebook and Instagram where users can change the information that they have shared with third-party apps and websites.
Finally, Meta’s policy complies with the GDPR by including all of the necessary sections, creating a transparent experience for users.
While Instacart’s privacy policy is less aesthetically pleasing than Meta’s, it is clearly organized. In particular, Instacart is specific when describing how information is used and shared.
The policy also includes direct links so that users can exercise their rights to have information changed, deleted, or corrected, which is a critical component of the GDPR.
The privacy policy for Target has convenient links at the top of the page so that customers can jump to specific topics. This is an important feature because the policy is incredibly detailed, which could otherwise present challenges in locating specific information and, thus, violate the GDPR’s requirement for clarity.
Target’s policy is also an excellent example of a policy with distinctions under each section. For example, there are separate subheaders for each method of data collection, such as social media widgets, mobile location information, and cameras.
The privacy policy on Stripe’s website satisfies the GDPR’s requirement for using clear, direct, and intelligible language that can be easily understood by all users. The first section of the policy includes definitions for many of the terms used, which prevents confusion from arising later on.
To clearly align with GDPR requirements, Stripe specifically labels sections for legal bases, rights, security and retention, and international data transfers.
You can download our free GDPR privacy policy template below in Word Doc, PDF, or Google Doc format. You can also just copy & paste the HTML directly to your website.
Before using it, read through the entire GDPR-compliant privacy policy template – fill in all of the [brackets], remove any sections that do not apply to your app, and tweak any language as needed.
Last updated [Date]
This privacy notice for [Company Name] (doing business as [Company Short Name] ) ("Company," "we," "us," or "our"), describes how and why we might collect, store, use, and/or share ("process") your information when you use our services ("Services"), such as when you:
You can copy our GDPR-compliant privacy policy template HTML code or download it using the options below.
Template HTML Copy HTML Code Copied!
Last updated [Date]
This privacy notice for [Company Name] (doing business as [Company Short Name] ) (“Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our“), describes how and why we might collect, store, use, and/or share (“process“) your information when you use our services (“Services“), such as when you:
Questions or concerns? Reading this privacy notice will help you understand your privacy rights and choices. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Services. If you still have any questions or concerns, please contact us at [Email Address] .
This privacy policy was created by Termly’s Privacy Policy Generator.
This summary provides key points from our privacy notice, but you can find out more details about any of these topics by using our table of contents below to find the section you are looking for.
What personal information do we process? When you visit, use, or navigate our Services, we may process personal information depending on how you interact with [Company Name] and the Services, the choices you make, and the products and features you use.
Do we process any sensitive personal information? [We do not process sensitive personal information. / We may process sensitive personal information when necessary with your consent or as otherwise permitted by applicable law.]
Do you receive any information from third parties? We may receive information from public databases, marketing partners, social media platforms, and other outside sources.
How do you process my information? We process your information to provide, improve, and administer our Services, communicate with you, for security and fraud prevention, and to comply with law. We may also process your information for other purposes with your consent. We process your information only when we have a valid legal reason to do so.
In what situations and with which types of parties do we share personal information? We may share information in specific situations and with specific categories of third parties.
How do we keep your information safe? We have organizational and technical processes and procedures in place to protect your personal information. However, no electronic transmission over the internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, so we cannot promise or guarantee that hackers, cybercriminals, or other unauthorized third parties will not be able to defeat our security and improperly collect, access, steal, or modify your information.
What are your rights? Depending on where you are located geographically, the applicable privacy law may mean you have certain rights regarding your personal information.
How do I exercise my rights? The easiest way to exercise your rights is by filling out our data subject request form available here: [DSAR Form URL] , or by contacting us. We will consider and act upon any request in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
Want to learn more about what [Company Name] does with any information we collect? Review the notice in full below.
1. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?
2. HOW DO WE PROCESS YOUR INFORMATION?
3. WHAT LEGAL BASES DO WE RELY ON TO PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?
4. WHEN AND WITH WHOM DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?
5. WHAT IS OUR STANCE ON THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES?
6. DO WE USE COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES?
7. HOW DO WE HANDLE YOUR SOCIAL LOGINS?
8. IS YOUR INFORMATION TRANSFERRED INTERNATIONALLY?
9. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?
10. HOW DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SAFE?
11. DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM MINORS?
12. WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS?
13. CONTROLS FOR DO-NOT-TRACK FEATURES
14. DO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?
15. DO VIRGINIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?
16. DO WE MAKE UPDATES TO THIS NOTICE?
17. HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?
18. HOW CAN YOU REVIEW, UPDATE, OR DELETE THE DATA WE COLLECT FROM YOU?
Personal information you disclose to us
In Short: We collect personal information that you provide to us.
We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you [register on the Services,] express an interest in obtaining information about us or our products and Services, when you participate in activities on the Services, or otherwise when you contact us.
Personal Information Provided by You. The personal information that we collect depends on the context of your interactions with us and the Services, the choices you make, and the products and features you use. The personal information we collect may include the following:
Sensitive Information. [We do not process sensitive information. / When necessary, with your consent or as otherwise permitted by applicable law, we process the following categories of sensitive information:
Payment Data. We may collect data necessary to process your payment if you make purchases, such as your payment instrument number (such as a credit card number), and the security code associated with your payment instrument. All payment data is stored by [Vendor Name] . You may find their privacy notice link(s) here: [Vendor Privacy Policy] .
Social Media Login Data. We may provide you with the option to register with us using your existing social media account details, like your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media account. If you choose to register in this way, we will collect the information described in the section called “HOW DO WE HANDLE YOUR SOCIAL LOGINS?” below.
[Application Data. If you use our application(s), we also may collect the following information if you choose to provide us with access or permission:
This information is primarily needed to maintain the security and operation of our application(s), for troubleshooting, and for our internal analytics and reporting purposes.]
All personal information that you provide to us must be true, complete, and accurate, and you must notify us of any changes to such personal information.
Information automatically collected
In Short: Some information — such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address and/or browser and device characteristics — is collected automatically when you visit our Services.
We automatically collect certain information when you visit, use, or navigate the Services. This information does not reveal your specific identity (like your name or contact information) but may include device and usage information, such as your IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, location, information about how and when you use our Services, and other technical information. This information is primarily needed to maintain the security and operation of our Services, and for our internal analytics and reporting purposes.
Like many businesses, we also collect information through cookies and similar technologies. You can find out more about this in our Cookie Notice: [Cookie Notice URL].
The information we collect includes:
Information collected from other sources
In Short: We may collect limited data from public databases, marketing partners, social media platforms, and other outside sources.
In order to enhance our ability to provide relevant marketing, offers, and services to you and update our records, we may obtain information about you from other sources, such as public databases, joint marketing partners, affiliate programs, data providers, social media platforms, and from other third parties. This information includes mailing addresses, job titles, email addresses, phone numbers, intent data (or user behavior data), Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, social media profiles, social media URLs, and custom profiles, for purposes of targeted advertising and event promotion. If you interact with us on a social media platform using your social media account (e.g., Facebook or Twitter), we receive personal information about you such as your name, email address, and gender. Any personal information that we collect from your social media account depends on your social media account’s privacy settings.
[Information collected when you use our Facebook application(s). We by default access your Facebook basic account information, including your name, email, gender, birthday, current city, and profile picture URL, as well as other information that you choose to make public. We may also request access to other permissions related to your account, such as friends, check-ins, and likes, and you may choose to grant or deny us access to each individual permission. For more information regarding Facebook permissions, refer to the Facebook Permissions Reference page.]
In Short: We process your information to provide, improve, and administer our Services, communicate with you, for security and fraud prevention, and to comply with law. We may also process your information for other purposes with your consent.
We process your personal information for a variety of reasons, depending on how you interact with our Services, including:
In Short: We only process your personal information when we believe it is necessary and we have a valid legal reason (i.e., legal basis) to do so under applicable law, like with your consent, to comply with laws, to provide you with services to enter into or fulfill our contractual obligations, to protect your rights, or to fulfill our legitimate business interests.
If you are located in the EU or UK, this section applies to you.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR require us to explain the valid legal bases we rely on in order to process your personal information. As such, we may rely on the following legal bases to process your personal information:
In legal terms, we are generally the “data controller” under European data protection laws of the personal information described in this privacy notice, since we determine the means and/or purposes of the data processing we perform. This privacy notice does not apply to the personal information we process as a “data processor” on behalf of our customers. In those situations, the customer that we provide services to and with whom we have entered into a data processing agreement is the “data controller” responsible for your personal information, and we merely process your information on their behalf in accordance with your instructions. If you want to know more about our customers’ privacy practices, you should read their privacy policies and direct any questions you have to them.
If you are located in Canada, this section applies to you.
We may process your information if you have given us specific permission (i.e., express consent) to use your personal information for a specific purpose, or in situations where your permission can be inferred (i.e., implied consent). You can withdraw your consent at any time.
In some exceptional cases, we may be legally permitted under applicable law to process your information without your consent, including, for example:
In Short: We may share information in specific situations described in this section and/or with the following categories of third parties.
Vendors, Consultants, and Other Third-Party Service Providers. We may share your data with third-party vendors, service providers, contractors, or agents (“third parties”) who perform services for us or on our behalf and require access to such information to do that work. We have contracts in place with our third parties, which are designed to help safeguard your personal information. This means that they cannot do anything with your personal information unless we have instructed them to do it. They will also not share your personal information with any organization apart from us. They also commit to protect the data they hold on our behalf and to retain it for the period we instruct. The categories of third parties we may share personal information with are as follows:
We also may need to share your personal information in the following situations:
In Short: We are not responsible for the safety of any information that you share with third parties that we may link to or who advertise on our Services, but are not affiliated with, our Services.
The Services, [including our offer wall] , may link to third-party websites, online services, or mobile applications and/or contain advertisements from third parties that are not affiliated with us and which may link to other websites, services, or applications. Accordingly, we do not make any guarantee regarding any such third parties, and we will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by the use of such third-party websites, services, or applications. The inclusion of a link towards a third-party website, service, or application does not imply an endorsement by us. We cannot guarantee the safety and privacy of data you provide to any third parties. Any data collected by third parties is not covered by this privacy notice. We are not responsible for the content or privacy and security practices and policies of any third parties, including other websites, services, or applications that may be linked to or from the Services. You should review the policies of such third parties and contact them directly to respond to your questions.
In Short: We may use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect and store your information.
We may use cookies and similar tracking technologies (like web beacons and pixels) to access or store information. Specific information about how we use such technologies and how you can refuse certain cookies is set out in our Cookie Notice: [Cookie Notice URL] .
In Short: If you choose to register or log in to our services using a social media account, we may have access to certain information about you.
Our Services offer you the ability to register and log in using your third-party social media account details (like your Facebook or Twitter logins). Where you choose to do this, we will receive certain profile information about you from your social media provider. The profile information we receive may vary depending on the social media provider concerned, but will often include your name, email address, friends list, and profile picture, as well as other information you choose to make public on such a social media platform. If you log in using Facebook, we may also request access to other permissions related to your account, such as your friends, check-ins, and likes, and you may choose to grant or deny us access to each individual permission.
We will use the information we receive only for the purposes that are described in this privacy notice or that are otherwise made clear to you on the relevant Services. Please note that we do not control, and are not responsible for, other uses of your personal information by your third-party social media provider. We recommend that you review their privacy notice to understand how they collect, use and share your personal information, and how you can set your privacy preferences on their sites and apps.
In Short: We may transfer, store, and process your information in countries other than your own.
Our servers are located in [Countries where Server is Located] . If you are accessing our Services from outside [Countries where Server is Located] , please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed by us in our facilities and by those third parties with whom we may share your personal information (see “WHEN AND WITH WHOM DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?” above), in [Countries where Third-Party Servers are Located] , and other countries.
If you are a resident in the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom (UK), then these countries may not necessarily have data protection laws or other similar laws as comprehensive as those in your country. However, we will take all necessary measures to protect your personal information in accordance with this privacy notice and applicable law.
European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses:
We have implemented measures to protect your personal information, including by using the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses for transfers of personal information between our group companies and between us and our third-party providers. These clauses require all recipients to protect all personal information that they process originating from the EEA or UK in accordance with European data protection laws and regulations. Our Data Processing Agreements that include Standard Contractual Clauses are available here: [Standard Contractual Clauses URL] . We have implemented similar appropriate safeguards with our third-party service providers and partners and further details can be provided upon request.
Binding Corporate Rules:
These include a set of Binding Corporate Rules (“BCRs”) established and implemented by [Company Name] . Our BCRs have been recognized by EEA and UK data protection authorities as providing an adequate level of protection to the personal information we process internationally. You can find a copy of our BCRs here: [BCRs URL] .
[EU-US] and [Swiss-US] Privacy Shield Framework [s]
[Company Name] and the following entities and subsidiaries: [List of Entities/Subsidiaries] comply with the [EU-US] and [Swiss-US] Privacy Shield Framework [s] as set forth by the US Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal information transferred from [the European Union (EU)] , [the UK] , and [Switzerland] to the United States. Although Privacy Shield is no longer considered a valid transfer mechanism for the purposes of [EU] and [Swiss] data protection law, in light of the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Case C-311/18 and opinion of the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner of Switzerland dated 8 September 2020, [Company Name] will continue to comply with the principles of the [EU-US] and [Swiss-US] Privacy Shield Framework [s] . To learn more about the Privacy Shield program, please visit www.privacyshield.gov. To view our certification, please visit [Privacy Shield Certification URL] .
[Company Name] adheres to and complies with the Privacy Shield Principles when processing personal information from [the EU] , [UK] , or [Switzerland] . If we have received your personal information in the United States and subsequently transfer that information to a third party acting as our agent, and such third party agent processes your personal information in a manner inconsistent with the Privacy Shield Principles, we will remain liable unless we can prove we are not responsible for the event giving rise to the damage.
With respect to personal information received or transferred pursuant to the Privacy Shield Framework [s] , [Company Name] is subject to the investigatory and enforcement powers of the US Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”). In certain situations, we may be required to disclose personal information in response to lawful requests by public authorities, including to meet national security or law enforcement requirements.
If you have any questions or concerns relating to [Company Name] ’s Privacy Shield certification, please write to us at the contact details below. We commit to resolving any complaints or disputes about our collection and use of your personal information under the Privacy Shield. [However, if you have an unresolved complaint in connection with our certification, we commit to cooperating with the panel established by [the EU data protection authorities (DPAs)], [the UK Information Commissioner], and [the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner], as applicable, and to comply with the advice given by them in respect of the complaint. Click here for a list of EU DPAs. / However, if you have an unresolved complaint in connection with our certification, you may contact our independent dispute resolution provider based in the [EU/United States], [Dispute Resolution Provider Name]. Please visit [Dispute Resolution Provider URL] for more information or to file a complaint. These services are provided to you free of charge.]
In limited situations, [EU] , [UK] , and [Swiss] individuals may seek redress from the Privacy Shield Panel, a binding arbitration mechanism.
Please be sure to review the following sections of this Privacy Notice for additional details relevant to [Company Name] ’s participation in the [EU-US] and [Swiss-US] Privacy Shield:
In Short: We keep your information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this privacy notice unless otherwise required by law.
We will only keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy notice, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (such as tax, accounting, or other legal requirements). No purpose in this notice will require us keeping your personal information for longer than [the period of time in which users have an account with us / [#] months past the termination of the user’s account / [#] months past the start of the idle period of the user’s account / other] .
When we have no ongoing legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymize such information, or, if this is not possible (for example, because your personal information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your personal information and isolate it from any further processing until deletion is possible.
In Short: We aim to protect your personal information through a system of organizational and technical security measures.
We have implemented appropriate and reasonable technical and organizational security measures designed to protect the security of any personal information we process. However, despite our safeguards and efforts to secure your information, no electronic transmission over the Internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, so we cannot promise or guarantee that hackers, cybercriminals, or other unauthorized third parties will not be able to defeat our security and improperly collect, access, steal, or modify your information. Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, transmission of personal information to and from our Services is at your own risk. You should only access the Services within a secure environment.
In Short: We do not knowingly collect data from or market to children under 18 years of age.
We do not knowingly solicit data from or market to children under 18 years of age. By using the Services, you represent that you are at least 18 or that you are the parent or guardian of such a minor and consent to such minor dependent’s use of the Services. If we learn that personal information from users less than 18 years of age has been collected, we will deactivate the account and take reasonable measures to promptly delete such data from our records. If you become aware of any data we may have collected from children under age 18, please contact us at [Email Address] .
In Short: In some regions, such as the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom (UK), and Canada, you have rights that allow you greater access to and control over your personal information. You may review, change, or terminate your account at any time.
In some regions (like the EEA, UK, and Canada), you have certain rights under applicable data protection laws. These may include the right (i) to request access and obtain a copy of your personal information, (ii) to request rectification or erasure; (iii) to restrict the processing of your personal information; and (iv) if applicable, to data portability. In certain circumstances, you may also have the right to object to the processing of your personal information. You can make such a request by contacting us by using the contact details provided in the section “HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?” below.
We will consider and act upon any request in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
If you are located in the EEA or UK and you believe we are unlawfully processing your personal information, you also have the right to complain to your local data protection supervisory authority. You can find their contact details here: https://edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/about-edpb/members_en.
If you are located in Switzerland, the contact details for the data protection authorities are available here: https://www.edoeb.admin.ch/edoeb/en/home.html.
Withdrawing your consent: If we are relying on your consent to process your personal information, which may be express and/or implied consent depending on the applicable law, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us by using the contact details provided in the section “HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?” below or updating your preferences.
However, please note that this will not affect the lawfulness of the processing before its withdrawal, nor when applicable law allows, will it affect the processing of your personal information conducted in reliance on lawful processing grounds other than consent.
Opting out of marketing and promotional communications: You can unsubscribe from our marketing and promotional communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the emails that we send, replying “STOP” or “UNSUBSCRIBE” to the SMS messages that we send, [Other] or by contacting us using the details provided in the section “HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?” below. You will then be removed from the marketing lists — however, we may still communicate with you, for example to send you service-related messages that are necessary for the administration and use of your account, to respond to service requests, or for other non-marketing purposes.
Account Information
If you would at any time like to review or change the information in your account or terminate your account, you can:
Upon your request to terminate your account, we will deactivate or delete your account and information from our active databases. However, we may retain some information in our files to prevent fraud, troubleshoot problems, assist with any investigations, enforce our legal terms and/or comply with applicable legal requirements.
Cookies and similar technologies: Most Web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. If you prefer, you can usually choose to set your browser to remove cookies and to reject cookies. If you choose to remove cookies or reject cookies, this could affect certain features or services of our Services. To opt out of interest-based advertising by advertisers on our Services visit http://www.aboutads.info/choices/. For further information, please see our Cookie Notice: [Cookie Notice URL] .
If you have questions or comments about your privacy rights, you may email us at [Email Address] .
Most web browsers and some mobile operating systems and mobile applications include a Do-Not-Track (“DNT”) feature or setting you can activate to signal your privacy preference not to have data about your online browsing activities monitored and collected. At this stage no uniform technology standard for recognizing and implementing DNT signals has been finalized. As such, we do not currently respond to DNT browser signals or any other mechanism that automatically communicates your choice not to be tracked online. If a standard for online tracking is adopted that we must follow in the future, we will inform you about that practice in a revised version of this privacy notice.
In Short: Yes, if you are a resident of California, you are granted specific rights regarding access to your personal information.
California Civil Code Section 1798.83, also known as the “Shine The Light” law, permits our users who are California residents to request and obtain from us, once a year and free of charge, information about categories of personal information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared personal information in the immediately preceding calendar year. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request in writing to us using the contact information provided below.
If you are under 18 years of age, reside in California, and have a registered account with Services, you have the right to request removal of unwanted data that you publicly post on the Services. To request removal of such data, please contact us using the contact information provided below and include the email address associated with your account and a statement that you reside in California. We will make sure the data is not publicly displayed on the Services, but please be aware that the data may not be completely or comprehensively removed from all our systems (e.g., backups, etc.).
CCPA Privacy Notice
The California Code of Regulations defines a “resident” as:
(1) every individual who is in the State of California for other than a temporary or transitory purpose and
(2) every individual who is domiciled in the State of California who is outside the State of California for a temporary or transitory purpose
All other individuals are defined as “non-residents.”
If this definition of “resident” applies to you, we must adhere to certain rights and obligations regarding your personal information.
What categories of personal information do we collect?
We have collected the following categories of personal information in the past twelve (12) months:
| Category | Examples | Collected |
|---|---|---|
| A. Identifiers | Contact details, such as real name, alias, postal address, telephone or mobile contact number, unique personal identifier, online identifier, Internet Protocol address, email address, and account name | [YES/NO] |
| B. Personal information categories listed in the California Customer Records statute | Name, contact information, education, employment, employment history, and financial information | [YES/NO] |
| C. Protected classification characteristics under California or federal law | Gender and date of birth | [YES/NO] |
| D. Commercial information | Transaction information, purchase history, financial details, and payment information | [YES/NO] |
| E. Biometric information | Fingerprints and voiceprints | [YES/NO] |
| F. Internet or other similar network activity | Browsing history, search history, online behavior, interest data, and interactions with our and other websites, applications, systems, and advertisements | [YES/NO] |
| G. Geolocation data | Device location | [YES/NO] |
| H. Audio, electronic, visual, thermal, olfactory, or similar information | Images and audio, video or call recordings created in connection with our business activities | [YES/NO] |
| I. Professional or employment-related information | Business contact details in order to provide you our services at a business level or job title, work history, and professional qualifications if you apply for a job with us | [YES/NO] |
| J. Education Information | Student records and directory information | [YES/NO] |
| K. Inferences drawn from other personal information | Inferences drawn from any of the collected personal information listed above to create a profile or summary about, for example, an individual’s preferences and characteristics | [YES/NO] |
| L. Sensitive personal information | Account login information, drivers’ licenses, health data, precise geolocation, racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, and sex life or sexual orientation | [YES/NO] |
We will use and retain the collected personal information as needed to provide the Services or for:
Category L information may be used, or disclosed to a service provider or contractor, for additional, specified purposes. You have the right to limit the use or disclosure of your sensitive personal information.
We may also collect other personal information outside of these categories instances where you interact with us in person, online, or by phone or mail in the context of:
How do we use and share your personal information?
[Company Name] collects and shares your personal information through:
More information about our data collection and sharing practices can be found in this privacy notice and our Cookie Notice: [Cookie Notice URL] .
[You can opt out from the selling or sharing of your personal information by disabling cookies in Cookie Preference Settings and clicking on the Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information link on our homepage.]
You may contact us by email at [Email Address] , by calling toll-free at [Phone Number] , by visiting [Contact Form URL] , or by referring to the contact details at the bottom of this document.
If you are using an authorized agent to exercise your right to opt out we may deny a request if the authorized agent does not submit proof that they have been validly authorized to act on your behalf.
Will your information be shared with anyone else?
We may disclose your personal information with our service providers pursuant to a written contract between us and each service provider. Each service provider is a for-profit entity that processes the information on our behalf, following the same strict privacy protection obligations mandated by the CCPA.
We may use your personal information for our own business purposes, such as for undertaking internal research for technological development and demonstration. This is not considered to be “selling” of your personal information.
[Company Name] has disclosed the following categories of personal information to third parties for a business or commercial purpose in the preceding twelve (12) months:
The categories of third parties to whom we disclosed personal information for a business or commercial purpose can be found under “WHEN AND WITH WHOM DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?“.
[[Company Name] has not sold or shared any personal information to third parties for a business or commercial purpose in the preceding twelve (12) months. / [Company Name] has sold or shared the following categories of personal information to third parties in the preceding twelve (12) months:
The categories of third parties to whom we sold personal information are:
The categories of third parties to whom we shared personal information with are:
Your rights with respect to your personal data
Right to request deletion of the data — Request to delete
You can ask for the deletion of your personal information. If you ask us to delete your personal information, we will respect your request and delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions provided by law, such as (but not limited to) the exercise by another consumer of his or her right to free speech, our compliance requirements resulting from a legal obligation, or any processing that may be required to protect against illegal activities.
Right to be informed — Request to know
Depending on the circumstances, you have a right to know:
In accordance with applicable law, we are not obligated to provide or delete consumer information that is de-identified in response to a consumer request or to re-identify individual data to verify a consumer request.
Right to Non-Discrimination for the Exercise of a Consumer’s Privacy Rights
We will not discriminate against you if you exercise your privacy rights.
Right to Limit Use and Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information
[ We do not process consumer’s sensitive personal information. / If the business collects any of the following:
you have the right to direct that business to limit its use of your sensitive personal information to that use which is necessary to perform the Services.
Once a business receives your request, they are no longer allowed to use or disclose your sensitive personal information for any other purpose unless you provide consent for the use or disclosure of sensitive personal information for additional purposes.
Please note that sensitive personal Information that is collected or processed without the purpose of inferring characteristics about a consumer is not covered by this right, as well as the publicly available information.
To exercise your right to limit use and disclosure of sensitive personal Information, please email [Email Address] or visit: [DSAR Form URL]. ]
Upon receiving your request, we will need to verify your identity to determine you are the same person about whom we have the information in our system. These verification efforts require us to ask you to provide information so that we can match it with information you have previously provided us. For instance, depending on the type of request you submit, we may ask you to provide certain information so that we can match the information you provide with the information we already have on file, or we may contact you through a communication method (e.g., phone or email) that you have previously provided to us. We may also use other verification methods as the circumstances dictate.
We will only use personal information provided in your request to verify your identity or authority to make the request. To the extent possible, we will avoid requesting additional information from you for the purposes of verification. However, if we cannot verify your identity from the information already maintained by us, we may request that you provide additional information for the purposes of verifying your identity and for security or fraud-prevention purposes. We will delete such additionally provided information as soon as we finish verifying you.
Other privacy rights
To exercise these rights, you can contact us by email at [Email Address] , by calling toll-free at [Phone Number] , by visiting [Contact Form URL] , or by referring to the contact details at the bottom of this document. If you have a complaint about how we handle your data, we would like to hear from you.
Financial Incentives
“Financial incentive” means a program, benefit, or other offering, including payments to consumers as compensation, for the disclosure, deletion, sharing, or sale of personal information.
The law permits financial incentives or a price or service difference if it is reasonably related to the value of the consumer’s data. A business must be able to explain how the financial incentive or price or service difference is reasonably related to the value of the consumer’s data. The explanation must include:
We may decide to offer a financial incentive (e.g., price or service difference) in exchange for the retention, sale or sharing of a consumer’s personal information.
If we decide to offer a financial incentive, we will notify you of such financial incentive and explain the price difference, as well as material terms of the financial incentive or price of service difference, including the categories of personal information that are implicated by the financial incentive or price or service difference.
If you choose to participate in the financial incentive you can withdraw from the financial incentive at any time by emailing us at [Email Address] , by calling us toll-free at [Phone Number] , by visiting [Contact Form URL] , or by referring to the contact details at the bottom of this document.
Metrics
Our metrics for all CCPA requests received for the previous calendar year can be found here: [Metrics URL] .
In Short: Yes, if you are a resident of Virginia, you may be granted specific rights regarding access to and use of your personal information.
Virginia CDPA Privacy Notice
Under the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA):
“Consumer” means a natural person who is a resident of the Commonwealth acting only in an individual or household context. It does not include a natural person acting in a commercial or employment context.
“Personal data” means any information that is linked or reasonably linkable to an identified or identifiable natural person. “Personal data” does not include de-identified data or publicly available information.
“Sale of personal data” means the exchange of personal data for monetary consideration.
If this definition of “consumer” applies to you, we must adhere to certain rights and obligations regarding your personal data.
The information we collect, use, and disclose about you will vary depending on how you interact with [Company Name] and our Services. To find out more, please visit the following sections above:
Your rights with respect to your personal data
[[Company Name] has not sold any personal data to third parties for business or commercial purposes. [Company Name] will not sell personal data in the future belonging to website visitors, users, and other consumers. / [Company Name] sells personal data to third parties or processes personal data for targeted advertising. Please see the following section to find out how you can opt out from further selling or sharing of your personal data for targeted advertising or profiling purposes.]
Exercise your rights provided under the Virginia CDPA
More information about our data collection and sharing practices can be found in this privacy notice and our Cookie Notice: [Cookie Notice URL] .
[You can opt out from the selling of your personal data, targeted advertising, or profiling by disabling cookies in Cookie Preference Settings.]
You may contact us by email at [Email Address] , by visiting [Contact Form URL] , or by referring to the contact details at the bottom of this document.
If you are using an authorized agent to exercise your rights, we may deny a request if the authorized agent does not submit proof that they have been validly authorized to act on your behalf.
We may request that you provide additional information reasonably necessary to verify you and your consumer’s request. If you submit the request through an authorized agent, we may need to collect additional information to verify your identity before processing your request.
Upon receiving your request, we will respond without undue delay, but in all cases, within forty-five (45) days of receipt. The response period may be extended once by forty-five (45) additional days when reasonably necessary. We will inform you of any such extension within the initial 45-day response period, together with the reason for the extension.
Right to appeal
If we decline to take action regarding your request, we will inform you of our decision and reasoning behind it. If you wish to appeal our decision, please email us at [Email Address] . Within sixty (60) days of receipt of an appeal, we will inform you in writing of any action taken or not taken in response to the appeal, including a written explanation of the reasons for the decisions. If your appeal is denied, you may contact the Attorney General to submit a complaint.
In Short: Yes, we will update this notice as necessary to stay compliant with relevant laws.
We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated “Revised” date and the updated version will be effective as soon as it is accessible. If we make material changes to this privacy notice, we may notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to review this privacy notice frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your information.
If you have questions or comments about this notice, you may contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO), [DPO Name] , by email at [Email Address] , by phone at [Phone Number] , or by post to:
[Company Name]
[DPO Name]
[Street Address]
[City, State ZIP Code]
[Country]
If you are a resident in the European Economic Area, the “data controller” of your personal information is [Company Name] . [Company Name] has appointed [EEA Representative Name] to be its representative in the EEA. You can contact them directly regarding the processing of your information by [Company Name] , by email at [Email Address] , by visiting [EEA Representative URL] , by phone at [Phone Number] , or by post to:
[Street Address]
[City, State ZIP Code]
[Country]
If you are a resident in the United Kingdom, the “data controller” of your personal information is [Company Name] . [Company Name] has appointed [UK Representative Name] to be its representative in the UK. You can contact them directly regarding the processing of your information by [Company Name] , by email at [Email Address] , by visiting [UK Representative URL] , by phone at [Phone Number] , or by post to:
[Street Address]
[City, State ZIP Code]
[Country]
If you have any further questions or comments, you may also contact us by post at the following corporate address:
[Company Name]
[Street Address]
[City, State ZIP Code]
[Country]
Phone: [Phone Number]
Fax: [Fax Number]
Based on the applicable laws of your country, you may have the right to request access to the personal information we collect from you, change that information, or delete it in some circumstances. To request to review, update, or delete your personal information, please visit: [DSAR Form URL] .
Creating a privacy policy with all of the necessary information is an important step toward ensuring that your business is complying with the GDPR and other privacy laws.
If your business offers any services or goods to EU citizens, it is essential that you comply with the GDPR. Using our GDPR privacy policy template is free and helps you verify that you have addressed all of the required points to achieve full compliance.
Remember that your privacy policy must be clear and easy for users to understand. Even a policy that addresses every point of the GDPR could lead to violations if it is too general, vague, or complex.
Masha is an Information Security and Data Privacy Specialist and a Certified Data Protection Officer. She has been a Data Protection Officer for the past six years, helping small and medium-sized enterprises achieve legal compliance. She has also been a privacy compliance mentor to many international business accelerators. She specializes in implementing, monitoring, and auditing business compliance with privacy regulations (HIPAA, PIPEDA, ePrivacy Directive, GDPR, CCPA, POPIA, LGPD). Masha studied Law at Belgrade University, and she passed the Bar examination in 2016. More about the author
