⚖️ Legal & Compliance · AI Writing · Small Business
AI Tool to Write a Privacy Policy for a Small Website
(Read First)
Short answer: AI can write a first draft of a privacy policy. It cannot tell you what the law requires for your business. We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice. Use AI to save time on the draft, then check it against the real facts of your website and, if you can, have a professional read it.
Quick answer: 1. List exactly what data your website collects. 2. Give that list to a chatbot and ask for a plain-language draft. 3. Compare the draft with your real site, line by line. 4. Have a lawyer check it if you sell, collect emails, or serve customers in other countries. 5. Put the page in your footer and update it when your site changes.
Step 1: Write your data list (this is the real work)
A privacy policy is only true if it matches your site. Write down:
- Do you collect names or emails (contact form, newsletter)?
- Do you take payments, and through which provider?
- Do you use analytics, ads or cookies?
- Where is data stored (which tools hold it)?
- Who do you share it with?
- How can someone ask you to delete their data?
If you can't answer these, no tool can write a correct policy for you.
Step 2: Use this prompt (copy and paste)
Write a first draft of a privacy policy in plain English for a small website.
Business: [type, country].
Data we collect: [list from step 1].
Tools that handle data: [analytics tool, email tool, payment provider, hosting].
How people can contact us or ask to delete their data: [email].
Rules: use short sentences, headings, and only the facts above.
Do not claim we follow any specific law unless I name it.
Put [CHECK] next to anything that needs a lawyer or a fact check.
Step 3: Check the draft
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| Every tool you use is named or described | A policy that skips your email tool is wrong |
| No promise you can't keep ("we never share data") | AI likes to write comfortable promises |
| Contact email works | People must be able to reach you |
| Date is on the page | Shows when it was last updated |
The US Federal Trade Commission has business guidance on privacy and data security: FTC Privacy and Security. Rules differ by country and by who your customers are, so check the rules that apply to you.
When to pay for a lawyer
Ask a professional if you take payments directly, collect data from children, handle health or finance information, or have customers in several countries. A small brochure site that only has a contact form has less risk, but the policy must still be true.
Where this fits in your site setup
If you are still building the site, our guides to AI tools for portfolio website generation and AI tools for landing page design show how to get the pages up first. If you work alone, our list of AI tools for solopreneurs covers other admin jobs you can hand to AI. Not sure which AI tool to open first? Use our guide to choosing the right AI tool.
Mistakes to avoid
- Copying another site's policy. Their tools are not your tools.
- Saying "GDPR compliant" or similar because AI wrote it. Only claim what you have done.
- Forgetting to update the page when you add a new tool.
- Hiding the page. Link it in the footer and next to forms.
Real-world example: For a freelance design portfolio, the initial AI draft confidently claimed "we do not use cookies or third-party trackers." I had to change this to explicitly name Google Analytics and my email newsletter provider, and added a clear sentence about how visitors can email me to request data deletion. This turned a generic, legally risky template into an accurate, trustworthy page.
External resources
- FTC Privacy and Security business guidance — official US guidance on privacy and data security for businesses.
- SBA business guide — US Small Business Administration guides and links to free local advisers.