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Home > What Is Privacy? > Understanding Privacy Statements
What is a privacy "notice" or "statement?" When they ask for your Personally Identifiable Information (PII), most reputable companies make a statement to bring to your attention the fact that they have a privacy policy and/or that they protect your personal information. However, it is important that you understand the details.
There is no reason to fear providing your information to companies online, as long as you are informed about what is collected and how, the benefits to you, how your information will be protected or shared with others and what choices you have available to you for further communication or access to/correction of your data. This information is contained in a company's privacy statement — read it.
The privacy statement should tell you:
- What information the company collects, and why
- How they will use it
- How they will protect it
- What choices are available to you regarding your privacy
If you don't see this — or the person or company requesting the information cannot answer your questions satisfactorily — then you might want to act cautiously about giving your PII.
"But it can be long and confusing!"
Many people are intimidated by the privacy statement. Here are a couple of items to search for that could have the biggest impact on protecting your privacy.
- How is your information used?
- Is it shared with others?
- If so, with whom and why?
If your sensitive information will be shared with third parties for reasons other than the reason you are giving it, or your contact information will be shared with affiliates or partners for marketing purposes, then you could start to lose some control of what is done with it.
If the information will be shared (given, sold, traded or rented), look for the capability to opt out, should you decide at any point that you do not want that service.
Keep a note of the address or phone number in case you need it in the future to stop unwanted communications.
Many companies (including P&G) use a standard industry template to provide an overview of their privacy policy to help consumers see at a glance the highlights of their commitment to privacy.
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