Indie bloggers running a personal site often skip the privacy policy or copy-paste a template that mentions cookies they do not use and trackers they do not run. Iubenda's guide covers the basics; this article distills it to the version that actually holds up to a regulator complaint without lawyer fees.
The 6 things your blog almost certainly does
- Logs visitor IPs (your hosting provider)
- Runs analytics (Google Analytics, Plausible, Fathom)
- Embeds third-party content (YouTube, Twitter, Instagram)
- Collects newsletter signups (email)
- Hosts comments (Disqus, native form, social auth)
- Earns through affiliates or ads
Each of these triggers a privacy disclosure. Skip any and the policy is incomplete.
The 6-section template
1. Who you are and how to contact you
Real name (or business name), email address. Pseudonyms with no contact path fail GDPR.
2. What data you collect, in plain language
Match this to the 6 categories above. "We use Google Analytics, which collects anonymized usage data" is more useful than legal abstraction.
3. Legal basis for each category
Analytics: consent (cookie banner). Newsletter: consent (double opt-in). Comments: legitimate interest. Affiliates: legitimate interest.
4. Third parties involved
List them by name. "We use Mailchimp for newsletters" passes audit. "We use third party providers" does not.
5. User rights
Standard GDPR rights (access, correction, deletion, objection, portability). One sentence each, with the contact email.
6. Cookies
If you use any non-essential cookie, include a consent banner and a separate cookie policy.
| Service | Disclosure needed | Consent type |
|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics | Yes | Cookie consent |
| Plausible/Fathom | Optional (anonymous) | No consent if truly anonymous |
| Mailchimp / Substack | Yes | Double opt-in |
| YouTube embed | Yes | Cookie consent or use no-cookie embed |
| Amazon Affiliates | Yes (FTC + GDPR) | Disclosure + consent if cookies |
The biggest mistake indie bloggers make is using copy-paste templates that mention 12 services they do not run. Regulators see the mismatch and treat it as bad faith. A 1-page policy that matches reality is stronger than a 20-page policy that does not.
What you do not need
- A registered company. Personal liability + a privacy policy is enough for indie scale.
- A DPO. Designation is required only for large-scale systematic monitoring.
- SCC clauses. Only if you transfer EU data outside EU to providers without adequacy decisions.
- A formal DPIA. Only for high-risk processing.
Conclusion
An indie blog can have a 1-page privacy policy that is honest, complete and 2026-compliant. It takes one afternoon to write and matches the reality of the blog. The maximalist approach scares away readers and fails audits for inaccuracy.
If you want a blog-specific template generated from your URL in 2 minutes, try Termerly free and skip the copy-paste.
