Is a privacy policy really necessary for my website?

Is a privacy policy really necessary for my website?
When building a website, privacy policy creation seems to intimidate website owners more than any other step of the process. The bad news is that it is necessary. The good news is that it’s pretty easy once you understand what it needs to say.

What is a privacy policy?
A privacy policy is a disclaimer placed on your website to tell your website users how you are going to handle their personal information. There are some circumstances where you are required by law to provide a privacy policy, but in general it is just a good business practice that fosters trust and encourages your website visitors to do business with you.

Where do I get one?
Once business owners decide that they need a privacy policy, many assume that they can copy and paste one from another website, use a standard template, or make their web developer write it. This is not a good idea! A privacy policy is a promise that you are making to your customers and you are ultimately responsible for keeping that promise. You are going to have to write it, although there are a lot of resources available to help you.

How do I get started?
While this is a legal document, its purpose is to make your customers feel comfortable that you are keeping their information safe and private. Be concise and make it very easy to understand. You need to include the type of information you may collect from them while they are using your website, who you share that information with, and how they can contact you to access or change the information. Before you draft your privacy policy, we would recommend visiting the Better Business Bureau to view their privacy policy guidelines, samples, and policy generator. http://www.bbbonline.org/understandingprivacy/PMRC/createpolicy.asp

That wasn’t so bad. Now what?
When your privacy policy is written, it would be wise to have it reviewed by a lawyer. This is especially important if you are collecting sensitive information through your website, such as credit card numbers. Once you are ready to publish your privacy policy, it should be placed on your website and accessible from every page of the website.