Many business owners start selling their product because they’re passionate about what it does and want to release it into the world. However, not many of them pay much mind to the legal implications of their product, how it’s marketed, and the user data it collects. With the increased number of GDPR fines, one can no longer afford to be remiss about personal data compliance. However, staying compliant can be expensive and it’s not always easy to figure out without expensive lawyers.
The solution by Australia-based company Humaan called GetTerms provides no-code privacy policies and other policies. It aims to help online businesses stay compliant with privacy laws whilst focusing on their business rather than paperwork.
https://t.co/dykYQbz500 is a free, generic website ToS and privacy policy generator, based on typical, reasonable and fair use of information. https://t.co/MeLmAuszAO
— GetTerms.io (@GetTermsIO) September 20, 2019
Staying compliant at a low cost
GetTerms offers three packages:
- Basic Policy: a free privacy policy generated for your website that’s “ideal for personal use” but doesn’t guarantee GDPR or CCPA compliance.
- Standard Pack: includes a privacy policy, a cookie policy, and terms of service. Like the free version, this privacy policy is also generic and doesn’t guarantee legal compliance. The pack costs $25.
- Comprehensive Pack: includes a customized privacy policy and disclosures, a cookie policy, terms of service document, and an acceptable use policy. This package guarantees CCPA, GDPR, and Australian Privacy Act compliance provided that you tick the relevant boxes when ordering. The pack costs $49.
You can also find free templates of privacy policies for websites, apps, SaaS, eCommerce, blogs, cookie policies, and others on the GetTerms website. They can be accessed by clicking on the menu icon in the top-right corner of the landing page.
Under certain privacy regulations, you must disclose what types of log data you collect, how and why you intend to use it, and any third parties you may share it with.
Learn more: https://t.co/K1PZ1u5g6u#privacylaw #GDPR #dataprotection pic.twitter.com/S7yIF1daFx
— GetTerms.io (@GetTermsIO) March 31, 2021
Free Privacy Policy
I used TechAcute as an example to test GetTerms’ option to generate a free privacy policy. Please note that this is not an official legal document and will only be used for the purposes of this article.
I compared it with TechAcute’s current privacy policy. There is some overlap with GetTerms regarding the logged data, data subject’s rights, and third-party sharing. Some specifics, however, are different – but that could be due to the variables I’ve entered when I ordered the free policy.
As you can see from the file, the free policy is quite generic, but it doesn’t purport to be anything else. Other tools like Juro’s offer more comprehensive policies made with legal design principles in mind, but the GetTerms product doesn’t require the assistance of a web developer, as it’s a no-code solution.
Whether you’re looking to leverage UGC for your next social media marketing campaign, there are a few legal considerations to stay mindful of — yes, even if your users submit content they understand will appear on your platform.https://t.co/vwbuqcjbAu#privacy #GDPR pic.twitter.com/ZA41odFaBj
— GetTerms.io (@GetTermsIO) April 28, 2021
The ease of use and good value is the main advantage of GetTerms, and that’s what makes it a good one-size-fits-all product for smaller businesses and personal websites and blogs. The free policy can also help people get a sense of what privacy policies are all about. People who have some knowledge of privacy laws can add to it if they want.
GetTerms doesn’t require signing up or creating an account, which is a testament to the provider’s respect for the privacy of its users. However, the free product doesn’t guarantee compliance with these laws by itself. The $49 package is the only one that offers that.
YouTube: Easily Generate Your Privacy Policy with GetTerms
Photo credit: The feature image has been taken by Kelvin Han.
Sources: Luke Irwin (IT Governance) / G. Dautovic (Fortunly)
