Update customer policies regularly

Update Customer Policies Regularly

Keeping privacy, cookie, and terms policies current is a legal requirement and a trust signal; updates should follow a set cadence and be triggered by specific product or vendor changes.

What to Keep Updated

• Privacy policy, cookie policy, terms of service

• Do Not Sell or Share page and sensitive data limitation notice

• Instructions for exercising rights and your data retention disclosures

When to Update

• New vendors, SDKs, or data flows

• New features or data categories collected

• Entering new regions or moving data across borders

• Regulatory changes or guidance updates

• Outcomes from DPIAs or audits

• Incidents or material security changes

Ownership and Cadence

• Assign a policy owner (legal or privacy lead) with product and security reviewers

• Run a quarterly review plus pre-launch checks for relevant features

• Track updates in your change management calendar

Versioning and Audit Trail

• Date every policy and include an “Effective date” and “What changed” summary

• Store policies in version control and link commits to releases

• Keep prior versions available for auditors

---
title: Privacy Policy
version: 1.8.0
effective_date: 2025-09-03
regions: [EU, US-CA]
---

## What changed
- Added analytics vendor FooMetrics
- Clarified retention for support tickets (18 months)

Approval Workflow

• Draft → Legal review → Security review → Product sign-off → Publish

• Require recorded approvals (PR reviews or ticket comments)

Notify Customers

• Show an in-product banner with a brief summary and link to details

• Email users for material changes and re-collect consent if scope expands

• Update cookie banner text when tracking purposes or vendors change

<div class="policy-banner">
  We updated our Privacy Policy effective Sep 3, 2025. 
  <a href="/privacy#changelog">See what changed</a>.
  <button id="dismiss">OK</button>
</div>

Record Acceptance and Re-consent

• Store last_seen_policy_version per user and prompt when it increases

• Trigger re-consent only when changes affect consented processing

CREATE TABLE policy_acceptance (
  user_id TEXT,
  policy_version TEXT,
  accepted_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT now(),
  PRIMARY KEY (user_id, policy_version)
);

// On login: prompt if policy advanced beyond user acceptance
if (user.policyVersionAccepted !== CURRENT_POLICY_VERSION) {
  showPolicyModal();
}

Localize and Accessibilize

• Provide region-specific addenda (EU, California) and geofence links

• Use plain language, readable typography, and accessible contrast

Quick Policy Update Checklist

• Identify triggers and run a quarterly review

• Version, date, and summarize changes

• Capture approvals from legal, security, and product

• Publish updates and notify users when material

• Log prior versions and user acceptances for audit

Conclusion

Routine, well-documented policy updates turn compliance into a predictable process. By versioning changes, communicating clearly, and recording acceptances, you reduce legal risk, keep auditors satisfied, and reinforce customer trust.