Sample privacy policy: a good guy and bad guy

A good guy:

Some companies have straight forward, no nonsense policies. A great example of this is Amazon.com . As of September 2007 their Privacy Policy regarding the selling of your information to direct marketers was:

Does Amazon.com Share the Information It Receives?

Information about our customers is an important part of our business, and we are not in the business of selling it to others. We share customer information only as described below and with subsidiaries Amazon.com, Inc. controls that either are subject to this Privacy Notice or follow practices at least as protective as those described in this Privacy Notice.

• Affiliated Businesses We Do Not Control: We work closely with our affiliated businesses. In some cases, such as Marketplace and Auctions sellers, these businesses operate stores at Amazon.com or sell offerings to you at Amazon.com. In other cases, we operate stores, provide services, or sell product lines jointly with these businesses. Click here for some examples of co-branded and joint offerings. You can tell when a third party is involved in your transactions, and we share customer information related to those transactions with that third party.
• Third-Party Service Providers: We employ other companies and individuals to perform functions on our behalf. Examples include fulfilling orders, delivering packages, sending postal mail and e-mail, removing repetitive information from customer lists, analyzing data, providing marketing assistance, providing search results and links (including paid listings and links), processing credit card payments, and providing customer service. They have access to personal information needed to perform their functions, but may not use it for other purposes.
• Promotional Offers: Sometimes we send offers to selected groups of Amazon.com customers on behalf of other businesses. When we do this, we do not give that business your name and address. If you do not want to receive such offers, please adjust your Customer Communication Preferences.
• Business Transfers: As we continue to develop our business, we might sell or buy stores, subsidiaries, or business units. In such transactions, customer information generally is one of the transferred business assets but remains subject to the promises made in any pre-existing Privacy Notice (unless, of course, the customer consents otherwise). Also, in the unlikely event that Amazon.com, Inc., or substantially all of its assets are acquired, customer information will of course be one of the transferred assets.
• Protection of Amazon.com and Others: We release account and other personal information when we believe release is appropriate to comply with the law; enforce or apply our Conditions of Use and other agreements; or protect the rights, property, or safety of Amazon.com, our users, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for fraud protection and credit risk reduction. Obviously, however, this does not include selling, renting, sharing, or otherwise disclosing personally identifiable information from customers for commercial purposes in violation of the commitments set forth in this Privacy Notice.
• With Your Consent: Other than as set out above, you will receive notice when information about you might go to third parties, and you will have an opportunity to choose not to share the information.

They do a great job of explaining in non-cryptic, simple language what their objectives are and what their customers can expect. The clear kicker is in the first line of the policy when they say: "Information about our customers is an important part of our business, and we are not in the business of selling it to others." That is the kernel of what you need to hear.

A bad guy:

By comparison, here is the privacy policy of a company that doesn't do such a good job (that is, they're shady):

"[Insert company name here] does not sell, trade, or otherwise disclose customer lists or information to unaffiliated third parties without your permission. "

This is taken from an actual company but also is the general language for the guys who end up selling your stuff. Basically, they say they won't do it without your permission, but your permission is given if you don't check a tiny box at the end of their user agreement. That is, in most cases, your permission is tacit or unspoken and assumed. This company is not explicitly stating they are not interested in selling your information.

Meaning? They might look to make a buck or two off of it.

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