Privacy policy: findable, reachable, readable

The scanner locates the privacy policy link, fetches the page and reads it as the source for matching the policy text against the detected tracking stack.

What gets tested

The scanner searches the scanned page's HTML for a link to the privacy policy: by path (/privacy-policy/, /datenschutz/ and variants) or by visible link text. The hit gets fetched. The page it reads doubles as the source for the privacy policy match, which holds the text against the detected tracking stack.

Why it matters

Every tool that processes personal data needs its explanation in the privacy policy. The first step towards that is banal and still frequently missed: the page must be findably linked and technically reachable. A 404 behind the footer link goes unnoticed internally for years. Visitors and supervisory authorities notice.

Common causes

The footer is injected via JavaScript, so the served HTML carries no link.
Relaunch: the policy still lives under the old path, the link points at nothing.
The policy sits on a different domain (parent company, site-builder default) and is not recognisable as the site's own page.

The fix

Put the link into the statically served footer, with clear text ("Privacy policy") and under a stable path. After every relaunch, click it once. That is all.

Matching template

CMP and GTM Consent QA Template

The repeatable test plan for default-denied, consent update and reject, across all four signals.

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Check it yourself first

The Tracking Check tests this point along with all the others, in seconds.

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Related checks

Asked often

What does the "privacy policy" finding mean?

The scanner searched the scanned page for a link to the privacy policy (a path like /privacy-policy/ or matching link text) and tried to fetch the page. Found and readable: ok. Linked but not retrievable: note. No link found: to review.

The scanner cannot find my privacy policy although it exists. Why?

Most common reason: the link sits in a footer or menu that is injected by JavaScript and missing from the served HTML. An icon-only link without text, or a policy hosted on an external domain, has the same effect. The scanner reads the raw HTML of the page; what is not linked there, some visitors will not find either.

The fix, delivered

Wired up in days, not sprints.

Findings from the Tracking Check go into a ranked sequence with effort estimates in the Audit Sprint, every module with an acceptance criterion.

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