Why do I need a privacy policy?

One of the best shifts (for consumers) has been asking sites and companies to be more transparent about the type of data they collect and how they use it. Because of this, all sites should have a privacy policy linked on their page. (And it's actually required for compliance with privacy laws like CCPA & GDPR)

You can use an online generator (though those can cost depending on who you use). WordPress has a built in privacy policy generator. Blogger/Blogspot and Squarespace do not - but you can easily create a page and use information from a website to help flesh it out. (Steps on that later in the article)

What needs to go in your privacy policy? You need to consider all the ways that you collect data. From your analytics, to your newsletter, to your online shops, and yes - even SHE Media ads. Write down all the things you use, and think about the type of data they collect and how you someone can opt-out of those services.

Because a privacy policy is a legal document, we cannot tell you exactly how to work your privacy policy - just give you a broad stroke of what you should include.

While we can't provide you with exact language for SHE Media, we do suggest that you include a link to our ad service privacy policy (also linked in the footer on your site), which contains all the information we collect and how one can opt out. Our platform is fully compliant with GDPR and all US based privacy laws, with framework built to allow your visitors to opt-in/opt-out depending on their geographic location.

If your site runs off WordPress, there is a built in generator - which you can access from your WP dash. Navigate to Settings > Policy. It will allow you to create a new privacy policy and create a template for you to fill in. It will also create sections for each of the plugins that you have, which flag that they collect data. And then finally, it will help you link it out on your site's footer.

If your site is on another platform, we urge you to Google and find an online generator or tutorial for a format - though looking at other blogger's privacy policies is a great way to start.

Useful: How do I create a page in Blogger?

Useful: How do I create a page on Squarespace?

(Though the contents will vary based on your usage, these are the categories that you will need - and again, if you're concerned you're missing anything, please contact legal counsel to go over this document)

Information about your site - your name, the URL, what country you are based out of.

What personal data you collect. This should include all services and contacts you have as well as links to their privacy policies. Consider your analytics, what comment services you might use, newsletters, etc.

And most importantly... how someone can contact you to have their data removed. We recommend that you create an email alias that's dedicated to this and have it forwarded to your main address, just so you know when you get something - but so you don't miss any requests you might get.