Keep your privacy policy up to date without rewriting it

TL;DR

Don't copy a privacy policy from another site or a free template. Use a policy generator that keeps it current. We use Termageddon on the MerlinFX website and for our clients. You answer questions about your business, it writes the privacy policy, terms of use and other policies, and when a law changes it updates the text on your site for you.

Why a template goes out of date

Most small business websites have a privacy policy that was copied in years ago and never touched again. The site has changed since then: a booking form, Google Analytics, a newsletter, an online shop. The law has changed too. Australia’s Privacy Act was amended in 2024, and from 10 December 2026 a privacy policy has to say if you use personal information to make decisions automatically. A policy written once and left alone covers none of that.

What Termageddon does

Termageddon asks you questions about your business and your website: where you trade, what you collect, which tools you use. From your answers it writes the policies your site needs, such as a privacy policy, terms of use, a cookie policy and a disclaimer.

Each policy is embedded on your page with a short code, so when a privacy law changes, Termageddon updates the wording and your site shows the new version. It emails you when you need to answer a new question.

We use it on the MerlinFX website and for our clients’ sites.

How we set it up

1. Create a Termageddon licence for the website and answer the questions for each policy.
2. In WordPress, add a page for each policy, for example Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
3. Paste the embed code from Termageddon into each page. There’s a WordPress plugin as well if you’d rather use that.
4. Link the pages in your footer menu so they’re on every page.
5. Add the privacy policy link to your forms, near the submit button.

After that, the only upkeep is answering Termageddon’s emails when a law change brings a new question.

Questions

Does a small business need a privacy policy?

Many Australian businesses with turnover under $3 million are exempt from the Privacy Act, but not all of them, and the exemption doesn't cover everything. Google Analytics, Google Ads, payment providers and most email tools also expect you to have one. If your site has a contact form, it collects personal information, so a privacy policy is the safe default.

Can I just copy a policy from a competitor's site?

Please don't. It describes their business, not yours, it may be out of date, and the wording is their copyright. A policy that says the wrong thing about how you handle data can cause more trouble than having none.

What does Termageddon cost?

It's a paid yearly licence per website. Check Termageddon's pricing page for what's included today.

Is Termageddon legal advice?

No. It writes the policies and keeps them current, and that's all. If your business handles health records or other sensitive information, talk to a lawyer as well.