If it appears that everyone is updating their privacy policies, it’s because it is true, and perhaps you should be too! Stick around to find out why there are so many privacy policy updates and how you can update yours, too!
Like most things nowadays, privacy policies also need updating!
Companies must update their privacy policies to comply with data protection legislation and notify users of their rights and how their information is collected, stored, and used.
As per international privacy regulations, if you gather personal information from website visitors, you must post a privacy policy and make it available through your website. A privacy policy is a legal document that specifies what kind of personal information you collect from website visitors, how you use it, and how you protect it.
In general, a privacy policy covers:
Therefore, if any of the above information changes, you must update your privacy policy and notify your users.
This article is a part of our series on compliance for websites and apps. Read also:
Several key data privacy laws around the world require businesses to keep their privacy policies updated. These laws ensure that businesses handle personal information transparently and securely. Here are some of the major ones:
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – European Union:
Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) – Canada:
Brazil’s General Data Protection Law (Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados, LGPD):
These laws, among others, emphasize the importance of privacy policies as living documents that need regular reviews and updates. Changes in legislation, business operations, technologies, or data practices can all necessitate updates to a privacy policy to ensure ongoing compliance and transparency with users.
| Law | Region | Impact on Privacy Policy Updates |
|---|---|---|
| GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) | European Union | Must specify types of data collected, reasons for processing, and how it’s protected. Requires updates when there are changes in data processing or when new data protection rights are introduced. Must detail user rights such as access, rectification, deletion, and data portability. |
| CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) / CPRA (California Privacy Rights Act) | California, USA | Requires detailing the categories of personal information collected, purposes for collection, and third parties with whom the data is shared. Needs updates to explain new consumer rights under the law and how to exercise them. Must notify consumers of the right to opt-out of the sale of personal information. |
| PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) | Canada | Policies must clearly communicate how personal information is managed, including consent, limits to collection, use, and disclosure. Requires updates when there are changes in how personal information is handled or when offering new services. |
| LGPD (Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados) | Brazil | Similar to GDPR in requiring transparency about data collection, use, and rights. Privacy policies must be updated to reflect any changes in processing activities and to inform about data subject rights. |
| EU Cookie Law (ePrivacy Directive) | European Union | Requires websites to get consent from users before storing or retrieving any information on a computer, smartphone, or tablet. Impacts privacy policies by necessitating clear disclosure of cookie use, types of cookies used (e.g., necessary, performance, targeting), and how users can manage or reject cookies. |
Good practice says you should evaluate your privacy policy at least once every few months. If you make a significant change to how you collect, use, keep, or share data, you should review your privacy policy and update it to ensure that it still accurately reflects your current data processing operations.
It’s also good to evaluate your privacy policy when:
Informing users about updates to your privacy policy is crucial for several reasons, all of which contribute to transparency, trust, and legal compliance in handling personal data. Here’s why it’s important:
In summary, informing users about privacy policy updates is not just a legal requirement; it’s a best practice that promotes transparency, builds trust, and ensures users are informed and comfortable with how their data is handled.
Notifying users about updates to your privacy policy is crucial for transparency and compliance. Here are effective ways to ensure your users are informed about any changes:
When notifying users, it’s important to:
By employing these strategies, you can ensure that your users are well-informed about any updates to your privacy policy, maintaining trust and compliance with data protection regulations.
Updating your privacy policy depends on how/where you have created your privacy policy.
Most privacy policy generators are self-updating with the current laws and allow you to easily update any clauses and add new third parties cookies.
In the case of iubenda’s Privacy Policy Generator, editing and updating your policy has never been easier. We constantly monitor the major legal regulations and automatically update your policy to keep it valid and up-to-date. However, should you need to manually update your personal information, contact details, custom clauses, or add additional services, you can log back into your iubenda dashboard and make changes anytime.
First, click on edit in your privacy policy from within your dashboard.
Here is where you can make changes, update, and add any new clauses. Need to add a new service, for example? Click on Add new service.
You can all add any applicable legislation standards with a simple click.
Are your services now available in another country, and do you need to add that language to your privacy policy? Click on Add Language (iubenda has 11 languages to choose from)
Once you’ve made and saved all your changes, our system automatically updates your privacy policies on any website it is embedded in.
You need to update your privacy policy to comply with the data protection rules about user’s personal information and to inform them of how you collect, store, and use their data. These rules are part of several international privacy laws. Your privacy policy should clearly say what kind of personal information you take from visitors to your website, why you need it, how you keep it safe, and how you use it. It should also talk about cookies and if you share data with other websites or third parties. If anything about how you handle information changes, you have to update your privacy policy to reflect these changes and inform your users.
It is highly recommended to check and update your privacy policy at least once a year, or every 6 months to ensure it accurately reflects the current state of your data practices. If you make changes to how you collect, use, store, or share data, review your policy right away. Also, update it if you launch new services, use data in new ways, or start working with new partners.
People are updating their privacy policies regularly, at least every year or every 6 months, not just in 2023. This practice ensures that their policies remain compliant with the latest data protection laws, which are constantly evolving to better protect consumer privacy. Additionally, whenever a company changes how it collects, uses, stores, or shares data, it’s crucial to review and immediately update the privacy policy. These updates are also necessary when launching new services, using data in new ways, or forming new partnerships.
You’re getting a lot of privacy policy updates because companies must follow new and updated data protection laws. They also need to be clear with you about how they handle your personal information. When something changes in the way they collect, use, or share your data, they have to let you know by updating their privacy policy.
To update your privacy policy, you might use a tool like a privacy policy generator, which stays up-to-date with the latest laws. With such tools, you can easily make changes, add new sections, or include new services. If your service now covers more countries or you need to add new data handling practices, just log in to your tool, make the updates, and save them. These tools are often automatically updated if the law changes, keeping your privacy documents up-to-date without much hassle.
To find out when a website was last updated in the most basic way, you can simply check the page itself. Here’s how:
This method is straightforward and doesn’t require any technical skills. Just by looking around the webpage, you can often find the information you need.