How to Read a Privacy Policy

Before we learn to write, we learn to read. The best writers are voracious readers, learning techniques and identifying pitfalls from the work of others. Privacy policies are notorious for being intentionally written to obfuscate (make unclear) rather than inform. They are written by lawyers to protect companies from litigation, not as a mechanism to aid in the understanding of the end user or to gain informed consent to use their information. By learning how to read privacy policies, you can start identifying when vendors have a privacy policy that aligns with your library’s values and ethics. Reading privacy policies published by corporations will also teach you how to provide clarity in your own policies.

In this section you will learn about commonly used phrases and terms and policy red flags.