More and more, jurisdictions around the world are creating new laws regulating the collection and use of personal information collected by websites. Many of these laws are well intentioned, designed to reign in Big Tech’s mass surveillance and abuse of privacy. What most people don’t realize is that these laws may apply to a personal blog or a small business website too.
Personal information is very broadly defined. Anything from a name, email address, or even IP address is considered personal information. That means any website that collects any of this information might need to comply with privacy regulations.
The easiest way to comply with these laws is to simply not collect personal information. When that’s not possible, the laws generally require disclosure: that is, you must have a visible privacy policy that explains what information is collected and why, who it’s shared with, how it’s protected, and how long it’s kept. The details vary from one jurisdiction to another, but the general idea is usually the same. Unfortunately, laws are changing quickly, so staying compliant is a task that requires some legal guidance.
Because the laws are not always straightforward, and because new laws are quickly being put into effect, I’ve partnered with Termageddon for my privacy policies. I also recommend that all my clients use Termageddon if their websites collect any personal information. Termageddon is a business that keeps track of privacy regulations around the world and generates and updates policies for websites to assure that they stay compliant.
If you are interested in using Termageddon for your website, feel free to reach out to me. I am happy to talk about how to set it up and even offer very reasonable rates to get it set up for you.
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