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In a recent survey conducted for TRUSTe, 56 percent of small-business owners with websites admitted to having no privacy policy on their web site; of those who did, almost one-third "cut and pasted" their privacy policy from somewhere else, and one quarter wrote it themselves. Unfortunately, this can create brand risk that may deviate from local laws.
In addition to having shaky privacy policies among small businesses with websites, security on small-business sites may be an issue as well: The survey reports that 21 percent of small businesses don't know if they have encrypted pages on their website, and 30 percent admitted that they didn't know if they were PCI compliant. This lack of knowledge invites privacy lapses and security breaches that could lead to a consumer's information being stolen or abused. Furthermore, it suggests a critical need for steps to ensure the website is a trustworthy landing point so that small businesses may conduct business safely and their customers have the best, safest experience possible.
For more information on privacy for small businesses and to take an online quiz, go to www.truste.com/about/privacy_policy_quiz.html. To learn more about Internet privacy services, visit www.truste.com.