How can businesses address privacy issues?
I am starting a small business that will require collecting of personal information of consumers. How can I address privacy issues?
Lawyer Answers (1): Answers from lawyers are general preliminary responses. They are not formal legal advice and cannot taken account of all your circumstances. They do not create a lawyer–client relationship.
- Privacy is recognised as a critical part of an economy where the exchange of personal information plays an increasingly central role to many businesses.
- You should also be aware of the sensitivity of the personal information you hold. Sometimes more stringent requirements attach to sensitive information such as information about a person's political affiliations, sexual preferences or religion.
- Community expectations about what kind of privacy protection should be in place are often more onerous than the requirements of privacy laws. Failing to meet these expectations can be bad for business and damage your reputation.
- Businesses may find it worthwhile to adopt a higher privacy standard than strictly required by law. By doing so you can protect your customers and clients and will be less likely to need to change how you manage personal information if there are changes to privacy law in the future.