What a privacy policy does
Photo: Avila Ops Tecnologia
Privacy policies publicly explain what personal data businesses collect, why, with whom they share, retention and how customers request viewing or deletion. They fulfill LGPD article 9’s information duty, Law 13.709/2018, serving customers and proving you understand data use.
They answer service questions: “what do you do with my phone number?” Without text, each salesperson differs. With text, official answers are independently verifiable.
What belongs in a privacy policy?
Blocks in customer-friendly language:
- Responsible party: legal name, CNPJ and data contact email.
- Collected data and locations: website forms, WhatsApp, online stores, physical registration.
- Each purpose: delivery, invoicing, replies, promotions.
- Sharing: carriers, payment platforms, accountants, email tools.
- Retention: invoice deadlines for purchases, until opt-out for promotional lists.
- Rights requests: email or form with response deadlines.
One truthful page beats ten copied from large companies.
Where should it appear?
Footer links on every page. Beside data forms, say “Your data is used only to answer this contact. See the privacy policy.” In stores, before checkout. In WhatsApp, link in welcome messages.
The policy itself needs no acceptance click. It informs rather than requests permission. Consent has separate rules and its own guide in this series.
What to do now
Write from your data map of five customer-data locations. Without one, begin with What personal data means in practice. Our website prototypes include privacy pages from the start. See a free prototype within 48 hours: avilaops.com/criacao-de-site-profissional or contact us on WhatsApp: wa.me/5517997811471.
Frequently asked questions
Are policies mandatory for small-business websites?
If collecting any data, yes, because LGPD requires clear information. Contact forms count. Sites without forms or measurement tools are exceptions.
Are privacy policies and terms of service identical?
No. Policies address personal data. Terms address business rules: deadlines, exchanges, payments and responsibility. See “What terms of service are.”
Must policies update when tools change?
Yes. Changing email platforms or carriers changes sharing provisions.
Turn what you learned into your next step.
Tell us about your company and what you want to improve. We can explore the right tools, integrations or custom project together.