Having a website means you must take the precautions needed to protect yourself. Having a privacy policy on your website is one of the most important documents on any website. A privacy policy basically encompasses your company’s views and procedures on the information collected from your visitors. A privacy policy is a legal document, but as influencer, you want to make sure the information is both accurate and easy to understanding.
The following are some reasons why you may need a privacy policy:
If you collect personal information from users, you are required by the law to have a privacy policy.
If you use a third party service, they may require you to have a privacy policy.
Some users care a lot about their privacy, especially when it comes to the use of their personal information online.
It’s found everywhere. Even if all your privacy policy says is that you do not collect information, it still looks nice and professional that you even have one.
To create a privacy policy, it is best to write it yourself. As an influencer, you know what you need state on there. It is easier to draft it yourself then run it by a lawyer to make sure you hit all the legal aspects. First and foremost, you need to know how to write a privacy policy.
You need to determine what information you would be gathering from your users. That could be their email, subscription information, credit card, cookies, login, age, gender, etc. You must have a legitimate reason for why you are collecting this information. When you collect information, you are to inform your users on what you are going to do with it.
If you are planning on sharing the collected information with an affiliation, partner, or other website, you have to be clear about that in your policy. Most people inputting their personal information are concerned with who else may have access to it. This needs to be made crystal clear in your privacy policy.
Simply state that if you, an influencer, were to be compelled by law to disclose information, then you will comply with such orders.
Include an option for your users to be able to verify, correct, charge, and/or remove personal registration information.
There needs to be a way for people to opt out of future communication if they wish. It should not be complicated for someone to be removed if they desire to be removed, make it easy on them and yourself.
State that the privacy policy will be updated and may be modified periodically. Mention that you will communicate changes with your users if such changes were to occur.
There are some things that you need to keep in mind when you draft your privacy policy. The following are some helpful tips for us influencers who most likely do not have any legal experience writing policies and such:
Do not ignore laws such as FTC (Federal Trade Commission) or state laws that provide minimum standards.
Make sure your policy is written in simple English. If you have a lawyer draft your policy, make sure you ask that it be written in common language that the lay person can understand.
Don’t take something you found on the internet and copy and paste it. You are risking severe penalties that are not worth the risk. Your policy should be your own, raw policy that encompasses the unique circumstances of your site.
When there are changes in your policy, make sure you actually update your policy! You cannot enforce something unless it is stated verbatim in your policy.
Follow your policy and stick to what it states. It is as simple as that.
If you wish to add credibility to your privacy, utilize a respected privacy certification program.
Make sure that the information you collect is actually stored securely.
Don’t ask for intrusive or excessively personal information from users unless it is absolutely necessary.
What it means to be an international business person:
Being an influencer and working through social media can attract people from all over the world! This requires you to be in the loop with international laws. Laws like GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) were designed to blend data privacy laws across Europe to protect and empower all EU citizens data privacy and reshape the way organizations across the region approach data privacy. For influencers looking to create a privacy policy, you must be aware that there is not to be any personal data processed unless it is done under a lawful basis specified within the regulation.