A privacy friendly website

The best website is a privacy friendly website. Do you have a privacy friendly website? Are you acting in the interest of your visitor?

A privacy friendly website

Be transparent about what information you collect about your visitors. For what purpose do you process personal data about your visitors? How long do you keep these data? With which external parties do you share this information? How do you protect this data? And how can your visitors view, correct and, if necessary, have their own data deleted? You communicate this via a privacy statement on your website.

Processing data

Only try to process personal data if it is necessary for a pre-defined purpose. Do not keep personal data because it may be useful in the future.

Do you use forms on your website? Only ask for necessary data. Often the data requested by the form is stored in the website's database. And sent by e-mail to the administrator. Do not keep the data longer than necessary.

Identify users

Try to prevent the use of cookies. Cookies are small files that a website distributes to the visitor's browser. There are different types of cookies:

• Session cookies - these are only used during your visit (during a session) to a website and are automatically deleted when you close your browser. Think of an online shop where your items are temporarily stored in a shopping cart.
• Permanent cookies - these are used for future visits. They are stored, and even remain stored after closing the browser. Think of cookies that ensure that next time a visitor does not have to log in with a username and password. The cookie on the computer provides identification.
• Third party cookies: these cookies are placed by third parties and used to collect information about visitors. Think of Google Analytics to keep track of user statistics.

For the use of some cookies you need permission from your visitor. Many websites show a pop-up window with a whole list of questions the first time you visit them. You come across as trustworthy when you ask for permission. However, asking permission to share your personal data with a large number of external websites does not turn your website into a reliable website.

Analyse users

To optimise your website for your visitors, your website needs to be measurable and you need data about your visitors. Many websites use Google Analytics to keep track of visitor statistics. You can configure Google Analytics to use visitor data anonymously (e.g. by not using the last digit of the IP address). But then you are still giving a third party insight into the use of your website and its visitors.

You can consider to manage the statistics yourself. Matomo is a Google Analytics alternative that does not share your data and the privacy of your visitors with third parties.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Does your organisation comply with European GDPR legislation? Have you set up a processing register in which you document what information you collect about your visitors. For what purpose you do this. How long you keep the data. With which external parties you share the information. How you protect the data. And communicate this via a privacy statement on your privacy friendly website.

Protecting data

What do you do to protect the data of your website users? What measures do you take to make communication between your visitor and website secure? And what do you communicate from your website to the visitor via e-mail? Make sure you have a safe website.