Unwitting Participants: Evaluating the Privacy Landscape for Website Operators in ‘Privacy-Lite’ Industries

March 2017

Abstract

Few things tie companies together like the Internet. No matter the business – be it professional basketball, aerospace engineering, or coffee sales – a company website is a fact of the digital age. Company websites almost always involve the collection of information from website users, whether this is a focus of the website or not. For example, “contact us” pages are a staple of many websites, wherein users enter names, email addresses or phone numbers. Similarly, websites may provide forms for users to inquire about products or services, or facilitate employment applications. Websites may track user activity on the site using cookies, or contract with a third party advertiser to do so. Any information that is collected, and the website itself, should be evaluated by in-house counsel like anything else: a source of risk. This article aims to identify the current privacy landscape for those not operating in a heavily-regulated industry from a privacy perspective, as well privacy policy incentives and trends. It also discusses best practices and lists several questions that website operators should ask themselves in order to craft an appropriate website privacy policy.

Authors

Greg Mitchell

Counsel - Litigation Services, UnitedLex Corporation, USA

Greg Mitchell - Counsel, UnitedLex. Mr. Mitchell has been with UnitedLex since August 2013, and has served as Counsel since March 2014. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Law, and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) by the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Bryan Lamble

Litigation Manager – Global Litigation Services, UnitedLex Corporation, USA

Bryan Lamble – Litigation Manager, UnitedLex. Mr. Lamble has worked with UnitedLex since 2013, and has served in Global Litigation Services since March 2015. He is a graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law, and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) by the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Companies

UnitedLex Corporation

UnitedLex is a global leader in legal and data solutions with a singular mission to improve the performance of leading corporations, law firms and academic institutions. UnitedLex provides unparalleled solutions resulting in risk mitigation, efficiency improvements and cost optimization for its clients in North America, Europe and Asia– including offerings such as Questio™, a managed service that changes the traditional approach to eDiscovery and data management. UnitedLex's more than 1,800 attorneys, engineers and consultants focus on the broadly defined areas of litigation, contracting and intellectual property to drive seven and eight figure benefits to its clients. Founded in 2006, and with more than $250 million in assets and committed capital, UnitedLex deploys the right blend of service and technology in supporting the world's leading corporations and law firms. UnitedLex is committed to empowering legal leadership in the design, build and execution of a spectrum of solutions in line with their immediate and long term objectives.

UnitedLex Corporation

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