Like Me? Follow Me.
Brad Geddes at Search Engine Land claimed that any website using Google Analytics AdWords, or AdSense which does not have a privacy policy is violating Google’s privacy policies. In an unofficial survey he conducted, he claimed that out of the hundred or so sites he looked into, around 90% of them were breaking at least one of the Google policies and 40% were violating at least three.
After reading this research it got me thinking about the number of search marketers' clients who may be violating Google’s policies or terms of service agreements.
There are repercussions to breaking these privacy policies. You could find yourself in court being sued by Google, but the chances are you’re more likely to find yourself blocked from using their products or formally warned about the situation you have got yourself into. Losing access to information on Google Analytics or the Adwords PPC platform can devastate an online business.
There are a several ways websites and businesses may unintentionally violate these policies.
Google Analytics Violation
According to search engine land Google Analytics is used by over 28% of websites. Every one of these websites has had to agree to the Analytics terms of service when signing up. The terms of service state:
7. PRIVACY. You will not (and will not allow any third party to) use the Service to track or collect personally identifiable information of Internet users, nor will You (or will You allow any third party to) associate any data gathered from Your website(s) (or such third parties’ website(s)) with any personally identifying information from any source as part of Your use (or such third parties’ use) of the Service. You will have and abide by an appropriate privacy policy and will comply with all applicable laws relating to the collection of information from visitors to Your websites. You must post a privacy policy and that policy must provide notice of your use of a cookie that collects anonymous traffic data.Source: Google Analytics terms of service.
As you can see from this segment of the terms your site must contain a privacy policy. Any site that doesn’t is automatically violating these terms. Google uses the transparency of information on your site, including legal conditions and small print, to determine your quality score which affects your overall search rankings.
If you would like to ensure that your own site, or a client's site is not breaching any of the terms mentioned simply follow the below points:
- Produce a privacy policy and place it on the site (usually accessed via a link in the footer).
- Mention the usage of third party tracking on the site.
- State your intentional use for these cookies and mention how they track anonymous data.
In the United States privacy policies are not mandatory but if you do have one they must cover the appropriate terms and areas. In other countries, privacy policies are obligatory and by not having one on your site you not only run the risk of being penalized by Google but also can scare away potential customers.
Today’s internet security conscious consumers are concerned about their online rights being violated and are aware more than ever of the small print on sites. If a consumer is unsure what you are going to do with the confidential data they provide, they may well decide to leave your site and go for a competitor who puts their security worries to rest.
For more information about privacy policies you may find these websites useful:
Just remember the amount of control and power Google has over the web proves that it is better to take time and read the rules and terms than face the potential consequences, which could significantly affect your website and therefore your business.
Clearly this is the just tip of the online legality iceberg. If you have had any experience of breaking Google's terms of service please comment below.
Discussion
Leave a Reply