Selling With Trust The Privacy Policy Requirements of Course Creators -
Make yourself ready. The next step is to discover about the reasons why websites that are based on courses may be required to have privacy policies.
Ok, it's not the most interesting topic, but it's important.
Privacy is getting a bigger and bigger deal. Customers are demanding that website owners to respect their privacy, and non-compliance costs can be very costly simply for failing to disclose your own privacy practices.
If your course website is collecting regulated data, you have an obligation to provide specific details so users know the purpose of your information.
The article (and webinar) will give instructors with the fundamentals on what website policies are, when they are required for certain course-creator websites, and what you can do to put the proper guidelines in place (and keep them up to date over time).
Before we proceed we need to keep in mind that this post and webinar does not constitute legal advice and is for informative purposes only. It is recommended to speak with an attorney within your region for assistance with your legal compliance requirements.
What are the data that is subject to regulation?
Names, emails addresses, IP addresses, and names are governed by numerous privacy laws throughout the world. If you're collecting these sensitive data, then you might need to establish privacy Policy regardless of where you're located.
The big conclusion: the governments who create privacy laws don't care about which part of the country your company is. They're concerned with protecting individuals' data. So if you're collecting regulated data from multiple areas, you may be required to adhere to multiple privacy laws and make the required disclosures under every one (yes, each privacy law differs).
Is collecting regulated data bad?
Not at all! All you need to do is make certain disclosures regarding the matter.
Collecting data like email addresses, names, as well as IP addresses, helps ensure that your customers have a great experience while using your website. Additionally, it helps you make improvements to your website as time passes.
The only thing that's been changed is the fact that you need to be conscious of the practices that you employ to protect your privacy and be sure to have applicable policies on your website that contain the proper information you are specifically required to make according to the law(s) that apply to you.
Does your website course collect regulated data?
The majority of modern websites gather regulated information. This is almost a necessity for security purposes to prevent spammers from trying to alter your contact form and is impossible to accept payments without. Thus, the collection of data is typical on websites and may be a lot greater than you thought.
Common characteristics for courses that gather the following data that is regulated:
- Membership and course registrations
- Accepting and processing payments
- Video embedded from 3rd party sites
- Engage is what triggers
- Rewarding your Learners
- Email drips
- Discussion forums
- Integrity
- Quizzes
Common integrations when course creators share data with third parties:
- embedding 3rd party video clips into lessons (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
- Integrations of payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, etc.)
- Automatic renewal notifications (Mailgun, ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp and others.)
- Email newsletter subscription forms (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Constant Contact, etc.)
- Data transfer providers (Zapier, etc.)
Why should I be concerned?
It is essential to implement policies on your website to help you make more sales and avoid non-compliance penalties or lawsuits. In other words, by using website policies create confidence and ensure compliance to the laws.
Privacy isn't going anywhere (if ever it's getting more important) and failure to provide a fully compliant Privacy Policy is what gets webmasters in difficulties when it comes down to privacy law (where fines start at $2,500 per website visitor who's rights have been violated by you).
It is worth considering joining the webinar, where we'll show you the basics of website policies, how to obtain proper ones, and how to easily keep them up to date as time passes!