Steal This Data » customer information http://steal-this-data.com A Information Security Guide for Small and Medium Sized Businesses Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:19:31 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Privacy Policies: Actions Speak Louder than Words http://steal-this-data.com/2008/11/privacy-policies-actions-speak-louder-than-words/ http://steal-this-data.com/2008/11/privacy-policies-actions-speak-louder-than-words/#comments Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:55:16 +0000 earlylit http://steal-this-data.com/?p=135 A 1998 study by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) showed that 85 percent of online retailers collected personal information from consumers, but fewer than 15 percent posted a privacy policy explaining their information practices. What a difference a decade makes. These days privacy policies are standard for any Internet marketer. But as recent FTC law enforcement actions make clear, having a privacy policy is just the first step. It’s critical that companies live up to the promises they make about how they use and secure the information they collect.

So what does this mean for savvy marketers? Here are some tips on making your privacy policy have some teeth.

  • Design your privacy policy with your customers in mind. Just like the rest of your website, your privacy policy should be clear, direct, and easy to understand. Keep technical jargon and legal terminology to a minimum.
  • Some online retailers lace their privacy policies with lofty language about how careful they are with customers’ personal information, but don’t back their words up with tough security measures. Statements in your privacy policy are no different from any other advertising claim you make. You’ve got to back them up with solid proof.
  • For security-minded consumers, your company’s information security practices are a key factor in their decision to do business with you. So if you decide to modify how you use personal information, it’s important to call customers’ attention to that change in policy. Just editing what you say on your website won’t alert them to your new procedures.
  • A company’s privacy policy is only as strong as the staff that implements it. That’s why it’s important to train all employees — including your IT professionals, sales representatives, human resources specialists, and support staff — on how to protect sensitive data. 
Share/Bookmark

No related posts.

]]> http://steal-this-data.com/2008/11/privacy-policies-actions-speak-louder-than-words/feed/ 0