Privacy Policies: What Companies Are Really Saying

"We value your privacy."

You've seen this phrase a thousand times. It's in every privacy policy, every cookie banner, every data collection notice.

But what does it actually mean?

The Privacy Policy Translation Guide

Let's decode some common privacy policy phrases:

"We collect information to improve our services"

Translation: We track what you do so we can make money from it — usually through advertising or by selling insights to third parties.

"We may share information with our partners"

Translation: Your data goes to other companies. "Partners" can mean anyone from analytics providers to data brokers.

"You can opt out at any time"

Translation: You can try to opt out, but the process might be complicated, and some data collection may continue anyway.

"We use cookies for functionality and analytics"

Translation: Some cookies help the site work. Others track you across the internet.

"We retain data for as long as necessary"

Translation: We keep your data indefinitely, or until you specifically ask us to delete it (which might not fully work).

What's Actually In Your Data?

When companies collect "information," that might include:

• Your name, email, and phone number
• Your location (often tracked continuously)
• Your browsing history
• What you buy
• Who you communicate with
• Your device information
• Your IP address

Over time, this builds a detailed profile about you.

Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to:

• Access — See what data a company has about you
• Delete — Request your data be removed
• Portability — Get a copy of your data
• Opt out — Stop certain types of data collection

GDPR (Europe), CCPA (California), and similar laws give you these protections.

The Bottom Line

Privacy policies aren't designed to be read. They're designed to protect the company legally while doing whatever they want with your data.

But understanding the basics helps you make informed choices about which services you use.

Want to understand a specific privacy policy? Paste the URL into OpenClauses.

Your data. Your choice.