Finding The Best Compliance Management Software Tool in 2024

Compliance management is not just about documenting the rules and regulations to abide by but also involves much effort in implementing them. Finding yourself buried under a mountain of paperwork, to keep up with regulatory compliance requirements will be a struggle to follow and becomes quite impossible in the long run.

Keeping track of all the different policies and procedures that your organization needs to follow is also a concern with compliance management. Well, fear not! Compliance management software is here to help manage all your compliance requirements.

But with so many compliance operations management software free options available on the market, how do you know which one is right for you?

This blog helps you explore the world of compliance management software and find the solution that best fits your needs. Let’s dive in!

What is Compliance Management?

Compliance management refers to the process of managing an organization’s compliance with regulatory requirements, industry standards, and internal policies and procedures.

The goal of compliance management is to ensure that an organization operates in a legally and ethically responsible manner while minimizing the risk of non-compliance and associated penalties and legal liabilities. It is funnily iterated by Former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, If you find compliance costly, just try non-compliance! Gosh, you will be trapped with legal fines and penalties every other time.

What Is a Compliance Management System (CMS)?

A compliance management system is a comprehensive approach to ensuring that an organization is meeting all of its regulatory requirements and following industry best practices. At its core, compliance management systems are designed to help organizations identify, assess, and manage compliance risks, as well as establish and maintain effective compliance programs.

Logicgate reported, 68% of organizations believe that compliance management software has helped them reduce the risk of non-compliance, while 59% believe that it has helped them improve compliance transparency

What is Compliance Management Software?

Compliance management software is the application of technology to help organizations of all sizes stay on top of regulatory requirements and ensure that they are following the rules and regulations that govern their industry. At its core, compliance management software is designed to help organizations automate compliance tasks, monitor regulatory changes, and stay up-to-date on industry best practices.

The compliance regulatory checks done by compliance management software can involve streamlining activities like tracking employee certifications and training records to monitor compliance with environmental regulations and safety standards. It also aids organizations manage audits, inspections, and reporting requirements, as well as providing tools for risk assessment and mitigation.

Key Components Of A Compliance Management System

By establishing an effective compliance management system, organizations can effectively manage their compliance requirements and reduce the risk of non-compliance and associated penalties and legal liabilities. At a high level,  compliance management systems typically include the following key components.

1. Policies and Procedures:

Establish clear regulatory policies and procedures that outline your organization’s approach to compliance. Match these with industry best practices and review/ update them regularly without fail.

2. Risk Assessment:

Assess risks related to data privacy and security, financial reporting, labor and employment, and environmental compliance, to identify potential compliance risks and vulnerabilities. 

3. Compliance Program Oversight:

Assign compliance responsibilities to specific individuals or departments, and establish regular reporting and monitoring mechanisms. This key component of establishing oversight mechanisms ensures the effective implementation of the compliance program.

4. Train and Educate: 

Build a culture of compliance throughout the organization by providing training and education to employees on compliance policies and procedures, as well as the importance of compliance in general. Updating policies and procedures to reflect changes in regulatory requirements, implementing new technology solutions to automate compliance tasks, and providing ongoing training and education to employees. This establishes a welcoming motive of everyone staying on the same page regarding your organization’s regulatory measures.

5. Monitoring and Reporting:

Establish mechanisms for monitoring and reporting compliance metrics for tracking employee certifications and training records. This can also include monitoring compliance with environmental regulations and safety standards and managing audits and inspections.

6. Complaint Response:

The consumer complaint response in the compliance management systems aids in continuous improvement.  Collecting complaints from the consumer, documenting them, and updating them with prompt corrective measures. This is the effective strategy of a live compliance management system.

What Does The Compliance Management System  Involve?

Compliance management has a crucial part in any administration. Organizations can reduce the risk of non-compliance and associated penalties and legal liabilities while maintaining a positive reputation and building trust with customers and stakeholders.

The key activities involved in compliance management are:

• Identifying the regulatory requirements and industry standards that apply to an organization.
• Develop policies and procedures to ensure compliance with these requirements and standards.
• Communicating these policies and procedures to employees and other stakeholders.
• Monitoring compliance with these policies and procedures through audits, assessments, and other means.
• Taking corrective action in response to identified compliance issues.
• Continuously review and update compliance policies and procedures to ensure they remain up-to-date and effective.

Who Is Responsible for Compliance Management?

Compliance management is the responsibility of everyone in an organization, from top-level management to front-line employees. While specific roles and responsibilities may vary depending on the size and structure of the organization, several key individuals play a critical role in ensuring effective compliance management. 

The senior management or other executive authority is responsible for setting the tone for compliance throughout the organization. They should establish a culture of compliance and ethics, and be actively involved in overseeing the compliance program.

The day-to-day implementation is overseen by the compliance officer who is responsible for conducting risk assessments, developing policies and procedures, and educating the employees on the defined compliance structure.

Abreast these individuals, the legal board members, IT persons, and the Human resource department are accountable for compliance and take much participation in their effective dissemination throughout the company.

While these individuals play a critical role in ensuring effective compliance management, it’s important to remember that compliance is the responsibility of everyone in the organization.

All employees should be trained on compliance policies and procedures and encouraged to report any potential compliance issues or concerns. By working together, organizations can effectively manage their compliance requirements and reduce the risk of non-compliance and associated penalties and legal liabilities.

Challenges in Compliance – Risk Management

Every organization should address strategies to operate responsibly following ethical standards. Non-compliance brings you the chance of being penalized by law. With the challenges being complex, prompt actions to implement compliance management software are the need of the hour to be compliant.

• With new laws and regulations being introduced regularly, it can be difficult for organizations to stay up-to-date and ensure compliance. Keeping up with the evolving regulations can be challenging.
• Compliance is not limited to a business process or department but is widespread all over the entire operations to abide by. With multiple departments and employees taken into account, it can be difficult to ensure that everyone is following the same rules and procedures.
• Compliance management is a demanding activity for organizations that have limited resources. Implementing and maintaining an effective compliance program can require significant time, money, and personnel resources, which can be difficult for smaller organizations or those with limited budget margins.
• When your compliance management has to align with your business priorities, establishing a balanced system is usually strenuous. Evolving business strategies come up with innovative ideas now and then which should also go well with compliance requirements. 
• With the increasing importance of data privacy and security, compliance management in this area would be exigent. Organizations need to ensure that they are protecting sensitive customer information while also meeting regulatory requirements related to data privacy. Infrastructure is being deployed on-site as well as on the cloud which is an additional challenge to cover all the vulnerabilities in the organization.
• The conflict of interest that arises due to the organization dealing with multiple vendors further complicates regulatory compliance. When dealing with contributions or donations from a political figure, compliance should be exhibited with more concern. 

Besides this arsenal of challenges, organizations must govern the compliance activities with strictly formulated rules in business areas ( trade surveillance, deal review, authorization and approvals, license and third party data diligence, political contribution, etc.) which are more prone to non-compliance. 

Strict rules like documenting the gifs received/given and specifying the limit are a must in such instances. Compliance management can be defined but ensuring that they are consistently followed in all business aspects and adhered to is the real challenge to look at.

Approaches To Build An Effective Compliance Management System

Advocate the approach that suits your business operation and model and make sure you embed the safe compliance procedures on your premises by engaging the employees to embrace the regulatory actions and empower themselves as a compliant workforce with the available tools and resources.

The basic approaches that are entitled to build an effective compliance management system are:

1. Top-down Approach

The top-down approach for a compliance model is rigid in its structure and the top managerial authorities define the compliance procedure to be incorporated and it works hierarchically. This approach doesn’t entertain any flexibility with compliance. This approach works well with compliance management in hospitals and healthcare centers, where patient safety is never compromised.

2. Hands-off Approach

When your compliance management can be implemented with some flexibilities in the benchmarks involved while accomplishing them. Flexibility does not endorse non-compliance while the defined compliance measures are performed right for sure while you are privileged to enjoy few flexibilities in benchmarks like scheduling them.

The hybrid work model in corporate is an example of the hands-off approach where work has the mentioned time limit to complete while employees can plan their working hours on their own. Work environments that are result-oriented can implement a hands-off approach.

3. Distributed Approach

In a shared or distributed approach, everyone is accountable for prioritizing compliance in their environment. Everyone involved ought to know what should be done and what must not be done. This model works with the motto of “ We’re together in this to prove we comply ” where the group shares their responsibility to maintain compliance. Compliance management in financial institutions or investigation sectors mostly falls into this category.

How To Set Up An Efficient Compliance System?

Managing compliance can be a complex and challenging task, but with the right approach and tools, it can be done effectively and efficiently. Here is a diagrammatic representation of the compliance process overview.  

Know your regulatory standards and assess your organization’s resources. Check whether they comply with federal, state, and local laws, as well as industry-specific regulations. Understand them to check the non-compliant resources at your end. Once you have a clear understanding of these requirements, you can start developing a compliance program that meets them.

Categorize the complaints and non-compliance so that you have a measure of the cause, impact, and severity of the issue and its effects. Establish policies and procedures that outline the steps employees should take to ensure compliance.

Reconfigure systems if required. These policies and procedures should be clear, concise, and easy to remediate quickly. Validate the changes to be implemented and document/ report the vulnerable.

Why is Compliance Management Software Important in an Organization and What are its Benefits?

Compliance management is important for organizations of all sizes and industries to establish and maintain legal policies and regulations. Organizations can reduce legal and financial risks, build trust with stakeholders, improve operational efficiency, enhance employee morale, and protect the environment and public health with CMS.

Reducing legal and financial risks

With a good CMS in place, organizations can ensure that their regulatory requirements are met, and thereby avoid costly penalties and legal liabilities that can result from non-compliance.

No Human errors

Compliance regulations, when tracked and reported manually have the possibility of missing some policies unintentionally and other mistakes. The compliance tracking software helps automate such activities and organizations can save time and money. By automating these tasks, organizations can free up valuable resources and focus on more strategic initiatives that drive growth and profitability.

Establishing Trust and Credibility

Compliance management establishes trust and credibility with customers, investors, and other stakeholders. By demonstrating a commitment to ethical and compliant business practices, organizations can build a strong reputation and earn the trust of their stakeholders.

Improving Operational Efficiency

By automating compliance tasks and streamlining compliance processes, organizations can free up valuable resources and focus on more strategic initiatives that drive growth and profitability.

Enhancing Employee Morale

Engaging employees is a daunting task when a new CMS is implemented. This creates a culture of compliance and ethics, allowing organizations to embrace a positive work environment where employees feel valued and supported.

Bridging the manual CMS inconsistencies

Developing regulatory policies and documenting them manually is time-consuming. Compliance policies on paper will be voluminous, and every person finds it hard to carry it all the time to refer for any non-compliant instances. Even if the policies are being updated manually, there is a significant lag in the documentation/updation. A compliance management system on the other hand automatically updates the document to the latest version.

Multi-faceted approach

When organizations embrace dynamic and complex operational landscapes, you are in need to design a compliance management system to cover the entire organization including its cloud presence. A systematic and consistent framework for flexible compliance helps organizations identify and address potential compliance issues before they become significant. 

Staying updated

Switching to the right CMS approach helps you stay in the regulatory loop without inconvenience. By providing real-time monitoring and reporting on compliance issues, organizations can quickly identify and address potential problems before they turn into major issues. Regular risk assessments and monitoring compliance metrics aid organizations in quickly adhering to government laws that are applicable to the particular industry.

Tips For Better Compliance Workflow:

Planning an effective compliance workflow is critical for organizations to reduce the risk of non-compliance and associated penalties and legal liabilities. It’s important to remember that compliance is an ongoing process, and organizations should continuously evaluate and improve their compliance program to ensure that it meets their changing needs and regulatory requirements.

The precise plan for compliance workflow involves compliant activities and the following tips make them better.

1. Establish a Compliance Standard:

It’s important to establish standard compliance throughout the organization. This can include setting clear expectations for ethical behavior, providing regular training and education on compliance policies and procedures, and encouraging employees to report any potential compliance issues or concerns.

2. Conduct Regular Risk Assessments:

Conducting regular risk assessments can help identify potential compliance risks and vulnerabilities. This can inform the development of policies and procedures, as well as help prioritize compliance efforts.

3. Develop Clear and Concise Policies and Procedures:

Policies and procedures should be clear and concise and based on regulatory requirements and industry best practices. They should be regularly reviewed and updated as needed to reflect changes in regulatory requirements or organizational needs.

4. Assign Responsibility for Compliance:

Responsibility for compliance should be assigned to specific individuals or departments. This can help ensure that compliance tasks are being completed effectively and efficiently.

5. Establish Oversight Mechanisms:

Oversight mechanisms should be established to ensure that the compliance program is being implemented effectively. This can include regular reporting and monitoring mechanisms, as well as regular audits and inspections.

6. Invest in Technology Solutions:

Investing in technology solutions can help automate compliance tasks and streamline compliance processes. This can free up valuable resources and help organizations focus on more strategic initiatives. Deploy compliance management workflows so that you can build your compliance management system and watch ideal compliance live.

7. Test and Integrate:

When implemented for the first time, measuring the security performance and reliability of the workflow is crucial to keeping up with the regulatory pace. Make a progressive patch test at least once a month to identify critical issues and rectify them. Be sure that the system has a flexible integration capability so that your organization’s compliance management is transparent and easy to streamline.

8. Train and stay connected:

Regular training and education should be provided to employees on compliance policies and procedures, as well as the importance of compliance in general. Awareness programs over compliance setup should be regulated in the organizations so that the employees stay on the same page of compliance paving a path to embrace a culture of compliance throughout the organization.

Key Features To Look For In Compliance Management Software

Good compliance software effectively meets an organization’s regulatory needs and helps them effectively manage them. It’s important to remember that effective compliance management requires a holistic approach that incorporates people, processes, and technology, and compliance software is a needed solution. When evaluating compliance management system software, there are several key factors to consider. Keep considering these factors before investing in one.

Easy usage & Customization:

Look for customizable software, so that you can tailor it to your organization’s specific compliance needs. Every organization has unique compliance requirements as per their industry and region; a CMS tool that offers easy navigation and customizable build boosts user experience and is a go-to choice.

Regulatory Policy & Tracking:

Staying in the loop is crucial to evade fines or legal punishments. Opt for software that can track regulatory changes and updates, and provide alerts when new regulations are introduced or existing regulations are updated.  The detailed track and report in the Compliance tracking software tool aid your organization stay compliant with the regulatory changes so you never miss out on any potential loopholes.

Dynamic Workflows:

Every individual has to be assigned a task and workflows track their progress while keeping an eye for compliance. Look for software that can manage compliance tasks and processes systematically and efficiently. Dynamic workflows built in a flexible interface aid in prioritizing tasks, assigning responsibility, establishing deadlines, and monitoring progress.

Document Management:

Invest in software that can manage compliance-related documents, such as policies and procedures, training materials, and audit reports in a central hub. Thus the compliance documents are easily accessible when needed and cloud storage also gives the privilege of easy and speedy updation whenever required.

Reports and notifications:

Live tracking is essential in compliance regulation and the software tool should have the ability to generate reports and analytics on compliance-related metrics, such as completion rates for training and certifications, and compliance with regulatory requirements. It should also send notifications to the user as defined.

Price and Integration:

Compliance management software should have the ability to integrate with other systems, such as HR and finance systems.  Easy integration is a must to monitor the incorporated compliance-related tasks and processes into other business processes and workflows. The software price should also align with the business budget and the one with good customer support will be people’s choice always.

Best Compliance Management Tools in 2024

As compliance requirements continue to evolve and become more complex, organizations are increasingly turning to compliance management tools to help them effectively manage their compliance requirements. Let us explore the best compliance management system software in this section.

Compliance management software tools are designed to help organizations manage and maintain regulatory compliance requirements. Here is a brief overview of some popular compliance management software tools:

1. Cflow:

Cflow is a cloud-based workflow solution that helps you manage your compliance requirements in a centralized and streamlined manner. We would be remiss if we did not match the Cflow features in compliance management here. It features a user-friendly interface, customizable workflows, and the ability to track compliance tasks, documents, and metrics.

Approvals are easy-peasy and you never miss a vulnerable instance across your organization. Cflow has eagle-eye remediate measures to be implemented with process workflows. Notifications and intuitive reports are automated and are capable of giving you a clear picture of rolled-out live compliance management in your organization. Forms and easy integration are other key features. There is a 14-day free trial and Contact Cflow for pricing details.

2. HIPAA One: 

HIPAA One is a compliance software that helps healthcare organizations ensure that they comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA One is simple to use and designed to help healthcare organizations comply with the HIPAA Privacy Rule, the HIPAA Security Rule, and the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule.

The software typically includes features such as risk assessments, data mapping, and encryption, policy and procedure templates, employee training modules, and breach reporting tools. Check HIPAA One for price details.

3. Ideagen Qualtrax:

Your internal and external audits are simple and robust with this tool. Qualtrax is a compliance management software that helps organizations manage compliance requirements, including document control, training management, and audit management. The tool regulates compliance based on the ISO, GFSI, FDA, and FQS standards. Qualtrax is both on-premise and cloud and is used by businesses of all sizes. A free trial is available with Qualtrax. Click on the Qualtrax website for pricing.

4. Complinity:

Complinity is a compliance software solution designed to help businesses and organizations manage their compliance obligations more efficiently and effectively. The software provides a centralized platform for tracking and monitoring compliance requirements, automating compliance workflows, and generating reports and analytics to help organizations make informed decisions. Contact Complinity for price details.

5. Risk Hawk:

Risk Hawk is a risk management software that helps organizations identify, assess, and manage risks to achieve compliance with regulatory requirements. Risk Hawk aids organizations in staying up-to-date with regulatory changes and handling risks in ERM, IFC, ORM, and ICFR. It is available both on-premises and on cloud.

It features a customizable regulatory compliance tracking software system, automated workflow and dashboards, and the ability to track compliance metrics with a single sign-on option. There is no free trial with RiskHawk. Visit Risk Hawk for pricing.

6. GoAudits:

When your business process requires consistency over various processes and teams go for GoAudits!   This compliance management software has a mobile application and serves to be the complete audit solution. You can also conduct mobile audits with GoAudits. Inspections and assessments are succeeded by the insightful reports which are automatically forwarded as an email to the intended authorities for immediate remediation. There is a free trial and pricing starts from $10/ month.

7. CMW Tracker:

CMW Tracker provides real-time tracking of employees’ locations and activities through GPS and other location-based technologies. This allows businesses to monitor their employees’ movements and ensure that they are working efficiently and effectively.

The software also provides valuable insights into employee performance, which can be used to optimize operations and improve customer satisfaction. By providing real-time tracking, detailed reporting, and streamlined communication, the software can help businesses optimize operations, improve customer satisfaction, and increase efficiency and profitability. Enquire about the pricing details at the CMW tracker.

8. Resolver:

Resolver is a governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) software that helps organizations manage risk, compliance, and audit processes. Resolver CMS also includes powerful content management features, including version control, content scheduling, and content reuse. The software also includes robust analytics and reporting tools that allow organizations to track key quality metrics and identify areas for improvement. For pricing, do visit  Resolver.

9. Libryo:

By providing a centralized platform for risk management, Libryo has clients all over the world. With Libryo your legal compliance is ideal and is facilitated by automated workflows, and robust analytics and reporting. Libryo helps organizations improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their quality control and risk mitigation processes. Check their site for enquiring on prices.

10. Predict 360:

Predict360 is a powerful tool for organizations that need to manage complex risk and compliance obligations across multiple jurisdictions and industries. By providing a centralized platform for managing regulatory compliance, enterprise risk management, audit management, and regulatory change management processes, the software can help organizations reduce the risk of compliance issues and associated fines and penalties, while also improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their risk and compliance management processes. For more pricing information, check Predict 360.

A Modern Approach to Compliance Management  With Cflow

It is a dynamic and evolving environment for businesses and so would be their compliance management. To effectively manage compliance, organizations need a modern approach that incorporates technology and streamlined processes. Automating compliance management is more important than ever, as changing needs can be effectively remediated only by automated workflows immediately.

Cflow being a cloud-based business management solution helps organizations manage their compliance requirements in a centralized and streamlined manner.

Here’s how Cflow offers a modern approach to compliance management:

1. Customizable Workflows:

Cflow offers customizable workflows that can be tailored to your organization’s specific compliance needs. You can define the workflows with your own set of rules without writing a single line of code. The visual workflow builder is easy and makes the workflow design a breeze.

2. Automated workflows:

Approvals are easy with Cflow’s dynamic workflows that let you create your compliance environment ideal with a click. Cflow automates compliance tasks, such as tracking regulatory changes and updates, assigning responsibility, establishing deadlines, and monitoring progress.  Automation frees up valuable resources and assures that compliance tasks are completed on time and to the required standard.

3. Centralized data hub:

Cflow’s document management capabilities stand out of the crowd as it supports centralized data management. Policies and procedures, training materials, and audit reports are stored and managed in the centralized hub and are easily accessible when needed.

4. Notifications:

Reporting and analytics capabilities are top-notch in Cflow and you can generate reports on compliance-related metrics, such as completion rates for training and certifications, and compliance with regulatory requirements in minutes. With Cflow, the entire compliance management is under control in your organization.

5. Easy Integration:

Cflow integrates with other systems, such as HRM, CRM, and finance systems,  providing seamless compliance integrated into your organization’s overall operations. 

6. User-Friendly Interface:

Cflow has a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate and use.  This engages employees of no-code knowledge to effectively complete compliance-related tasks and processes. Flexible risk management and ideal compliance management are all yours now!

Final Thoughts

Compliance management is the buzz in almost all industries and compliance management software is a valuable tool for organizations seeking to stay up-to-date with regulatory changes. Streamline compliance processes, and reduce the risk of non-compliance with modern solutions like Cflow.

With Cflow’s user-friendly approach, your organization’s compliance is seamlessly integrated into its overall operations and you can experience a fully compliant environment, all with the click of a button. The workflow solution, Cflow offers

• Customizable workflows,
• Automated compliance tasks,
• Document management,
• Integration with other systems promoting prioritized remediation,
• User-friendly interface.

Cflow’s actionable insights and intuitive reports also address how evolving compliance regulations and IT work in tandem to improve your business values and goals.

Keep Your Organization’s Regulatory Pace Up With Cflow; Make Your Audits Go seamlessly with  Cflow’s Streamlined Compliance Management; Start your free trial now!

FAQ

1. What are the categories of compliance management?

Compliance management can be categorized into two: 

• Corporate Compliance 
• Regulatory Compliance. 

Corporate compliance ensures that organizations comply with internal policies and procedures while regulatory compliance deals with external laws, rules, and regulations.

2. What are the prime areas of compliance?

Compliance is all about abiding by the regulatory government norms and adhering to the strategies that can keep you free of legal punishments. The prime areas that ought to comply with compliance are: Legal, IT, Finance, and, HR.

3. What is the biggest challenge in compliance management?

Keeping up with the dynamic compliant policies in the long run without an effective compliance management system is quite grueling.

4. What are the kinds of compliance management tools?

Knowing the kind of compliance management tool allows you to find the right fit. The tools in the market essentially be one of a kind:

• All-purpose compliance management platform
• Industry-specific compliance management tools
• Governance, risk, and compliance software (GRC)

5. What are the core functionalities of the compliance management software?

• Policy management & compliance registry
• Controls and survey
• Compliance monitoring and reporting
• Audit and change management
• Regulatory intelligence
• Conflicts and Fraud Management
• E-learning and multi-lingual compliance training interface

6. How does Compliance work in real time?  Give a compliance management example.

Social media, a platform for marketing, can be prone to phishing and social engineering.  Mitigating phishing in social media is a compliance management example. Employees who handle corporate social handles must also understand what may and cannot be shared on corporate social accounts.

Employees who share events and information on social media benefit from compliance management because they have a better understanding of data privacy. Employees who are familiar with social engineering and phishing have the tools and knowledge they need to avoid becoming victims and jeopardizing corporate data.

What should you do next?

Thanks for reading till the end. Here are 3 ways we can help you automate your business:

Do better workflow automation with Cflow

Create workflows with multiple steps, parallel reviewals. auto approvals, public forms, etc. to save time and cost.

Try Cflow for free

Talk to a workflow expert

Get a 30-min. free consultation with our Workflow expert to optimize your daily tasks.

Book a demo

Get smarter with our workflow resources

Explore our workflow automation blogs, ebooks, and other resources to master workflow automation.

Check out our blogs

What would you like to do next?​

Automate your workflows with our Cflow experts.​

Quick Demo

Sign Up

Learn More

Get Your Workflows Automated for Free!

Business Name

Business Email

Phone

Good time to call

Describe your requirements (If any)

By submitting this form, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.