What is a Privacy Policy?
A Privacy Policy is a legal statement that specifies what the business owner does with the personal data collected from users, along with how the data is processed and for what purposes.
In 1968, Council of Europe did studies on the threat of the Internet expansion as they were concerned with the effects of technology on human rights. This lead to the development of policies that were to be developed to protect personal data.
This marks the start of what we know now as a “Privacy Policy.” While the name “Privacy Policy” refers to the legal agreement, the concept of privacy and protecting user data is closely related.
Who needs a Privacy Policy?
Any entity (company or individual) that collects or uses personal information from users will need a Privacy Policy.
A Privacy Policy is required regardless of the type of platform your business operates on or what kind of industry you are in:
Websites
WordPress blogs, or any other platforms: Joomla!, Drupal etc.
E-commerce stores
Mobile apps – Not having a Privacy Policy can be a reason for rejection during the app review.
For example, as of October 2018, a Privacy Policy will be required for all iOS apps.
Facebook apps – Facebook requires all pages, groups and events that collect user data to have a Privacy Policy: