Selling with Trust Information on Privacy Policy Requirements for Course Creators -
Get ready. It is about time to find out about why course-based websites may require Privacy policies.
Ok, it's not the most interesting issue, but it's one that is vital.
Privacy is now a larger and bigger deal. Customers are demanding that webmasters to protect their privacy. If they don't, costs can be very costly just for not disclosing the privacy policies of your website.
If your website for your college has been collecting data under regulation You are required to disclose specific information so that the users understand what you're doing with their information.
This post (and webinar) will give creators of courses with the basic information on how to create policies on their websites, when they are required for certain course-creator websites, and how to get proper policies implemented (and make sure they stay up to date as time passes).
Before we proceed before we proceed, it is important to note that this article and webinar does not constitute legal advice and is for solely informational use. Consult an attorney who is in your local area for assistance with your legal compliance requirements.
What are the data that is subject to regulation?
Items like names, email addresses and IP addresses are being regulated under numerous privacy laws throughout the world. If you're collecting these controlled data, you could require a Privacy Policy regardless of where you're located.
This is already a huge conclusion: the governments who create privacy laws do not care which part of the country your company is. They're concerned with protecting the privacy of their citizens. So if you're collecting regulated information from multiple sources it could be necessary to adhere to different privacy laws and to make the necessary disclosures in every one (yes every privacy law differs).
Do you think that collecting data that is regulated is bad?
Not at all! You just have to make an announcement about it.
Collecting data like names, emails, and IP addresses helps your visitors have a positive experience when they visit your site. It also helps you improve your site in the future.
The only thing that's really changed is the fact that you must be aware of your privacy practices and be sure to have respective policies on your website that contain the proper information you are specifically required to make under the law(s) applicable to you.
Does your website course collect regulated data?
Nearly every modern website collects restricted information. It's darn near a requirement to ensure spammers aren't trying to attack your contact forms as it's impossible to process payments in any other way. Thus, the collection of data is typical on websites and is likely to be much more common than you think.
Common features for course platforms that collect the following data that is regulated:
- Registration for courses and memberships
- Accepting and processing payments
- Videos embedded by 3rd party companies
- Engage triggers
- Rewarding your Learners
- Email drips
- Discussion forums
- Integrity
- Quizzes
Common integrations where course creators share information with third party:
- Embedding 3rd party videos for classes (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
- Payment gateway integrations (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 care?
Simply put, you should implement policies on your website to help you make more sales and avoid non-compliance fines or lawsuits. By applying website policies create trust and help comply with the law.
Privacy will not go away (if ever it's getting more crucial) and the failure to have a fully compliant Privacy Policy can get webmasters in difficulties when it comes down to privacy legislation (where fines start at $2500 per site visitor whose rights you've infringed upon).
It is worth considering joining the webinar, where we'll show you about the basic principles of website guidelines, the best way to get proper ones, and how to easily maintain them over time!