Privacy and Consent Guidelines
The two recommendations below represent achievable and high-impact steps toward building a healthier culture of data privacy and transparency across Northwestern.
Link to the Privacy Statement
Ensure that your site includes a link to Northwestern’s Privacy Statement. The statement describes the University’s practices with respect to personal data, how it’s utilized at Northwestern, and the rights that may apply to users of our websites and services. If not already, please link to the Privacy Statement in the footer of your websites.
Please note that the privacy statement appears in the footer of all sites built by the Office of Global Marketing and Communications (OGM) or built using a NUSites Northwestern branded templates.
Include Consent Language for Personal Information Collection (Forms)
Include consent language on any webpages that collect personal information directly from visitors.
For instance, if a page allows a visitor to create an account or request information about a program or service, and that page collects information from the visitor to perform that function or comply with that request (name, email address, phone number, or any other piece of identifying information), then that page should include consent language prior to the collection or processing of that information.
Consent language should:
- Be presented to the user before the submission, collection, or processing of their information
- Be clear and unambiguous with respect to the purpose(s) for the collection and how the data will be utilized, and/or link to Northwestern’s Privacy Statement in the consent language itself
- Be inclusive of some affirmative act— this can be achieved by way of one of (or ideally a combination of) the below:
- a checkbox (that is not pre-checked by default) with language along the lines of “I Agree,” “I Consent”, “I Understand”, etc.
- by appropriately articulating consent in the language itself and positioning it prior to the button that submits the information
Sample Consent Language
Provided below are a handful of consent language samples that vary in tone, length, granularity, and purpose. We encourage you to use them as a starting point and customize as appropriate to better reflect the feel and function of your page(s). In some cases a checkbox or submit button may need to accompany these statements to allow visitors to agree or consent.
- By registering an account with Northwestern University, I agree to Northwestern's collection and processing of my data in accordance with Northwestern’s Privacy Statement.
- I consent to Northwestern University’s processing of information I provide to them for the purposes of evaluating my application for admission, and other purposes as described in Northwestern’s Privacy Statement.
- By submitting this form, I consent to Northwestern’s collection and processing of my personal data to provide the information I requested and for other purposes as described in Northwestern’s Privacy Statement.
- By registering an account with Northwestern University, I consent to Northwestern’s collection and processing of any sensitive personal data I provide on subsequent forms. I understand that the information I provide will be used for admissions purposes and may be used for other purposes as described in Northwestern’s Privacy Statement
- In registering an account, you are providing personal information to Northwestern University. We store and process your information in accordance with Northwestern’s Privacy Statement. In addition to processing your information to review your application, we may use your data in aggregate with others to improve communications, Northwestern’s program offerings, and advertising.
Though there are some recurring themes in the samples provided, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for all instances necessitating consent language. If you have any questions about choosing or configuring the right consent language for your unit’s pages, direct your inquiry to privacy@northwestern.edu.