📓=Editing Privacy Policies, Incurs Risks! =✋🔺
Tags: webdev, analytics, privacy, devops
Published: 2021-04-03 15:36:20

## Acquiring Data & Editing Policy
📑
### Acquiring Data

**Google Analytics** 
is Google's statistical tool, which allows each website administrator to be able to analyze their audience. Completely free, it was set up by the American company in March 2005. And if it is now used by more than ¾ of the international market, it is because it is very easy to use and to understanding, but also because the statistics provided are multiple and very useful. Indeed, in addition to providing the graphical and quantified evolution of a site's audience, Google Analytics reports also indicate how visitors navigate the site, what they do there and how they got there.

* **Privacy Disclosures Policy:** 
When using Google Analytics on your site or application, you **must disclose** the use of Google Analytics and how it collects and processes data.

* Global companies such as *Airbnb*, have, -at least for a while, opaquely established justifications for collecting and selling your data.
    **_Kevin Litman-Navarro_**, a journalist-engineer, composed "We Read 150 Privacy Policies. They were an Incomprehensible Disaster" for the New-York Times. He says:
    - "Airbnb’s privacy policy, on the other hand, is particularly inscrutable. It’s full of long, jargon-laden sentences that obscure Airbnb’s data practices and provides cover to use data in expansive ways."
    - "Vague language like 'adequate performance'* and 'legitimate interest' allows for a wide range of interpretation, providing flexibility for Airbnb to defend its data practices in a lawsuit while making it harder for users to understand what is being done with their data."
    >“This information is necessary for the adequate performance of the contract between you and us and to allow us to comply with our legal obligations.” - Airbnb
## Doing It Well Makes It Slow

**Data Market:**📈
Nowadays, this *Data Market* has become **the engine of the Internet**, and privacy policies fuel it taking advantage of the misconception from the general public.

### Editing Policies 🕵🏾

**Create, Read, ... Delete** 
Among Front-End specialists, many of those who single-handedly developed turnkey solutions, faced the daunting task of editing "Privacy Policies" pages. It is a routine nobody get used to.
Not only laws & policy differ from a country to another (even among states when it comes to the US), clients' data consumption varies depending on a multitude of other factors such as the type of information collected, the means used for the task, the purpose and possibly ... third-parties policies.
For those [ IT specialists ] committed to submit a flawless tool, that's is, for sure, a time-killer conundrum.

## Other fish in the sea

### Advantages of Using CMS

Of course, there are "easy ways out". All major Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress or Shopify, integrate Privacy Policy Generators for their users. They are efficient, and intuitive. Naturally, dedicated environments limits choices and therefore imbroglios.

### 🕶️ Blind Generation

Stand-alone P-P Generators have been existing for over a decade. Nevertheless, they tend to display major [legal] issues[^1] :

* **Writing in legalese:**

Writing in legalese is one of the hallmarks of a bad Privacy Policy. The practice was (and is) so rampant that the European privacy law - the GDPR - made it ...illegal.

* **Not complying with local legislation**

Until recently, some P-P generators had yet to clearly indicate both European & American laws.
**_E.g. : _** **The GDPR** applies to any website that collects personal information from _European_ residents. The GDPR has specific guidelines for Privacy Policies, and there are clauses you must reference.

* **Data not updated**

Either due to external factors such as a change in law or from within the organization like activities diversification , data **must** be updated. Many providers were not able to resist laxity in the observance of people rights.

* **Missing important clauses**

Some of the clauses businesses often miss out on, are the need to comply with the **GDPR** or **COPPA(Children's Online Privacy Protection Act)**.
Frequently observed too, are stipulations relating to **moving**or **sharing your data** to a third party. Unaware of these, the end-user might find oneself with an incomplete Privacy Policy, and the risks implied.

If we decide to draw up an exhaustive list of all the ways, some ways would still be forgotten since policies evolve constantly on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

### Risks & Threats 🏥 🚒

**Client Confidentiality Compromised ?**

Failure to **protect your users' confidential information** and **privacy** could:

  * harm your reputation, 
  * cause customer attrition 
  * and reduce profitability.

The law could subject you to 
  *fines, 
  *litigation and penalties, 
and the cost of compliance with privacy and security laws could adversely affect your business.


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### Obtain the Right Tool, Get Back Your Focus 🥇

Instead of keeping your attention on safety hazards any further, it would be preferable talking about solid and efficient tools that guarantee peace of mind and celerity.

As of today April the 3rd, 2021, it has been less than 24 hours that I came to use what appears to be a game changer to mindful developers still contacting *cephalalgia* during a client policy revision.
"Website Policy" is intuitive, flawless and propose relevant options to select from even with a free account. Yes simple as that.
I literally wrote this whole article to present and share about a generator that delivers on promises. 
There are some if not few other UI developers that build from scratch, and spend numerous hours correcting, adding and readapting Privacy Policies and have yet to know this site.
Nonetheless, I commend it to all readers that, at any point in time, come to edit those policies.

Sharing experience, knowledge and advises will hopefully keep you away from mistakes, save you from unexpected legal cases and ean you time. 



### Make Rights Right 

**Write an Effective Website Privacy Statement**
Your privacy statement must accurately reflect your site's data collection and use.

Your privacy statement should be clear, direct and easy to understand.
Keep technical jargon and legal terminology to a minimum.
If you decide to modify how you use personal information, you must inform your users.
A company’s privacy policy is only as strong as the staff that implements it.

**Reflect your site's data collection and use**
1) Determine what types of information you collect from visitors to your website.  Is the information personally identifiable? For example, does your site collect:

* names
* addresses
* phone numbers
* e-mail addresses
* IP addresses
* access dates and times

2) Why is this information collected? Is the data collection appropriate to the activity or transaction? If not, why do you collect it?

3) By what means is this information collected?

* cookies
* weblogs
* surveys
* web forms
* registration for an event or course
* newsletter sign-up

## [DiFfrenzZ](https://diffrenzz.com) is DiFfrenT 🇫🇷
Privacy Policy also helps to **create an environment of transparency and honesty** between you and your users. When it comes to concerns about the use of personal information online, a Privacy Policy can cultivate confidence and trust with consumers.

  While defining our company core values, we made sure to vision customers as pillars of our foundation.
Most of the decisions we take circle around this idea, from the first contact until the the very end of each contract.

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[^1]: ex. & descr., source: https://bit.ly/39ViD39