General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The General Data Protection Regulation is the European’s new Privacy Law. All websites, regardless of origin, must comply with the GPDR guidelines. If you’re not following these guidelines, then you could be fined up to 4% of your annual revenue.
So you might ask, “What does this have to do with my Martial Arts school?” It might not have anything to do with your school at all if you never ask for a visitor’s information (email, etc.), or use cookies or other links or portals to sites that might contain these items.
For example, suppose someone from Europe visits your Facebook page. They then go to your website from Facebook. You could be in violation, and the EU might fine you. Almost all large company websites are redoing their policies to reflect the necessary changes with the GDPR. I suggest you do the same.
I’ve had these for years and hidden in the footer. That was the technique used and recommended. The reason that you wanted the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service is because Google made that part of their search engine criteria. In fact, you had to register these with Google through their business portal.
With the new GDPR guidelines, you are not allowed to hide it like before. It must appear on the front page of your website. It must be easy for your visitors to see and link to the page to read. So, make sure your site complies with these new EU regulations. Here’s the link to learn more: GDPR.
You might not collect information now, but in the future, you might. If you read some of my earlier posts, you should have more than a static opt-in box. Remember, your website is about collecting a visitor’s information. How else are you going to market to them about your school and the specials you might offer?
