Selling with Trust: Privacy Policy Requirements for Course Creators -
Get ready. You are about to learn about the reason why courses-based websites could be required to have Privacy Policies.
Ok, it's not the most exciting subject, but it's still important.
Privacy is getting a bigger and bigger deal. Customers are demanding that websites to adhere to their privacy, and non-compliance penalties can cost a lot by not disclosing your privacy policies.
If the website of your school has been collecting data under regulation You are required to disclose specific information so that your visitors understand what you're doing with their data.
This post (and the webcast) will give creators of courses with the basic information on the policies for websites, when they are required to be used on specific websites of course creators and how to get proper policies put in place (and ensure they are updated as time passes).
Before proceeding further we need to note that this article and the webinar are not legal advice and is for solely informational use. 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?
Things like names, email addresses, IP addresses, and names are being regulated under a multitude of privacy laws across the globe. If you're collecting these sensitive data, then you might require an Privacy Policy regardless of where your situated.
The big lesson: governments that make privacy laws aren't concerned about which part of the country your company is. They care about protecting individuals' data. If you're collecting data from multiple areas, you may be required to adhere to different privacy laws and to make the required disclosures under every one (yes every privacy law is unique).
Are the data you collect regulated harmful?
Not at all! You just have to make some disclosures about it.
Collecting data like names, email addresses as well as IP addresses, helps ensure that your customers have a great experience on your website. This also allows you to make improvements to your website in the future.
The only thing that's been changed is the fact that you should be conscious of your privacy practices and be sure to have specific policies for your site that contain the proper information you are specifically required to make according to the law(s) applicable to your site.
Does your website course collect regulated data?
The majority of modern websites gather regulated information. This is almost a necessity to ensure spammers aren't trying to alter your contact form as it's impossible to process payments in any other way. Therefore, collecting information is a normal practice for web sites, and it may be a lot more frequent than you imagine.
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
- Engagement triggers
- Rewarding your Learners
- Email drips
- Discussion forums
- Integrity
- Quizzes
Common integrations when course creators share information with third party:
- Embedding videos from third party sources into classes (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
- Integrations of payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, etc.)
- Automatic renewal notifications (Mailgun, ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, etc.)
- Email newsletter subscription forms (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Constant Contact, etc.)
- Data transfer providers (Zapier, etc.)
Why should I care?
In simple terms, it is important to be able to establish policies for your website in order to generate greater sales as well as avoid fines or lawsuits. By applying website policies it builds confidence and ensure compliance to the laws.
Privacy won't be going away (if anything it's becoming more important) and the inability to offer the right Privacy Policy is what gets website owners into difficulties when it comes down to privacy law (where fines begin at $2,500 per website visitor whose rights you've infringed upon).
You should consider joining our webinar where we'll teach you the basics of website policies, including how to acquire the correct ones, and the best way to ensure they are up-to-date over time!