The Importance of Privacy Policies
According to TRUSTe, studies have shown that consumers take action based on their privacy concerns. Up to 89 percent of U.S. Internet users claim to avoid doing business with companies where they believe their privacy is not protected. In one such study, conducted at Carnegie Mellon University, consumers were more likely to purchase from sites where privacy information was accessible. More interesting still, these participants were willing to pay more for the same items when they believed their privacy was secure. It's likely there's untapped potential in gaining your website visitors' confidence.
Accuracy and Flexibility
Here's just one example of a widely used and potentially problematic statement: "We will not share your information with any third party." What's wrong with that, if you're not selling data? Operating a website means working with legitimate third-party sites that you share user information with — your site's hosting company, the user's own ISP, the courier delivering purchases, the banks clearing credit card payments. Getting it right is worth it.