Web site need a checkup? Common legal considerations for doing business online.

• Author: Michael, Sue M.
• Position: Information Technology

IF YOUR COMPANY'S WEB site is one of the billion estimated sites available, congratulations. Web sites can be a wonderful format for promoting your business and for generating sales.

Whether your Web site was recently launched or you made your Web debut years ago, it may be time to give your site a checkup. Following "healthy" routines and watching out for certain common problems is a far better approach than dealing with emergencies, so check out these Web site "health" issues.

Do you follow privacy requirements? If your company engages in financial or insurance activities, is in the health-care field, or markets to children under the age of 13, there are specific laws or regulations that may require you to protect the personally identifiable information of users of your site. Do you know what requirements apply to you?

Do you have a privacy policy posted? Even if no industry-specific privacy requirements apply, the Federal Trade Commission strongly encourages owners whose sites receive consumer information to post their privacy policies. Privacy policies typically answer such questions as:

* What information do you gather and how?

* How do you secure gathered information?

* What information do you share?

* How can a user elect not to provide information?

Does your site include terms of use? Along with your privacy policy, your site should have terms of use. This is your chance to provide users with important information or disclaimers. Term should be tailored to your business and kept up-to-date. Some common terms are:

* By using the Web site, the user accepts the terms.

* The owner has the right to modify or discontinue the site.

* The owner is not liable for any information or practices of "linked" sites.

* Information and services provided on the site are "as is" with no warranties.

* The owner's materials on the site may not be reproduced without permission.

* The user must protect his password and notify the site owner of unauthorized use.

* The user is...