Stop Copying Privacy Policies from Other Websites

I see this all the time. Someone launches a side project, realizes they need a privacy policy, and just copies one from a bigger site. Swap out the company name, maybe change a few details, call it done. This is a terrible idea for a few reasons. What can actually go wrong First, privacy policies reference specific data practices. If you copied yours from a site that uses Stripe, Google Analytics, and Mailchimp but you only use Stripe, your policy is lying to your users about what services touch their data. That's not just sloppy. Under GDPR, it can get you fined. Second, jurisdiction matters. A privacy policy written for a company based in California has CCPA-specific language. If you're operating out of Germany, that policy is missing half the GDPR requirements and includes stuff that doesn't apply to you. It's the wrong document. Third, and people forget this one, privacy policies can be copyrighted. The text itself is creative work. Copying it wholesale could technically be infring