While many websites have a privacy policy link on their homepage with opt-out options, in reviewing 150 websites’ privacy choices, Carnegie Mellon researchers found policies are long and difficult for users to read and understand. Carnegie Mellon Professor of Computer Science and Engineering & Public Policy Lorrie Cranor, CIPT, and Institute for Software Research Graduate Research Assistant Hana Habib, CIPT, write in a piece for The Conversation that policy language is also inconsistent and unclear. “When it comes to digital privacy, we think consistency is key. Websites need to provide choices that are easy to find, understand and use,” they write. “And perhaps most important, regulators should hold companies accountable not only for offering choices, but for choices that are specific and that consumers can actually use.”
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