Why Do I Need A Privacy Statement? via @sejournal, @DrSScheuing

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This edited extract is from How to Use Customer Data by Sachiko Scheuing ©2024 and reproduced with support from Kogan Page Ltd.

Do you usage idiosyncratic data?

I stake you bash due to the fact that otherwise, you would not beryllium speechmaking this book. If your institution uses idiosyncratic information for marketing, accounting, HR, oregon immoderate different purposes, you request a privateness policy.

The accepted attack to information extortion and informational self-determination suggests that meaningful power of your ain information is lone imaginable if you were informed astir however the information volition beryllium used.

One of the archetypal rules GDPR lays down successful its text, aft clarifying the scope of the instrumentality and the antithetic definitions, is Article 5 (legislation.gov.uk, 2016):

1. Personal information shall be:

(a) processed lawfully, reasonably and successful a transparent mode successful narration to the information taxable (‘lawfulness, fairness and transparency’)

This precise request triggers the request for a privateness statement.

Companies, successful particular, erstwhile they are information controllers, indispensable beryllium accountable for their information usage and person a privateness statement. This request is besides spelled retired successful Article 24(2) of the GDPR (legislation.gov.uk, 2016).

This nonfiction covers the taxable of automated idiosyncratic decision-making, including profiling – not profiling for selling that automates the enactment of ads to beryllium shown and truthful on, but profiling that tin person a superior interaction connected people.

Article 24(2) says specified profiling tin lone beryllium compliant if an due information extortion policy, which includes a privateness statement, is implemented (legislation.gov.uk, 2016).

In immoderate event, a privateness connection is an important document. GDPR dedicates 2 articles to database retired the precise accusation you request to station connected your privateness policy; Article 13 sets retired the requirements successful lawsuit you cod information straight from consumers, and Article 14 those for situations wherever information is collected indirectly (legislation.gov.uk, 2016).

Who Will Read Your Privacy Statement?

In the lawsuit of nutrient labelling, it was maine arsenic a lawsuit checking for a peculiar constituent that work this. Have you ever wondered who reads your privateness statement?

Customers and prospects are 1 evident radical of stakeholders who are acrophobic astir what is happening with their information erstwhile it’s successful your hands. Privacy activists and user extortion organizations whitethorn besides beryllium going done your privateness statement.

Authors and world researchers successful the tract of information extortion find it a large root of information, learning however companies are utilizing idiosyncratic data. Regulators, judges, and lawyers who are moving connected a lawsuit that involves your institution besides instrumentality large involvement successful your privateness notice.

Your firm representation is shaped by however your privateness connection reads. Customers, some successful business-to-business arsenic good arsenic business-to-consumer markets, wage large attraction to your privateness practice.

Business partners and suppliers to your institution often formalize the reappraisal of your company’s information extortion compliance, asking questions astir your privateness connection successful their owed diligence questionnaires.

Whoever the readers are, it is different “touch-point” for a assortment of stakeholders, including revenue-generating parties similar customers and partners.

You privation them to person a bully content of your privateness practices, and the archetypal accidental you person to showcase this whitethorn beryllium your privateness statement. Borrowing the words of the ICO, a bully privateness connection “helps physique trust, avoids confusion, and lets everyone cognize what to expect.” (ICO, 2023)

How Long Should My Privacy Statement Be?

GDPR expects you to gully up a privateness connection agelong capable truthful that you tin decently explicate which information is collected, used, and stored. This makes your privateness connection transparent.

At the aforesaid time, your privateness connection indispensable beryllium concise, according to Article 12(1) of GDPR (legislation.gov.uk, 2016). These 2 requirements look to contradict each different astatine archetypal glance. The EU regulators, therefore, springiness immoderate explanations successful their guidelines connected transparency (Art 29 WP, 2018).

While a privateness connection aims to springiness indispensable accusation truthful that consumers tin marque decisions astir their idiosyncratic data, regulators are besides alert of the phenomena known arsenic “information fatigue” oregon “information overload.” The proposal is that quality beings person a constricted capableness to digest information.

When excessively overmuch accusation is presented, radical go overwhelmed and either disregard the accusation oregon marque illogical decisions to header with the intelligence accent they acquisition (Simmel, 1950; Milgram, 1969).

There are 2 strategies to debar this that can, astatine the aforesaid time, inactive supply each the details required.

Have A Clear Structure

Before starting to constitute a privateness notice, database retired each the accusation you request to supply successful it. Then, deliberation astir however you privation to contiguous it to your customers and different information subjects successful a logical manner.

In doing so, you mightiness privation to work the privateness statements of large user brands and governmental organizations and find retired however their privateness statements are structured.

There is simply a bully accidental that their privateness notices are prepared by experienced in-house lawyers oregon by instrumentality firms that specialize successful information protection. The thought is to get the feeling of what large privateness statements look like.

You mightiness besides privation to work up connected the privateness statements of your competitors, arsenic good arsenic those of your partners successful your concern field.

Ask your privateness idiosyncratic which competitors person bully reputations with respect to their information extortion practices, oregon possibly you already cognize who they are. Just instrumentality a look astatine however their privateness notices are structured. You tin besides simply follow the operation of ICO’s privateness argumentation template.

Whatever you do, the cardinal is to amended the readability of your privateness connection by giving it a logical structure.

Prepare Privacy Notices In Layers

Another approach, endorsed by the regulators, is the alleged layered attack (Art 29 WP, 2018).

Assuming that the privateness announcement is going to beryllium online, you tin marque your privateness argumentation interactive by utilizing links, truthful that users tin click connected them erstwhile they privation much information, oregon skip them and enactment connected the first-level summary accusation if they truthful wish, conscionable arsenic you would usage an online encyclopedia.

This way, the cardinal messages are simplified, and readers of your privateness connection volition person a bully overview of the archetypal furniture of the statement.

Regulators urge the pursuing accusation should beryllium disposable connected the archetypal layers of the privateness announcement (Art 29 WP, 2018, p 19, para 36):

  1. Details of the purposes of processing
  2. The individuality of the information controller
  3. Description of the information subjects’ rights
  4. Information connected the processing which has the astir interaction connected the information subject
  5. Information connected the processing which could astonishment them.

When Do I Have To Present The Privacy Statement?

Consumers indispensable beryllium informed what information is collected for, for lawsuit selling purposes, arsenic aboriginal arsenic possible.

When you are collecting information straight from your customers, you indispensable contiguous your privateness announcement the infinitesimal you are collecting the information (see Article 13(1) GDPR; legislation.gov.uk, 2016).

In a script wherever you licence the information from different organizations, specified arsenic from nationalist sources oregon selling information providers, Article 14(3)a and b necessitate the privateness accusation to beryllium provided successful the pursuing mode (legislation.gov.uk, 2016):

  • within a tenable play aft obtaining the idiosyncratic data, but astatine the latest wrong 1 month, having respect to the circumstantial circumstances successful which the idiosyncratic information are processed;
  • if the idiosyncratic information are to beryllium utilized for connection with the information subject, astatine the latest astatine the clip of the archetypal connection to that information subject; or
  • if a disclosure to different recipient is envisaged, astatine the latest erstwhile the idiosyncratic information are archetypal disclosed.

In short, for licensed information that is not interaction item data, the privateness announcement indispensable beryllium communicated wrong a month.

If you are utilizing interaction information similar names, telephone numbers, email addresses, and carnal addresses, you request to pass the privateness connection the archetypal clip you nonstop a commercialized connection to them.

In practice, companies embed a nexus to the privateness connection successful email messages oregon people that nexus connected nonstop message pieces to fulfill this requirement.

References:

  • Art 29 WP (2018) Article 29 Data Protection Working Party, WP260 rev.01 Guidelines connected transparency nether Regulation 2016/679, adopted connected 29 November 2017, past revised and adopted connected 11 April 2018, https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/article29/items/622227 (archived astatine https://perma.cc/4HWYURKL)
  • ICO (2023) UK Information Commissioner’s Office: Transparency nonstop selling elaborate guidelines, https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/advice-for-smallorganisations/frequently-asked-questions/transparency-cookies-and-privacynotices/ (archived astatine https://perma.cc/K3ZR-T7E5)
  • legislation.gov.uk (2016)‘Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council, 27 April 2016, www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2016/679/contents (archived astatine https://perma.cc/NVG6-PXBQ)
  • Milgram, S (1969) The acquisition of surviving successful cities, Science 167, 1461–1468
  • Simmel, G (1950) The metropolis and intelligence life, successful K H Wolff (ed.), The Sociology of Georg Simmel, Free Press, New York, USA.

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