Why You Should Read Privacy Policies

Privacy policies are legal documents that outline how an organization handles your personal data. This includes details about what personal data they will collect, and how long they will hold onto said information. Privacy policies are often not located at the top of a website. These documents are typically located at the bottom of the website.

In addition to the information they collect, privacy policies also include information on how they protect personal data. This may include whether information is protected by encryption, and the physical, technical, organizational and administrative safeguards companies put in place to protect your data.

Those safeguards could cover who can access your data, whether the data is stored securely, and any incident response plan the company may have. A company’s privacy policy may not explicitly state these practices, but it’s important to know what some of the vague language may mean.

Privacy policies may also include details about whether your personal information will be shared with third parties. One of the most common third parties receiving said data would be marketers.

Privacy Policy Red Flags

If you are concerned about the way your data is shared, you may want to keep an eye out for red flags found within a privacy policy. Keep an eye out for references to personalized, targeted, behavioral, or interest-based advertising in a privacy policy.

You also want to keep an eye out for references to the company in question selling or sharing your personal data as well. It’s also not uncommon for organizations to use vague terms when referencing who they are selling and sharing their data with. Terms including partners, affiliates, service providers, third parties and advertisers. The best privacy policies will list out the specific companies receiving your data.

Look For Your Data Rights

However, there’s an important part of the privacy policy you should be sure to seek out. Privacy policies can include sections on how you can exert your data rights. Organizations may offer the ability to opt out of data collection and data sharing.

When looking at the privacy policy, be on the lookout for sections that will likely be called data rights, or some other variation. Depending on where you live, you may be able to request to see all of your data an organization possesses, with the possible option to delete the data altogether. Unfortunately due to lack of privacy laws, this option is not available to everyone.

If there’s anything found within a privacy policy that makes you feel uncomfortable, you should consider using another service, particularly one with a stronger privacy policy in place. If you feel as though you don’t have a choice, look out for the section on data rights, or, try to share as little personal data as you possibly can.