Confidentiality and Proofreading
Working as a freelance proofreader or editor means clients will trust you with their documents and personal or business information. If you want clients to feel confident in hiring you, you need to understand how to protect their privacy and comply with relevant laws.
In this guide, we’ll cover the key steps to maintaining client confidentiality, the role of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs), and what to be aware of when it comes to potential confidentiality issues within the documents you proofread.
Why Confidentiality Matters for Proofreaders
Maintaining client confidentiality isn’t just a potential legal requirement. It’s also fundamental to your reputation. Clients expect that their:
- Documents will not be shared or leaked
- Personal or business information will remain secure
- Data will only be stored or processed as necessary
Failing to protect your client’s privacy can cause a loss of trust, damage to your professional reputation, and, in the most serious cases, legal consequences. For freelancers, even a single breach could mean losing future work.
Privacy Laws for Freelance Proofreaders
Even if you work remotely, you need to be aware of the privacy laws that apply to collecting personal information, based on where you or your clients are located. Here are some examples:
- United States: Laws vary by state, but the California Consumer Privacy Act is one of the strictest and influences industry-wide standards.
- Canada: The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act applies to most freelance business relationships.
- European Union (EU): The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sets strict rules for collecting, storing, and processing personal data in the EU.
- United Kingdom: Data protection rules are similar to those in the EU but are governed by the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
- Australia: The Privacy Act 1988 outlines how personal data must be managed, especially for contractors and businesses.
- New Zealand: The Privacy Act 2020 regulates how personal information is collected, used, and stored, and it applies to both local and overseas businesses dealing with New Zealanders’ data.
While you don’t need to be a legal expert, you do need to know how to handle client information responsibly. If you’re unsure, it’s best to consult a legal professional or review official government guidance for your region.
Best Practices for Protecting Client Confidentiality
No matter where you or your clients are based, these practical steps will help you safeguard sensitive information:
1. Secure Client Documents
Client files are the core of your work and the first thing you must protect. Make sure you do the following:
- Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication on all devices. This will help prevent unauthorized access. For example, enable two-factor authentication for Google Drive or Dropbox.
- Store files in encrypted cloud storage or password-protected folders. Rather than using unsecured local drives, try tools such as Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox Professional, which offer built-in security features.
- Avoid working on public Wi-Fi networks. This can expose client data to security risks. If you must, use a virtual private network.
- Delete files promptly when you no longer need them. This should reduce the chance of accidental breaches. You could set up automatic deletion schedules or use secure file-shredding software.
2. Limit Data Collection
The less information you hold, the less there is to protect:
- Only request essential details from clients. These include, for example, their email address and payment information.
- Avoid keeping unnecessary copies of documents. For example, after delivering a final proofread file, you can remove any previous drafts from your storage.
- Follow legal data retention rules (e.g., keeping invoices for tax purposes) and securely dispose of everything else. Tools like QuickBooks or Wave can help you manage financial records, while simple tracking systems in Google Sheets or Notion can help you log what files you’ve archived or deleted.
3. Control Access
Privacy isn’t just about how you store data; it’s also about who can see it. With that in mind, follow these steps:
- Never share client files with third parties. This is very important, unless you have been given explicit permission.
- Use secure file transfer tools instead of email for sensitive materials. Platforms such as WeTransfer and Dropbox Transfer encrypt files to keep them safe in transit.
- If you outsource any part of a project, ensure subcontractors follow the same confidentiality standards you do. This includes any NDAs – we’ll come back to those later!
4. Be Transparent
When clients understand how you protect their data, they’re far more likely to trust you. To be transparent with your clients, here’s what to do:
- Explain clearly how you collect, store, and use their personal information. This could be as simple as outlining your process in an email or FAQ so clients know exactly what happens to their data.
- Publish a privacy policy on your website. This allows clients to see your approach for themselves.
- Provide a clear, simple process for clients to request changes to or deletion of their personal data. A straightforward contact form or dedicated email address can make this easy.
Nondisclosure Agreements
An NDA is a legally binding contract that protects sensitive information shared during a business relationship. Many agencies, including Proofed, require freelancers to sign NDAs before accessing client documents.
As an independent freelancer, you don’t always need an NDA for every client. However, you should:
- Be ready to sign an NDA for sensitive projects (e.g., legal documents, unpublished manuscripts, or proprietary business information)
- Mention in your LinkedIn profile or website that you are willing to sign an NDA to build client trust
- Keep a standard NDA template handy in case a client asks you to provide one
A straightforward NDA policy helps reassure clients from the very start of your working relationship.
Confidentiality Within the Documents You Proofread
Sometimes, confidentiality issues arise in the documents themselves. For example:
- You might proofread a medical report that includes identifiable patient information that should be anonymized
- A business proposal could contain sensitive financial data
- A draft legal agreement might reference confidential client names or case details that should be redacted before publication
In all such cases, a proofreader is not responsible for fixing any potential confidentiality issues within the document. Indeed, without knowing how or where a work is to be published, you could not know if there is a confidentiality issue with the text! Your responsibility is to consider everything you work on as confidential and never share a client’s content without their permission.
However, if you were editing one of these kinds of documents and were aware that it was going to be, for example, published in a journal or shared with stakeholders, you could flag the potential issue to the client. You would do this by attaching a comment to the relevant text:
You may need to review this section to ensure any confidential client names or personal details are anonymized before sharing.
This approach shows professionalism and helps clients avoid potential problems.
Earn Your Clients’ Trust
Confidentiality plays a central role in building a successful freelance proofreading career. When clients can trust you with their most sensitive documents, you set yourself apart as a dependable professional.
If you’re ready to build a career in freelance proofreading, our Becoming A Proofreader course will teach you the skills you need. Sign up for some free lessons today and take the first step toward becoming a sought-after, trusted proofreader!
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