Website Terms of Service & Privacy Policy Core Schedule

Website Terms of Service & Privacy Policy Core Schedule: a practical guide

The Website Terms of Service & Privacy Policy Core Schedule is a document for a Service Provider to record key points about a website service and related terms. It can include privacy commitments the parties choose to write down, but it may not cover everything website visitors need to know about the operator’s information practices.

What it's for

Use this schedule when a Service Provider needs to record the main terms of a website service or responsibilities for website-related information, including those involving a Client. Identify the service and the relationship the schedule covers so readers can tell whether it concerns a service supplied to the Client or rules intended for people who visit the site.

Decide whether the schedule is part of a larger agreement or is meant to be read on its own. If website visitors need terms or a privacy notice, prepare materials that address those readers and accurately describe the site’s actual practices. Use Additional Terms & Provisions to write relevant service, use, or privacy details that are not covered elsewhere in the document.

Who uses it

• A small business and a provider agreeing on website setup, operation, or support.
• A provider and client recording responsibilities for information handled through a website service.
• A business reviewing a website service arrangement before work begins.
• A website operator documenting service terms for a business client.
• A business preparing separate visitor-facing terms or a privacy notice alongside a service arrangement.

Terms to decide on

Service and relationship covered

Name the website service and say whether the schedule concerns work for a Client or terms for people who use the site. Describe the covered service and users plainly, and avoid language that suggests the schedule covers people or activities it does not address.

Each side’s responsibilities

State what the Service Provider will do and what the Client must supply, approve, or maintain. Identify who handles website content, user communications, and decisions about information practices.

Website use and user information

If the parties are setting website rules or describing information practices, write down which users and activities those terms concern. Describe the information involved and how it is collected, used, shared, or removed in a way that matches the actual service.

Access and service changes

Explain who may access the service and how the parties will handle changes, interruptions, or ending the work. If access or information may be affected, describe what each side is expected to do.

Related terms or notices

Identify any fuller service terms or visitor-facing privacy notice the parties intend to use. Say which document addresses each topic and resolve any conflicting or repeated statements.

Additional terms and communications

Write necessary details that do not appear elsewhere in Additional Terms & Provisions, naming the service, responsibility, or practice they concern. Include accurate contact details for questions about the arrangement or described information practices.

Common mistakes

• Treating the schedule as a complete set of visitor-facing website terms or a complete privacy notice without checking what it actually covers. Visitors may need separate information written for them.
• Writing privacy commitments that do not match how the website and service handle information. Confirm the details with the people responsible for operating the site.
• Leaving unclear whether a term applies to the Service Provider, the Client, website visitors, or another user group.
• Assigning responsibility for content, user requests, or information handling to both sides, or to neither side, without explaining how they will coordinate.
• Referring to another agreement or notice without identifying it or explaining which document covers each subject.
• Using broad promises about security, information removal, or service availability without checking that the responsible party can carry them out.

Before you sign

• Confirm the Service Provider, Client, website service, and covered users are described accurately.
• Check that each side’s tasks and responsibilities are clear and realistic.
• Compare any privacy statements with the website’s actual information practices.
• Identify related terms or notices and resolve overlapping or inconsistent wording.
• Read the whole schedule for unclear references, missing contact details, and terms that could be read in different ways.
• Check the rules where the document will be used, including any requirements for witnesses, notarization, registration, notice periods, or required wording, or ask a qualified lawyer if much is at stake.