Privacy Policy

A Privacy Policy is a disclosure on your website of what information you collect from visitors and what you do with that information.

If you collect any personally identifying information from visitors to your website, you must post and strictly follow a privacy policy. The location on your site, the words you use to describe your policy, and how the information is disclosed is crucial to comply with federal and state. A simple mistake in using “and” instead of “or” can mean the difference between violating the law and being in compliance. DO NOT CUT AND PASTE from another site, it is illegal, and will likely not protect you from the risks you face in your unique business.

If you do not post and follow your privacy policy, you can lose your business, and in some cases go to jail.

Federal and State Regulation of Rights of Privacy:

You must comply with all state constitutional and statutory rights of privacy, with California being the most restrictive.

If you collect any personally identifying information from California residents, you must follow the California Online Privacy Protection Act and conspicuously post on your website your privacy policy which shall include:

(1) the categories of personally identifiable information collected,  (2) the categories of persons you might share that information with, (3) the process a visitor can use to change the information you collect, (4) how you notify visitors of any change to your privacy policy, and (5) the effective date of your policy.

If you collect personal information from children, or your site appeals to children, you are subject to the Child Online Protection Act [COPA]and the Child Online Privacy Protection Act [COPPA].

The Federal Trade Commission [FTC] can take enforcement action against owners of websites if they do not strictly follow the privacy policy they have posted. It is important that you only disclose what you actually do with the information you collect, and that you actually follow through.

Penalties:

Violations of these laws or policies can subject you to civil or criminal action by the federal government and state attorney generals including fines of thousands of dollars and injunctions which can put you out of business. In addition, many violations can be the basis for class action lawsuits and individual lawsuits exposing you to large monetary damages and the attorney fees of the persons suing you, in addition to your own attorney fees.

Cost of Compliance:

Champion Law will prepare a Privacy Policy which complies with the strictest requirements of state and federal laws and regulations, thus protecting you from serious risks.

The cost of preparing a properly compliant privacy policy specifically tailored to your business depends on what information you collect, how you collect it, and what you do with it.

In most cases, your cost will be less than $1,000. Before you are obligated to pay anything to Champion Law, you will be given an estimate which will cover your initial consultation, a first draft of your privacy policy, and one set of changes before the final policy is ready to load to your website. In addition, Champion Law will notify you of any changes in privacy laws and regulations which should require updating your privacy policy for compliance.