Compliance Frameworks for SaaS
GDPR
Required for EU customers. Includes data subject rights and DPA.
CCPA
Required for California users. Opt-out and disclosure rights.
SOC 2
Enterprise customers often require SOC 2 compliance documentation.
HIPAA
Healthcare SaaS must comply with HIPAA data protection rules.
SaaS Data Collection Points
SaaS applications typically collect more data than simple websites. Your privacy policy should disclose:
- User account information (name, email, password)
- Usage data and analytics
- Customer-uploaded content and files
- API access logs and tokens
- Payment and billing information
- Team and organization data
- Integration credentials
- Support ticket communications
Common SaaS Integrations
List all third-party services that process user data:
- Stripe / Paddle (payments)
- Intercom / Zendesk (support)
- Segment / Mixpanel (analytics)
- AWS / GCP / Azure (hosting)
- SendGrid / Postmark (email)
- Auth0 / Okta (authentication)
- Sentry (error tracking)
- Slack / Discord (notifications)
Data Processing Agreements (DPA)
B2B SaaS companies often need to provide Data Processing Agreements alongside their privacy policy. A DPA is a contract required under GDPR when you process personal data on behalf of your customers.
Your privacy policy should reference:
- - Your role as data processor vs. data controller
- - Sub-processors you use (cloud providers, etc.)
- - Data transfer mechanisms for international transfers
- - Security measures and certifications
- - Data retention and deletion policies