All You Need to Know About Privacy Policies for Startups

Creating a privacy policy is crucial for all startups that have a website or a mobile app. These policies describe, in detail, the startup’s data privacy practices and include all disclosures deemed necessary by the law. When crafting their privacy policies, all first-time and seasoned business owners should consider the following suggestions.

Templates are not effective in the long run

The internet is full of templates for privacy policies that contain a list of generic information and disclosures that may or may not be relevant for your startup. That’s because there is no standard, one-size-fits-all template for all startup owners. All information contained in a template might not apply to every business out there, and there be some valuable points missing as well. For this reason, it is crucial for startup owners to consult with business lawyers in Dubai to understand privacy policies in detail instead of relying on a template.

Specificity is key

Before crafting their privacy policies, startup owners should have a solid grasp over how online services operate, what information can be collected from website visitors, and how the information collected can and should be disclosed. This task is particularly challenging, especially when a startup is in its early stages of incorporation.

The privacy policy must also accurately reflect how the company’s website functions. For startups, it is considered best practice to craft privacy policies as accurately and clearly as possible so that this webpage remains relevant as the business develops and grows.

Avoid using certain terms

Certain terms, like ‘never’ and ‘always,’ appear user-friendly and easy-to-read, but they can have serious implications in the context of privacy policies. The biggest issue with using absolute terms in a privacy policy is that they are misleading.

For instance, if a privacy policy reads “We never share your information with third parties, except in the following cases,” it can create a contradiction. The first sentence has an absolute term (never), which implies that the company never shares information with other parties, but the second statement contradicts the first one by adding an exception to the rule. So, what seems simple and straightforward actually becomes confusing and may even become the source of legal issues. Business lawyers in Dubai can help startups find the right terms for their privacy policies that are clear for the company and the user.

Privacy policies are not only for websites

One of the biggest misconceptions about privacy policies is that they only apply to a business’s website. In truth, these policies represent a wide variety of privacy representations that can be applied to a company’s marketing materials, in-store signage, and other aspects of the business, especially when gathering personal information, like emails, mobile numbers, names, addresses, etc.

If you need help developing privacy policies for your business, call us at +971 4 329 8808 or email us at [email protected] to speak to leading business lawyers in Dubai.