There’s been a change of TOS (Terms of Conditions) in Google AdSense recently. If you are the type that is too lazy to read a long paragraph of terms and conditions (like me), then please at least read these lines, as it’s important:
"We’ve also added some specific requirements that make it necessary for publishers to post and abide by a transparent privacy policy that users see. According to this policy, publishers must notify their users of the use of cookies and/or web beacons to collect data in the ad serving process. This change relates to advertisers’ use of innovative products and features like Gadget Ads and other offerings in the future."
Therefore, we as publishers need to have a privacy policy on our site to comply with the new TOS. Now, it’s unclear at this stage whether Google will ban sites that don’t have a privacy policy on them. So, better be safe then sorry, right? One may then ask, "How do I create a privacy policy page?"
Well someone nice at SerpRank.com provides an easy tool to generate a privacy policy page for you. You simply enter your site URL, your email address and tick a few radio buttons.
The script will then automatically generate the privacy policy in HTML with your details embedded on it. If you can’t see the forms (I couldn’t see it in my Firefox), try another browser such as Internet Explorer.
If you haven’t had a privacy policy page on your site/blog yet, I’d recommend you do. There’s no way of telling when Mr. Google will be unhappy for your slacking ("Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour"). I’ve put mine before I made this post. My privacy policy page is accessible from the "About" page. "
If you don’t want to show the Privacy Policy page on your site’s navigation, simply create the page but don’t publish it. You can get the URL of the page from the "Preview" link. You can then use this URL somewhere else on your site, on a different section.
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I was about to go create one when I realized that I really don’t make much on Adsense compared to everything else. I don’t see the point of a privacy policy in reality. What does it guarantee? That the site owner can choose to abide by it or not. And what happens if he doesn’t? He gets arrested by the privacy police?
I see why it should be used and why people like to see one on a site. I just don’t see the guarantee.
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Hi Stephan, I cannot agree more. I guess Google wants us, AdSense publishers to post it, for their own protection. Who knows.
I see why it should be used and why people like to see one on a site. I just don’t see the guarantee.
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