Posts Tagged ‘notice’

Preview of autogenerated Terms and Conditions

Welcome to { Website name here }. If you continue to browse and use this website you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions of use, which together with our privacy policy govern { Website name here }’s relationship with you in relation to this website.

The term { Website name here } or ‘us’ or ‘we’ refers to the owner of the website. The term ‘you’ refers to the user or viewer of our website. The use of this website is subject to the following terms of use:

• The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice.
• Neither we nor any third parties provide any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found or offered on this website for any particular purpose. You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.
• Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements.
• This website contains material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics. Reproduction is prohibited other than in accordance with the copyright notice, which forms part of these terms and conditions.
• All trademarks reproduced in this website, which are not the property of, or licensed to the operator, are acknowledged on the website.
• Unauthorised use of this website may give rise to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offence.
• From time to time this website may also include links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience to provide further information. They do not signify that we endorse the website(s). We have no responsibility for the content of the linked website(s).
• You may not create a link to this website from another website or document without { Website name here }’s prior written consent.

What is a Privacy Policy

A privacy policy is a legal document that discloses some or all of the ways a party gathers, uses, discloses and manages a customer’s data. The exact contents of a privacy policy will depend upon the applicable law and may need to address the requirements of multiple countries or jurisdictions.

In the Internet context, this can be accomplished easily by the posting of an information practice disclosure describing an entity’s information practices on a company’s site on the Web. To be effective, such a disclosure should be clear and conspicuous, posted in a prominent location, and readily accessible from both the site’s home page and any Web page where information is collected from the consumer. It should also be unavoidable and understandable so that it gives consumers meaningful and effective notice of what will happen to the personal information they are asked to divulge.

Many critics have attacked the efficacy and legitimacy of privacy policies found on the Internet. Concerns exist about the effectiveness of industry-regulated privacy policies. For example, a 2000 FTC report Privacy Online: Fair Information Practices in the Electronic Marketplace1 found that while the vast majority of website surveyed had some manner of privacy disclosure, most did not meet the standard set in the FTC Principles. In addition, many organizations reserve the express right to unilaterally change the terms of their policies. In June 2009 the EFF website TOSback began tracking such changes on 56 popular internet services, including the monitoring the privacy policies of Amazon, Google and Facebook.

There are also questions about whether consumers understand privacy policies and whether they help consumers make more informed decisions. A 2002 report from the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab contended that a website’s visual designs had more influence than the website’s privacy policy when consumers assessed the website’s credibility. A 2007 study by Carnegie Mellon University claimed “when not presented with prominent privacy information…” consumers were “…likely to make purchases from the vendor with the lowest price, regardless of that site’s privacy policies.” However, the same study contends where privacy information is clearly presented, consumers prefer retailers who better protect their privacy and may “pay a premium to purchase from more privacy protective websites.” Furthermore, a 2007 Berkeley study found that “75% of consumers think as long as a site has a privacy policy it means it won’t share data with third parties,” confusing the existence of a privacy policy with extensive privacy protection.

Critics also question if consumers even read privacy policies or can understand what they read. A 2001 study by the Privacy Leadership Initiative claimed only 3% of consumers read privacy policies carefully, and 64% briefly glanced at, or never read, privacy policies. One possible issue is length and complexity of policies. According to a 2008 Carnegie Mellon study the average length of a privacy policy is 2,500 words, the research and requires an average 10 minutes to read. The study cited that “Privacy policies are hard to read” and, as a result, “read infrequently”.

While there is no universal guidance for the content of specific privacy policies, a number of organizations provide example forms or online wizards which generate Privacy policies.