How To Write A Privacy Policy & Disclaimer For Your Blog + Free Templates

It doesn’t matter if your website is under a hosting platform or self-hosted, you need to have a privacy policy and a disclaimer (also known as disclosure) page. They are highly important and you shouldn’t forget to add or update them. If you have no idea what those pages are or how to write them, then this post is for you!

Peu importe si votre site Web est hébergé sur une plateforme d’hébergement ou hébergé de manière autonome, vous devez disposer d’une politique de confidentialité et d’une page de divulgation. Ils sont très importants et vous ne devez pas oublier de les ajouter ou de les mettre à jour. Si vous n’avez aucune idée de ce que sont ces pages ou comment les écrire, alors cet article est pour vous!

You might also like:

• How To Find Your Blog’s Target Audience
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WHAT IS A PRIVACY POLICY?

The privacy policy should be in accordance with the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). If you are classified as a data controller under the GDPR, this includes creating a privacy notice informing the data you handle. In simple words, a privacy policy is a page regarding all the data you collect from your website. You have to disclose every single information you collect such as your follower’s email address, name, IP address etc.

If you have a self-hosted website, this step is even more important because your website collects a lot more information than a website on a hosting platform (eg. WordPress.com). This page will make sure that your readers are aware of the information you collect when they visit or follow your website and that you are protecting their information. If you don’t have a privacy policy on your blog, you could potentially end up with a lawsuit (I know that sounds extreme). You can easily create a privacy policy within a couple of minutes and it’ll be over and done with.

La politique de confidentialité doit être conforme au GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). Si vous êtes classé en tant que contrôleur de données dans le GDPR, cela inclut la création d’une déclaration de confidentialité informant des données que vous manipulez. En termes simples, une politique de confidentialité est une page concernant toutes les données que vous collectez sur votre site Web. Vous devez divulguer toutes les informations que vous collectez, telles que l’adresse e-mail de votre adepte, son nom, son adresse IP, etc.

Si vous avez un site Web auto-hébergé, cette étape est d’autant plus importante parce que votre site Web recueille beaucoup plus d’informations qu’un site Web sur une plate-forme d’hébergement (par exemple WordPress.com). Cette page s’assurera que vos lecteurs sont au courant des informations que vous collectez lorsqu’ils visitent ou suivent votre site Web et que vous protégez leurs informations. Si vous n’avez pas de politique de confidentialité sur votre blog, vous pourriez éventuellement vous retrouver avec un procès (je sais que cela semble extrême). Vous pouvez facilement créer une politique de confidentialité en quelques minutes et ce sera fini.

Related: 5 Pieces Of Blogging Advice For Beginners.

 

WHAT TO MENTION IN A PRIVACY POLICY

What: You have to include what information you collect from your followers or readers which in this case will be email address, name, cookies, etc.

When: Mention when you are taking these information, is it when they are visiting your website or when they are following your blog?

Where: Don’t forget to say that all the information your website collects is saved securely.

How & Why: Disclose how and why you are using those information, obviously your readers will know you aren’t going to sell them to a third party but you have to be very clear about that.

Every privacy policy has to be written in English, it’s something you have to take into consideration if your blog is written in another language. This is to make sure that every visitor on your website knows what information they are divulging.

Note that you need a specific privacy policy for various things, for example if you run Google AdSense on your blog – you’ll need a separate policy for that matter. The same goes for Google Analytics.

Quoi: vous devez inclure les informations que vous collectez auprès de vos abonnés ou lecteurs, qui dans ce cas seront l’adresse électronique, le nom, les cookies, etc.

Quand: Mentionnez à quel moment vous prenez ces informations, est-ce quand ils visitent votre site web ou quand ils suivent votre blog?

Où: N’oubliez pas de dire que toutes les informations que votre site Web collecte sont enregistrées de manière sécurisée.

Comment et Pourquoi: Indiquez comment et pourquoi vous utilisez ces informations. Vos lecteurs sauront évidemment que vous n’allez pas les vendre à une tierce partie, mais vous devez être très clair à ce sujet.

Toute politique de confidentialité doit être rédigée en anglais. Si votre blog est écrit dans une autre langue, vous devez en tenir compte. Cela permet de s’assurer que chaque visiteur de votre site Web sait quelle information il divulgue.

Notez que vous avez besoin d’une politique de confidentialité spécifique pour différentes choses, par exemple si vous utilisez Google AdSense sur votre blog. Vous aurez besoin d’une politique distincte à cet égard. Il en va de même pour Google Analytics.

Related: How To Add Ads On Your Blog

 

EXTRAS

Privacy Policy Plugin: if you have a self-hosted website, there is a free plugin which will automatically give you a template of a privacy policy. You’ll only need to replace the name of your website and links.

iubenda: if you are really confused on how to write a privacy policy, you can use the iubenda website which will generate a privacy policy based on your website. It will provide you a list of information and you’ll have to tick the information you collect or use from your website. It’ll generate a privacy policy based on the information you’ve given and you’ll only need to add a link to your website.

Cookie Banner: if you are using cookies on your website, it’s essential that you let your readers know as soon as they visit your website that’s why you need to display a cookie banner. You can use this plugin or do it in your settings (Settings > Cookie Consent).

Many people think that if your website is under WordPress.com, that you aren’t using any cookies on your website which is completely false. WordPress.com uses cookies that’s why it’s important that you add the cookies widget (Customise > Widget > Cookies & Consents Banner) on your blog.

Privacy Policy Plugin: si vous avez un site Web auto-hébergé, il existe un plugin gratuit qui vous donnera automatiquement un modèle de politique de confidentialité. Il vous suffira de remplacer le nom de votre site Web et vos liens. 

iubenda: si vous ne savez vraiment pas comment rédiger une politique de confidentialité, vous pouvez utiliser le site Web iubenda, qui générera une politique de confidentialité basée sur votre site Web. Il vous fournira une liste d’informations et vous devrez cocher les informations que vous collectez ou utilisez à partir de votre site Web. Il générera une politique de confidentialité basée sur les informations que vous avez fournies et il vous suffira d’ajouter un lien vers votre site Web. 

Bannière de cookie: si vous utilisez des cookies sur votre site Web, il est essentiel d’informer vos lecteurs dès qu’ils visitent votre site Web, c’est pourquoi vous devez afficher une bannière de cookie. Vous pouvez utiliser ce plugin ou le faire dans vos paramètres (Paramètres> Consentement aux cookies).

Beaucoup de gens pensent que si votre site web est sous WordPress.com, vous n’utilisez pas de cookies sur votre site web, ce qui est complètement faux. WordPress.com utilise des cookies. C’est pourquoi il est important que vous ajoutiez le widget de cookies (Personnaliser > Widget > Bannière des cookies et autorisations) sur votre blog.

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TEMPLATE

It is [your blog name] to respect your privacy regarding any information we may collect while operating our website.

Due to the recent change in the data protection law we have revisited our privacy policy and updated any new requirements in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

This Privacy Policy does not apply to the practices of third parties that I do not own or control or any third party services you access through [your blog name].

 

What personal data we collect and why we collect it

The type of data that we collect and process may include your name, username, email address, IP address, and URL. We use data to run our site efficiently and personalise user experience.

[Add the section below if you accept PR/gifted products]

We process data of brands, companies, organisations on this blog which may have been provided to us by a third party (eg. PR companies or other blogger outreach services). We need to process brand names and links of these companies, organisations, etc which may sometimes include names of people within that brand, company or organisation, (eg. if the brand is named after a living person) in order to carry out work assigned to us by these companies.

 

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.

[Add the section below if you use Gravatar for your blog comments]

An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

 

Embedded content from other websites

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.

These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracing your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.

 

How long we retain your data

If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognise and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.

For users that register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.

 

What rights you have over your data

If you have an account on this site, or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

 

Where we send your data

Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.

 

Who we share your data with

We do not share any personal information with third parties for marketing purposes or in any instance with exception of being required to do so by law or of the winners details in situations such as giveaways whereby the name, address and email address may be passed on to the company I am collaboration with. By entering any giveaway, or entering personal information on this website you are agreeing to these terms. Demographics may be shared with third parties but any data that can identify an individual person will not be shared without their consent. We also use plug ins which process some of your data.

 

How we protect your data

We are committed to ensure that any information you disclose on this website is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable measures and procedures to safeguard and secure the information that we collect. This website is also secured by SSL.

 

What data breach procedures we have in place

This website is protected by an online firewall which blocks hacking attempts and security breaches. If there is a breach or security issue we are emailed immediately by out security provider.

If there is a breach we will assess the risk to your personal data and report any significant risks to the correct authorities within 72 hours if the breach is severe and notify any individuals effected if necessary.

 

Lawful basis

We process personal data under the following lawful basis.

Consent – Individuals visiting our website have chosen to do so on their own accord and have full access to this Privacy Policy and will have to consent to any personal data they enter in commenting systems, etc.

 

Acceptance of this policy

Continued use of our site signifies your acceptance of this policy. If you do not accept the policy then please do not use this site.This privacy policy may be updated at any time. Your continued use of the site following the posting of changes to this policy will be deemed your acceptance of those changes.

 

This policy was last updated on [the date you publish this page].

For purposes of the Data Protection Law, I am the data controller of your personal information. If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact me at [your email address].

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WHAT IS A DISCLAIMER?

A disclaimer (also known as disclosure) page is used to divulge any information that you find it important for your readers to know in terms of content. For example if you monetise your blog, do you use affiliate links on your blog? Whether the answer is yes or no, you have to mention this information on this page.

Even if you don’t accept sponsored posts and are only using your blog as a diary/hobby, mention that you don’t accept sponsored posts and don’t use affiliate links. This is the place to mention about the images you use as well. For example, do you use your own images, free stock images or images from Pinterest?

Note that this page doesn’t have anything to do with the privacy policy. But you can combine both pages together to save space and pages, it’s all up to your preference.

Une page de divulgation est utilisée pour divulguer toute information que vous jugez importante pour vos lecteurs de savoir en termes de contenu. Par exemple, si vous monétisez votre blog, utilisez-vous des liens d’affiliation sur votre blog? Que la réponse soit oui ou non, vous devez mentionné cette information sur cette page.

Même si vous n’acceptez pas les messages sponsorisés et utilisez uniquement votre blog comme passe-temps, indiquez que vous n’acceptez pas les messages sponsorisés et n’utilisez pas de liens d’affiliation. C’est ici qu’il faut mentionner les images que vous utilisez également. Par exemple, utilisez-vous vos propres images, des images gratuites ou de Pinterest?

Notez que cette page n’a rien à voir avec la politique de confidentialité. Mais vous pouvez combiner les deux pages pour économiser de l’espace et des pages, tout dépend de vos préférences.

 

WHAT TO MENTION IN A DISCLAIMER

What: the general things you have to mention in a disclaimer are about your reviews, sponsored content, PR/gifted products, affiliate links, pictures, etc. obviously the information will vary depending on the niche of your blog.

How & Why: state the main information, for example do you accept sponsored posts & gifted products on your blog? Do you use affiliate links on your website? Do you take your own pictures on your blog? How genuine are your reviews?

When & Where: clearly mention that whenever you use affiliate links or talk about gifted products, it’ll be marked at the end of a blog post or by including an asterisk (*) by the product.

You can write a disclaimer in any languages you want depending on your blog but I’d recommend to write it in English. I’m pretty sure you might think some of the information you are going to mention are very obvious, for instance your reviews are your own opinions and you wouldn’t recommend a product that you don’t like.

However it’s very important that you mention all those information clearly on your disclaimer page. You don’t have to write a long paragraph, as long as the main information is stated clearly, you are good to go!

Quoi: les remarques générales que vous devez mentionner dans un disclaimer concernent vos commentaires, le contenu sponsorisé, les produits de relations publiques/cadeaux, les liens d’affiliation, les images, etc. Évidemment, les informations varieront en fonction du créneau de votre blog.

Comment et Pourquoi: indiquez les informations principales, par exemple, acceptez-vous des publications sponsorisées et des cadeaux sur votre blog? Utilisez-vous des liens d’affiliation sur votre site Web? Prenez-vous vos propres photos sur votre blog? Quelle est l’authenticité de vos revues?

Quand et Où: indiquez clairement que chaque fois que vous utilisez des liens d’affiliation ou que vous parlez de cadeaux, cela sera marqué à la fin d’un article de blog ou en incluant un astérisque (*) avec le produit.

Selon votre blog, vous pouvez rédiger un disclaimer dans la langue de votre choix, mais je vous recommande de le rédiger en anglais. Je suis sûr que vous penserez peut-être que certaines des informations que vous allez mentionner sont très évidentes. Par exemple, vos avis sont vos propres opinions et vous ne recommanderiez pas un produit que vous n’aimez pas.

Cependant, il est très important que vous mentionniez toutes ces informations clairement sur votre page de responsabilité. Vous n’êtes pas obligé d’écrire un long paragraphe, tant que les informations principales sont clairement indiquées, c’est parfait!

 

EXTRA

If you have a self-hosted website, there are plugins and HTML codes you can use to add popups/texts inside your posts. You can add those popups to add a disclaimer if you use affiliate links or if the post contains gifted products.

Si vous avez un site Web auto-hébergé, il existe des plugins et des codes HTML que vous pouvez utiliser pour ajouter des popups/textes dans vos messages. Vous pouvez ajouter ces popups pour ajouter une clause de non-responsabilité si vous utilisez des liens d’affiliation ou si l’article contient des produits offerts.

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TEMPLATE

Sponsored Content

All products mentioned on my blog, regardless of whether it’s sponsored or not, are products that I love using – unless stated otherwise. All views/opinions will always be my own. I am happy to accept sponsored posts which fit with [your blog name]. Sponsored posts will be fully disclosed in the post.

 

Gifted & PR Products

Any posts which include PR products or gifted items will be clearly stated in the post or the products will be marked with an asterisk (*). All views/opinions of the gifted products will always be my own. I reserve the right not to review a gifted product if, after trying it I don’t feel like it is the right fit.

 

Affiliate Links

Some of the links on my blog will be affiliated and if that’s the case it will be clearly stated by including an asterisk (*) by the product. If you purchase that product from the link, I will receive a small percentage in commission per click, this will not cost you anything extra.

 

Images

The images used on [your blog name] are either taken by me unless otherwise stated. The camera I use is a [the name of the camera you use].

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Hope you found these templates helpful! I don’t know if any of you noticed but I took a break from my blog the past two weeks, it wasn’t planned and I feel terrible about it. I’ve been going through personal/family matters and I’m moving in a couple of weeks so things have been hectic to say the least. If I’m a bit behind replying to your comment or if I’m not active as I used to be on social media or on your blog, don’t think I’m ignoring you on purpose lol! Have an amazing day and sending you lots of positive vibes xo

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!

xo N

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