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GDPR Privacy Policy Template

Looking for a GDPR Privacy Policy template that complies with privacy regulations? You’re in the right place!

A privacy policy is mandatory under many privacy laws, including the GDPR. In order to meet its disclosure and transparency requirements, this privacy document must be up-to-date, understandable, unambiguous, and easily accessible throughout the website.

What is a GDPR Privacy Policy?

The GDPR can apply to you whether or not you reside in the EU or have EU users and consequences of non compliance can be quite serious.

Does the GDPR require a privacy policy?

Yes. Under the vast majority of legislations including the GDPR, if you’re processing personal data you’re generally required to make disclosures related to your data processing activities via a comprehensive privacy policy. As a result, this legal document is required in order to inform users and meet GDPR disclosure and transparency requirements.

In order to be compliant, your policy must at the very least:

  • describe the personal data collected and the purposes of their collection;
  • accurately list all the third parties the data is shared with; and
  • inform users of their rights in relation to their data.

💡 Not sure what your privacy policy should include? Check out our quick guide here.

Do I need a Privacy Policy for my website?

Yes, if you collect personal information from users, you need a GDPR Privacy Policy for your website. It is required by law under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe and many other privacy laws, including some US state laws. Even if you have a simple contact form, use Google Analytics, or use cookies, you are processing personal data and must have a GDPR Privacy Policy in place.

Is it illegal to copy a Privacy Policy? 

Yes, it is not advisable to copy a Privacy Policy from another website without making the necessary modifications to reflect your own data processing practices and legal requirements. Each website’s data processing activities and legal obligations may vary, so a copied privacy policy may not comply with applicable laws and regulations. It’s better to use a professional GDPR Privacy Policy generator or seek legal advice to create a customized and legally compliant privacy policy.

Can I write my own Privacy Policy for my website?

Writing your own GDPR Privacy Policy is possible, but it is not recommended unless you are a legal professional familiar with the GDPR and other relevant privacy laws. GDPR Privacy Policies contain specific legally mandated disclosures and requirements that can be complex and require legal expertise to ensure compliance. Using a professional GDPR Privacy Policy generator or seeking legal assistance can help you create a thorough and compliant privacy policy for your website. 

Where do I display my Privacy Policy? 

Your GDPR Privacy Policy should be easily accessible on every page of your website. A common practice is to include a link to the privacy policy in the footer of your website, ensuring constant visibility and accessibility. Additionally, you should include the privacy policy link wherever you ask for personal information, such as on email newsletter or account sign-up forms, contact forms, and payment checkout pages. For mobile apps, you can include the link in a menu section like “About” or “Legal.”

How often do I need to update my Privacy Policy? 

You should update your GDPR Privacy Policy whenever there is a change in your data processing practices or if there are changes in privacy laws and regulations. 

If you start processing personal data in a different or new way, collect new types of personal information, or have a new purpose for using personal data, you should update your privacy policy accordingly. It’s important to keep the policy accurate and transparent to inform users properly.

How to generate your own Privacy Policy 

To generate your own GDPR Privacy Policy, you can use a professional GDPR Privacy Policy generator. These tools are designed to create customized and legally compliant privacy policies tailored to your website’s specific data processing activities and legal requirements. They typically take you through a series of questions about your website’s practices and services, and then generate a GDPR Privacy Policy based on your answers. It’s a quick and easy way to ensure you have a comprehensive and compliant privacy policy for your website.

Click here to see how iubenda can help you generate a GDPR privacy policy →

GDPR Privacy Policy Example

See this privacy policy GDPR template created with the iubenda Privacy and Cookie Policy Generator for an example of how these elements come together. Click on the button to open the document:

Privacy Policy

GDPR Privacy Policy Template

As mentioned before, a privacy policy template can only work for very basic legal documents. We provide this template just so you can see how your policy should be structured.

👉 We strongly recommend using a Privacy Policy Generator for generating your own professional document. You can try ours for free!

Privacy Policy of [Your Business]

Effective Date: [Date]

Owner and Data Controller

[Your Business]
[Your Business Address]
[Your Owner Email Address]

Types of Data Collected

[List all the types of data your website collects, by itself or through third-parties. For example: Cookies and tracking technologies;

  • Names;
  • Phone numbers;
  • IP addresses;
  • Email addresses;
  • Browser type and device information;
  • Unique identifiers…]
  • Methods of Processing

    [Describe all the security mesaures in place to prevent unauthorized access, disclosure, modification, or unauthorized destruction of the data. Mention who can have access to the data, and how processing is carried out e.g. through computers.]

    Legal Basis of Processing

    [List the legal bases or reasons you have to process data. For example: users have given their consent to one or more specific purposes (which is the most common legal basis for businesses).]

    Place of Processing

    [Define where data is being processed.]
    [Also mention here any data transfers to other countries.]

    Retention Time

    [This sets a defined period of time for keeping the data. Typically, personal data is processed and stored for as long as required by the purpose it has been collected for.]
    [Also mention, if it’s the case, that data will be deleted once the retention period expires. Read this post for best practices on data retention.]

    Purposes of Processing by Services (including Third-Parties)

    [This is more of a detailed section that lists all the services used on your website (like Google Analytics or Stripe for example) and, for each of them, defines the following information:

  • What the service is: Google Analytics is a web analysis service provided by Google Inc. Google uses the data collected to track and examine the use of this website, to prepare reports on its activities and share them with other Google services.
  • Purpose: Analytics
  • Personal data processed by the service : Cookies, Usage Data
  • Place of processing: United States; Ireland
  • If this constitutes a sale according to US State Laws like CPRA and VCDPA: Yes]
  • 👉 This section can be tricky. This is made easy with iubenda’s site scanner.
    Simply input the URL of your website and the scanner will automatically identify all the services in use and create a document with all necessary clauses. Each clause includes all the detailed information mentioned above and has been pre-drafted by lawyers.

    Users Rights

    [Users have a number of rights over their data, such as the right to withdraw their consent, access their data, or have their data deleted. You need to list their rights in this section. You’re likely to have to include data subjects’ rights under the GDPR. Also mention how they can exercise these rights (e.g. by contacting the company by email.]

    Cookie Policy

    This is crucial in case you use trackers on your website. 👉 Not sure? Follow this guide to find out!
    [Here you can link to your cookie policy. It should list all the trackers used on your site, what data they collect and for which purposes. Make sure to mention how users can manage their cookie preferences.]👉 See a cookie policy example here and how to generate your own.

    Additional Clauses

    [Some additional clauses can include:

  • Legally-required disclosures under the US’ CPRA, VCDPA, or Brazil’s LGPD
  • Statements regarding children’s privacy, e.g. if your website is intended for users under the age of 13, and how you handle their personal information.
  • Changes to this privacy policy; you should explain how you will notify users of any changes and the effective date of the updated policy.]
  • Latest update: [Date]

    ⚠️ Note
    This is a general and basic privacy policy template and must be customized to fit your specific circumstances and requirements. As mentioned, because these are legally binding documents, we highly recommend consulting with legal professionals or using a generator created by legal professionals to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

    How iubenda can help you create your own compliant privacy policy

    iubenda makes it easy to comply with legal requirements across multiple countries’ legislations (including the GDPR). With hundreds of available clauses, our privacy policies contain all the elements commonly required across many regions and services, while applying the strictest standards by default – giving you the option to fully customize as needed.

    Our policies are created by lawyers, monitored by our lawyers and hosted on our servers to ensure that they are always up-to-date with the latest legal and third-party requirements. Our privacy policies are easily customizable and also come with the option to include a cookie policy (which is necessary if your website or app is using cookies).

    💡 Take a look at how easy it is to generate your custom privacy policy with iubenda.

    Create your GDPR-compliant custom privacy policy

    Get started for free now

    About us

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    See also

    How to generate a privacy policy with iubenda

    Privacy Policy for Facebook Lead Ads

    4 Reasons Why You Need A Privacy Policy