Is Your Website Legal?
How to Determine If You Are in the Clear.
Websites are a strong part of your online presence, we all know that. Maybe you didn’t know there are certain legal aspects that need to be accounted for, that can be easily forgotten with the endless list of to-do’s it takes to launch your business.
So what exactly do you need to legalize your website?
Let’s unpack a few of the important non-negotiables that your website needs.
1. A Privacy Policy: A Legal Must-Have
What is a Privacy Policy: Your Privacy Policy is a document that outlines to your user, how you and your website are gathering information about them, and importantly how you plan to use that information. This information includes cookies, emails and payment information.
This is a LEGALLY REQUIRED document! That means you absolutely must have it. It is legally required under PIPEDA (Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act), the European GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) , CalOPPA (California Online Privacy Protection Act) and in Australia (Australia Privacy Act) just to name a few!
In case you were considering copying the Privacy Policy from another well-known site (not saying you were… but in case it crossed your mind), it is actually a copyright-protected document. In other words, it is illegal to take that policy from someone else without explicit permission. Like all legal documents, we recommend you get something tailored to your business. Why not get your own from us Here!
2. Terms and Conditions: Everything is in here!
A Terms and Conditions Agreement outlines how your website should be used by the user. It clearly states what they can or cannot do on your website such as: restricting certain activities, maintaining your right to ban abusive content, limiting your legal liability & protecting your intellectual property.
Although not required by law, it certainly can protect you should a disgruntled user decide to take you to court.
This policy goes even further by limiting your liability on social media channels. Always wondered how to protect what’s on your Social Media? This is how. We all know that Social Media is rented property and our Website is our owner property. Think of your website as a Brick and Mortar store. Somewhere in the store there is a binder full with all of your business policies. That Binder is your Terms and Conditions. Now, think of your Social Media as your car. That car has a decal on it with the address of your Shop and it drives around the city hoping to drive traffic back to your shop! This car is not your business, and it does not need it’s own policies because it’s most likely covered by that binder in the shop! Make sure you protect your whole business with a Terms and Conditions Agreement.
Grad your Terms and Conditions Agreement here.
3. Protect Yourself with a Website Disclaimer
This policy is crucial to the success of any business and in limiting your liability. You need to be protected if anyone were to misuse your information or products and this is the ‘Disclaimer’ to do just that.
When drafted correctly, It essentially states that you are not responsible for the use of, or affiliated with something as it relates to your website, services or products. Each disclaimer is highly unique to the business so it is hard to dive too deeply into the intricacies of this but it can be also referred to as a success, or earnings disclaimer.
To offer an example of what might be included, a blogger may disclaim responsibility for website content linked to in their blog, while an online coach might outline that past results are not guaranteed for future client results.
Grab your Disclaimer here.
What Is an SSL Verification
Don’t fall asleep yet, we are nearly there!
An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate will jumble up any data that moves between your website and its users. It is an extra layer of protection that encrypts information, including sensitive stuff like passwords and credit card details. Think of it as the security guard for your private information.
Also not a legal necessity, but to operate your website without an SSL certificate, you are vulnerable to pesky hackers and potential clients might be warned upon entering your site, that it is not secure. Not the look you are going for, am I right?
Where to Go and Get This Sorted:
As always, our best advice is to consult with a lawyer to have legal documents drafted.
There is a cheaper option to consider though. Editable templates are available online that are catered to your area of business.
Contract’s for Entrepreneurs Website Protection Bundle covers the must-haves for contracting and legalizing your website and you can check it out HERE.
As for an SSL Verification, you can pick that up through a quick Google search!
Want more?
Check out related post: Does Your Website Really Need a Terms and Conditions Page?
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