A privacy policy is a legal document that is required by law in some jurisdictions, as well as being required
for services like Google AdSense. With privacy related lawsuits being more common sites without a policy are at
serious risk. Mitigate risk and save the high cost of hiring a lawyer by leveraging the most trusted source for
online privacy, TRUSTe.
Frequently Asked Questions
+ What are the TRUSTe Privacy Products?
TRUSTe Privacy Policy is a wizard-driven privacy policy generator. It allows you to easily create, and maintain, a privacy policy that accurately reflects the practices you use in collecting and sharing information about your customers.
TRUSTe Privacy Policy with Seal includes the wizard-driven privacy policy generator, an initial scan and certification, a seal that displays when TRUSTe certifies your web site, and periodic scans to help you preserve consistency between your privacy policy and practices.
+ Am I required to post a privacy policy on my website?
If your web site doesn’t collect information about visitors, a privacy policy is usually optional.
If you collect data, some industries, states, and countries have privacy policy requirements. For example, if you collect data from users who are located in California, you must post a privacy policy regardless of your own location.
+ How is privacy policy valuable to me and my customers?
Increasingly, customers expect online businesses to post a privacy policy.
The level of customer sophistication about privacy practices is increasing rapidly, and they are likely to leave a web site if its privacy policy is unclear or doesn’t indicate a sufficient level of commitment to protecting information.
And increasingly, customers hold businesses legally responsible for any discrepancies between their policy and practices.
+ How do TRUSTe products save me money?
TRUSTe Privacy Policy, through its wizard, allows you to create, post, and maintain a privacy policy at minimal expense. It’s far less expensive than hiring an attorney or consultant, or spending the time to research and write a privacy policy on your own.
TRUSTe Privacy Policy with Seal gives you all the convenience of the wizard, and displays the TRUSTe Seal to show your customers that your business’s privacy policy has been examined and certified by the leader in privacy policy certification. That translates to lower abandonment rates and more revenues. In addition, the certification process associated with the TRUSTe Seal alerts you to discrepancies between your privacy policy and practices, before they result in costly conflicts with customers. Finally, if TRUSTe receives complaints about your business, they mediate a solution between you and your customer.
+ Can I purchase TRUSTe products for a domain that is not registered with you?
Yes, you can purchase TRUSTe Privacy Policy for any domain name. They don’t have to be registered with us or use our DNS Hosting.
+ How long does it take to create a privacy policy and certify my website?
Creating a privacy policy using the TRUSTe wizard only takes a few minutes; inserting it into your web site code takes a few more.
If you purchase TRUSTe Privacy Policy with Seal, it only takes a few minutes to insert the Seal code snippet into your web site code, and a few minutes to notify TRUSTe when you’re ready for them to scan your site. If TRUSTe’s certification scan indicates that your site is consistent with your privacy policy, they may activate your TRUSTe Seal in two days or less.
If they find inconsistencies, they notify you, and then reevaluate your web site within two days after you notify them that the problems have been resolved.
+ How does TRUSTe identify discrepancies between my privacy policy and practices?
TRUSTe scans for consistency between your privacy policy and practices if you subscribe to Privacy Policy with Seal, but not Privacy Policy.
TRUSTe uses a variety of approaches to verify consistency between your privacy policy and your information collection and sharing practices. They notify you of any inconsistencies they identify
+ How do I set up TRUSTe Privacy Policy with Seal?
To associate your Privacy Policy subscription with a domain name, log into your account. Hover on “Security” and then on “TRUSTe Privacy Policy”, and then click “Manage”. In the row of the Privacy Policy subscription you want to configure, click “Awaiting Configuration”. Type a domain name and email address to associate with the subscription, and click “Submit”. If you wish, type a password and click “Save Settings” (the domain name and password allow you to log in directly at trustemanager.com). A success message confirms that you have configured your Privacy Policy subscription details.
To build your privacy policy, hover on “Security” and then on “TRUSTe Privacy Policy”, and then click “Manage”. In the row of the subscription you want to configure, click the domain name for which you want to create a privacy policy. Click “Login to my control panel”.
Follow the instructions in the control panel to build and implement your privacy policy and Seal. The control panel provides code snippets for the privacy policy and the Seal; you can place both in your web site code immediately. Your privacy policy will appear almost immediately; the Seal will appear as soon as TRUSTe certifies your site.
+ How do I set up TRUSTe Privacy Policy?
To associate your Privacy Policy subscription with a domain name, log into your account. Hover on “Security” and then on “TRUSTe Privacy Policy”, and then click “Manage”. In the row of the Privacy Policy subscription you want to configure, click “Awaiting Configuration”. Type a domain name and email address to associate with the subscription, and click “Submit”. If you wish, type a password and click “Save Settings” (the domain name and password allow you to log in directly at trustemanager.com). A success message confirms that you have configured your Privacy Policy subscription details.
To build your privacy policy, hover on “Security” and then on “TRUSTe Privacy Policy”, and then click “Manage”. In the row of the subscription you want to configure, click the domain name for which you want to create a privacy policy. Click “Login to my control panel”.
Follow the instructions in the control panel to build and implement your privacy policy.
+ What are my responsibilities in earning and maintaining my TRUSTe Seal?
The TRUSTe Seal confirms that your web site’s data collection practices and your business’s information-sharing practices are consistent with the text of your privacy policy.
TRUSTe publishes Program Requirements that describe your responsibilities in the TRUSTe Seal program.
+ How will I know when TRUSTe certifies my site?
If you have placed the TRUSTe Seal code snippet in your web site, the Seal will become visible when TRUSTe certifies your web site. If TRUSTe finds any problems with your web site, they contact you for resolution.
+ Can I edit my privacy policy, update my Web site, or change my information-sharing practices after TRUSTe has issued their Seal?
Yes, you can make changes as needed. You do not need to notify us or TRUSTe when you do so.
