Ask HN:How can a startup gain users' confidence in handling private data?

by brainless on 3/30/2012, 8:55 AM with 4 comments

A recent submission on HN related to an Address Book manager application cause someone to mention that these startups are just selling data.

I am working on an application that manages personal data too (and I have applied to YC). Now, while talking about our own application to friends, I have faced that question: "Your product's growth will also depend on how users trust you".

My question to HN users is: How can we, a startup, gain users' confidence?

I am not asking for only technical measures of data protection. I am asking for steps we can take to make sure the user understands we are not going to steal data and run away.

Thanks for your help.

  • by malandrew on 4/6/2012, 8:26 PM

    Good design communicates trust. Whether this is justified or not is another matter, but I know most people tend to trust pretty things and pretty people, especially if they are eloquent.

    TBH, anyone who tells you things about privacy policies and other opinions typical of privacy advocates are completely out of touch with the average user.

    I'm a privacy advocate myself, but I'm not so out of touch with the world to think that people see things the way I do and that a site needs to speak to people like me to gain the trust of the average user. I am not the average user. HN users are not the average users.

    If you want to answer your own question about how to gain trust you need to be able to answer the question "who is my primary user?". If privacy advocates are not among those that are your primary users or among the early adopters, you needn't worry about the issues others mentioned. Just make it pretty and make the wording friendly.

    I'm not suggesting you be unethical. I'm just answering your question on how to communicate trust. Be pretty. Talk smoothly.

  • by kiloaper on 3/30/2012, 10:45 AM

    Speaking just as a normal user with no expertise in data privacy etc, the things which negatively affect my trust in a service are:

    - lack of a visible monetisation plan. If I can't see how you'll make money I will assume that'll it be through selling all my data to advertisers.

    - A copy/paste Privacy Policy

    - Being based in the US (prejudiced maybe, but not without reason). As a European I don't want my data on US servers and subject to ever seemingly weakening data protection laws.

    - Not knowing who is behind the company. If I can't see Linkedin profiles, blogs or similar for the founders I will assume it's shady and walk away.

    - Responding to questions about privacy with vague meaningless canned statements that don't address the issue.

    - Inability to see exactly what the company stores about me. E.g. I can't see what metrics Google has generated from my GMail account to use for targeted advertising

  • by debacle on 3/30/2012, 2:51 PM

    Transparency, and a crystal-clear privacy policy that takes less than thirty seconds to read and comprehend.