Forum Moderators: open
Some folks just don't know where to start when writing a Privacy Statement (or policy). After careful perusal, this one pretty much covers all bases and is public domain.
<snip>
You may want to edit a bit and/or append some of this information to it so that it's unique to your site:
Cookies
A cookie is a data file that certain web sites write to your computer's hard drive when you visit such sites. A cookie file can contain information, such as a user identification code, that the site uses to maintain a personalized look and feel on the pages you have visited. [YOUR WEB SITE].com uses cookies solely to maintain "members-only" access levels throughout the [YOUR WEB SITE].com web site. We use this data on an anonymous basis and we do not correlate this information with personal data of any user.
Most web site browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually change your browser settings to display a warning before accepting a cookie, or to refuse all cookies. However, if you choose to disable the receipt of cookies from our web site, you may not be able to use certain features of the site.
Browser Level Information
[YOUR WEB SITE].com web servers automatically collect information about a site user's IP address, browser type and referrer by reading this information from the user's browser (information provided by every user's browser). This information is collected in a database and used--in an aggregated, anonymous manner--in our internal analysis of traffic patterns within our web site. This information is automatically logged by most web sites.
Definitions
IP address: Every computer connected to the Internet has a numeric address called an “IP address." This may or may not correspond uniquely to a particular computer. In some cases, IP addresses can be resolved to domain names, which may indicate a site visitor's Internet service provider, employer, university, etc. As part of its database analysis [YOUR WEB SITE].com resolves IP addresses to domain names.
Browser type: A user’s browser is a software program running on a computer that allows users to access documents on the World Wide Web. Browsers can be either text or graphic. They read HTML coded pages that reside on a server and interpret the coding into what the user sees as Web pages. Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer are examples of Web browsers. Browser type typically discloses hardware platform, operating system, and browser software and version.
Referrer: The referrer is the URL of the Internet resource or page that causes a browser to request a page or image from [YOUR WEB SITE].com servers.
[edited by: papabaer at 8:29 pm (utc) on July 26, 2002]
[edit reason] terms of service [/edit]
A privacy policy should put people's minds at rest. My personal website has one, and it's written in a very light fashion. Here's my section on cookies:
Cookies are small text files which can be stored on your local machine. They are actually quite useful: web designers use cookies to give you the option of having regularly-used forms filled out automatically, or to keep track of what items you have in your shopping cart, for example. Contrary to popular belief, they cannot be used to send viruses. However, with a bit of careful and devious programming, they can be used to track people as they browse through websites, and for this reason many people mistrust them.I use cookies as sparingly as possible. At the moment, the only cookie on this site merely identifies whether or not you have voted on the current rewPoll.
That obviously wouldn't work on a business site, but it is every bit as valid as any "professionally" created policy.
And its smart to some times leave it up for interpretation so you can "sway it a lil bit when you need too"
the technical jargon isnt that big of a deal look at your logs for your PP 1 in 1000 people who register read the PP.
And its smart to some times leave it up for interpretation so you can "sway it a lil bit when you need too"I couldn't disagree more. In some countries, a PP may be declared to be legally binding. Leave it open to interpretation, and you may possibly have a legal battle on your hands, very likely in a country with whose laws you are unfamiliar.
A one in a million chance, perhaps, but why risk it?
And you certainly shouldn't use technical or legal jargon just to look smart; that can backfire on you, especially if you don't really know what you're talking about.
What I mean is a sentence like this:
This information is collected in a database and used--in an aggregated, anonymous manner--in our internal analysis of traffic patterns within our web site.
Why not write:
"We collect this information and use it to compile general statistics such as how many people visit which parts of the site. We do not use this information to track you personally."
