The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has launched a privacy notice generator which allows you to create a bespoke privacy notice for your business in under 15 minutes.

Why do I need a privacy notice?

A privacy notice will let people know what information you have and what you’ll do with it. Under GDPR many organisations realised they weren’t displaying a compliant privacy notice on their website. The ICO had provided privacy notice templates but this has now been replaced by an easy-to-use generator tool which has been specifically designed for sole-traders, start-ups, SMEs and charities.

So, what can you expect?

Within the tool (which can be accessed here) there are sections specifically for the following sectors:

• Finance, insurance and legal
• Education and childcare
• Health and social care
• Charity and voluntary
• Retail and manufacturing

You can pick a notice for customer and supplier information or one for staff and volunteer information.

Privacy notice generator – for customer and supplier information

This notice will let your customers know how you will use and store their information, giving them confidence to use your products and services. As well as displaying the notice on your website, you could send it in a newsletter or add it to your email signature.

• Firstly, choose your sector (we chose professional services).
• It then asks you to read a few links so that you have a better understanding of data protection, personal information you will collect and so on.
• You then fill in your business details, why you collect personal information, the personal information you collect, special data, reasons for collecting or using personal information, where you get the information, retention schedule, who you share the information with.

Once it is completed, you can then download it.

Privacy notice generator – for staff and volunteer information

This tool is for charities and SMEs. Once again, you fill in some basic contact details, read some links which will help you answer some questions within the tool and then you answer the following questions:

• Why do you collect or use personal information
• The sources of the personal information
• Retention schedule
• Who do you share the personal information with
• Whether you share the information outside the UK

Once it is completed, you can then download it.

You may also wish to check if your business needs a privacy notice. Or whether you need to pay an annual fee to the ICO.

If you want additional support for your small business, please get in touch: mel@reddesk.co.uk.