What is a privacy policy?

A privacy policy is a document that explains how you collect, use, store, and protect personal information. If your freelance website collects any data - even just an email address from a contact form - you should have one.

In Australia, the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) set out the rules for handling personal information.

When should you use one?

If your website has a contact form, email signup, payment processing, analytics tracking, or any other way of collecting visitor information. Also useful if you handle client data as part of your freelance work.

What's included

Information collected - what personal information you collect and how (forms, cookies, analytics, payment processors).

How information is used - why you collect it and what you do with it. Be honest and specific.

Third-party sharing - who else has access to the data (email providers, analytics tools, payment processors) and why.

Data storage and security - where the data is stored, how it's protected, and how long you keep it.

User rights - how people can access, correct, or request deletion of their personal information.

Cookie policy - what cookies your site uses, what they track, and how visitors can manage their preferences.