Updated September 14, 2023
A Shopify privacy policy allows a website to be compliant with privacy laws in the USA (CCPA), Canada (PIPEDA), and the European Union (GDPR). A privacy policy discloses the ways a website collects, uses, and shares its users’ personal information.
NOTICE!
It should be known that the privacy policy provided by Shopify is incomplete. There is additional information required (view instructions below).
How to Create a Shopify Privacy Policy (6 steps)
- Go to the Shopify Website
- Enter Company and Website Information
- Open Your E-Mail
- Copy and Paste the Privacy Policy
- Delete or Replace the Brackets [ ]
- Adding to Your Website
1. Go to the Shopify Website
- Generator – www.shopify.com/tools/policy-generator
Go to the Shopify website and, if you don’t want to give your e-mail, click the checkbox that says “I’ll skip the Shopify trial for now, just create my policy.”
2. Enter Company and Website Information
Enter the following information:
- First Name
- Last Name
- Address
- Apartment, suite, etc.
- City
- State
- Zip Code
- Phone
- Business or personal website (optional)
- (checkbox) – This store is a registered business
After completing, you will be brought to this page where you have the option of creating an account on Shopify (using the information entered).
5. Delete or Replace the Brackets
Use the Shopify Template and replace the content, as directed, in the brackets [SAMPLE].
Download: PDF, MS Word, OpenDocument
Fill-in-the-Blanks Instructions
- Title Area (company name) – Enter your company name or ensure the name is correct as written.
- Tracking Technologies – Enter any additional tracking technologies that are already mentioned (i.e. cookies, log files, and web beacons).
- Payment Types – Enter any other payment methods being used other than credit cards (e.g. PayPal, Zelle, crypto, etc.)
- Personal Information Collected – Enter any other personal information collected from users (other than payment information). This may include first and last name, e-mail, home address, etc.
- How Personal Information is Used – Enter its uses besides those already mentioned (communication, screening orders, personal preferences, and advertising).
- User Tracking – If Personal Information is being used for advertising purposes, describe if retargeting or device information is also being collected.
- Opt-Out Links – Include opt-out links if the website has advertisements other than Google, Bing, or Facebook (already included).
- European Users – Disclose if the website is available to the European Union or if it has stores in Europe.
- Data Retention – Enter how long the website will hold the collected Personal Information.
- Minors – If there are age restrictions on the website’s use, it must be mentioned.
- Contact Details – Enter methods for users to contact if they have questions, request to opt-out, or delete their Personal Information held on the website. It is recommended to include a phone number (toll-free), e-mail, or contact form.
6. Adding to Your Website
It is recommended to be a readable webpage, in the same format as the website, but can also be in other formats such as Word, PDF, or a text file.
Sample Shopify Privacy Policy
[YOUR COMPANY NAME] PRIVACY POLICY
This Privacy Policy describes how your personal information is collected, used, and shared when you visit or make a purchase from eforms.com (the “Site”).
- PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT
When you visit the Site, we automatically collect certain information about your device, including information about your web browser, IP address, time zone, and some of the cookies that are installed on your device. Additionally, as you browse the Site, we collect information about the individual web pages or products that you view, what websites or search terms referred you to the Site, and information about how you interact with the Site. We refer to this automatically-collected information as “Device Information.”
We collect Device Information using the following technologies:
- “Cookies” are data files that are placed on your device or computer and often include an anonymous unique identifier. For more information about cookies, and how to disable cookies, visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org.
- “Log files” track actions occurring on the Site, and collect data including your IP address, browser type, Internet service provider, referring/exit pages, and date/time stamps.
- “Web beacons,” “tags,” and “pixels” are electronic files used to record information about how you browse the Site.
- [INSERT DESCRIPTIONS OF OTHER TYPES OF TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES USED]
Additionally, when you make a purchase or attempt to make a purchase through the Site, we collect certain information from you, including your name, billing address, shipping address, payment information (including credit card numbers [INSERT ANY OTHER PAYMENT TYPES ACCEPTED]), email address, and phone number. We refer to this information as “Order Information.”
[INSERT ANY OTHER INFORMATION YOU COLLECT: OFFLINE DATA, PURCHASED MARKETING DATA/LISTS]
When we talk about “Personal Information” in this Privacy Policy, we are talking both about Device Information and Order Information.
- HOW DO WE USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?
We use the Order Information that we collect generally to fulfill any orders placed through the Site (including processing your payment information, arranging for shipping, and providing you with invoices and/or order confirmations). Additionally, we use this Order Information to:
- Communicate with you;
- Screen our orders for potential risk or fraud; and
- When in line with the preferences you have shared with us, provide you with information or advertising relating to our products or services.
- [INSERT OTHER USES OF ORDER INFORMATION]
We use the Device Information that we collect to help us screen for potential risk and fraud (in particular, your IP address), and more generally to improve and optimize our Site (for example, by generating analytics about how our customers browse and interact with the Site, and to assess the success of our marketing and advertising campaigns).
[INSERT OTHER USES OF DEVICE INFORMATION, INCLUDING: ADVERTISING/RETARGETING]
- SHARING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
We share your Personal Information with third parties to help us use your Personal Information, as described above. For example, we use Shopify to power our online store–you can read more about how Shopify uses your Personal Information here: https://www.shopify.com/legal/privacy. We also use Google Analytics to help us understand how our customers use the Site–you can read more about how Google uses your Personal Information here: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/. You can also opt-out of Google Analytics here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Finally, we may also share your Personal Information to comply with applicable laws and regulations, to respond to a subpoena, search warrant or other lawful request for information we receive, or to otherwise protect our rights.
[INCLUDE IF USING REMARKETING OR TARGETED ADVERTISING]
- BEHAVIOURAL ADVERTISING
As described above, we use your Personal Information to provide you with targeted advertisements or marketing communications we believe may be of interest to you. For more information about how targeted advertising works, you can visit the Network Advertising Initiative’s (“NAI”) educational page at http://www.networkadvertising.org/understanding-online-advertising/how-does-it-work.
You can opt out of targeted advertising by:
[INCLUDE OPT-OUT LINKS FROM WHICHEVER SERVICES BEING USED.
COMMON LINKS INCLUDE:
FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=ads
GOOGLE – https://www.google.com/settings/ads/anonymous
BING – https://advertise.bingads.microsoft.com/en-us/resources/policies/personalized-ads]
Additionally, you can opt out of some of these services by visiting the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out portal at: http://optout.aboutads.info/.
- DO NOT TRACK
Please note that we do not alter our Site’s data collection and use practices when we see a Do Not Track signal from your browser.
[INCLUDE IF LOCATED IN OR IF STORE HAS CUSTOMERS IN EUROPE]
- YOUR RIGHTS
If you are a European resident, you have the right to access personal information we hold about you and to ask that your personal information be corrected, updated, or deleted. If you would like to exercise this right, please contact us through the contact information below.
Additionally, if you are a European resident we note that we are processing your information in order to fulfill contracts we might have with you (for example if you make an order through the Site), or otherwise to pursue our legitimate business interests listed above. Additionally, please note that your information will be transferred outside of Europe, including to Canada and the United States.
- DATA RETENTION
When you place an order through the Site, we will maintain your Order Information for our records unless and until you ask us to delete this information.
[INSERT IF AGE RESTRICTION IS REQUIRED]
- MINORS
The Site is not intended for individuals under the age of [INSERT AGE].
- CHANGES
We may update this privacy policy from time to time in order to reflect, for example, changes to our practices or for other operational, legal or regulatory reasons.
- CONTACT US
For more information about our privacy practices, if you have questions, or if you would like to make a complaint, please contact us by e-mail at josephpgendron@gmail.com or by mail using the details provided below:
[ENTER YOUR CONTACT DETAILS INCLUDING TOLL-FREE PHONE NUMBER AND SUPPORT E-MAIL]