Data confidentiality letter

The confidentiality letter It is a widely used document within the labor and commercial world, since the truth is that there are a large number of situations in which it is very important to keep certain aspects private.

Generally, this is done to protect the integrity of businesses and companies against possible theft of ideas or formulas, thus preventing this information from being disclosed and causing more serious problems. In order to avoid the leakage of information, the confidentiality letter is usually signed.

This is a type of document that can be quite useful in different circumstances, so it's really not uncommon for different types of businesses to use them or have employees sign them, especially in the case of those who leave their posts, as well as any other person who may have information about the company.

What is a confidentiality letter?

As we have briefly mentioned before, the confidentiality letter is a document that is drawn up by the lawyers of a company and that is usually signed by the employees to state that they cannot divulge sensitive information about the company and its products/services.

In this way, we find ourselves in a commitment acquired by the signatory and in which he agrees to keep the data of the letter completely secret. This means that if the person who has signed reveals the information protected by this letter, then you may find yourself in serious legal trouble.

It must be taken into account that the confidentiality letter It is a legal and formal document that can be seen before the law as a contract, in which the consequences are generally detailed in case information is leaked.

Structure of a confidentiality letter

As we have already mentioned, it is a document that has great legal weight, so it really a series of very important elements that compose it must be taken into account.

In addition to the data that we are going to detail later, you must also take into account its structure and the parts that must be well detailed so that it can be considered a valid confidentiality letter.

The elements that cannot be missing in the structure of a confidentiality letter are the following:

• Letterhead: as every letter of this type tells us, it is really very important that it contains the data of the company that is writing it. In the vast majority of cases the letterhead is printed on a letterhead or on a sheet. If you do not have it, then at the beginning of the letter you will have to write all the company data. In the event that the signatory is an employee of the same company, then you can use your personal letterhead.
• date and city: just below the letterhead, you have to write the date and the city. Keep in mind that it is a document that has legal weight, so there are two very important factors that should not be overlooked.
• Addressee: In this part of the letter we will have to write the data of the company with which the commitment is being made. This data must go under the date and must have the company's data, as well as its name and address.
• Body: This is a section of the letter in which we can start with a cordial and short greeting to then begin with the drafting of the elements that will make up the letter of confidentiality. There, all the statutes corresponding to the agreement that is being signed will be included, as well as the consequences if they exist in the event that the agreement indicated in the document is broken.
• Signature: Finally, it is very important to place the signature of the person who is committing to the writing of the letter. The signature must include the full name of the signatory, in addition to his physical signature.

Example of Confidentiality Letter

Points to consider when writing a confidentiality letter

As we have mentioned, in addition to following the aforementioned structure, there are also a series of data and points that must be taken into account so that this letter can have the legal weight it should have.

These are some of the points that you have to do or avoid when you are making a confidentiality letter:

Be very specific about information that should not be disclosed

When these are not specifically detailed, the worker cannot be completely clear about the data that has to be protected, so they can be presented legal holes to allow certain information to be leaked.

In order to effectively protect what you want to protect, it is necessary that detail clearly and briefly all the information that is inside the confidentiality agreement.

Clarify the media

Among all the data that must be added in a confidentiality letter, we must also understand that confidential information may not be disclosed in any way, whether spoken, written, video, photographs, etc.

This information is of a legal nature, so it also It is very important that it is detailed as completely as possible.thus avoiding any possible complications.

Indicate what the consequences of disclosure will be

In case the legal team has reached an agreement regarding the consequences that the person who breaks the commitment would have to face, whether legal or monetary, the details will have to be found within the body of the letter. of confidentiality.

Sign the physical letter

In order to avoid any type of legal problem, it is highly recommended that the letters be written and signed in physical, avoiding doing it digitally. Likewise, it is also highly recommended that there be at least one witness for the delivery and signing of the confidentiality letter.

When is a confidentiality letter used?

We have already mentioned that there are many occasions in which these cards can be very useful, being very common in companies that manufacture unique products, getting their workers and suppliers to sign the letter to keep the manufacture or formulation of their products secret, thus preventing them from being plagiarized by the competition. For example, this tends to happen very frequently within the pharmaceutical industry.

Another of the main reasons why a confidentiality letter can be signed is when someone has been hired to take charge of personal affairs of a public figure. Employees may have to sign the confidentiality letter to avoid disclosure of information about their personal lives.

Employees who are fired or who leave their positions they also usually have to sign these types of documents quite frequently. This limits the information they can disclose once they have stopped working for the business or company.

As you can see, in any scenario in which the company or business works with information that is considered confidential, the employees will have to sign the letter so that the company can be sure that they will not end up divulging sensitive information.

Si quieres conocer otros artículos parecidos a "Data confidentiality letter" puedes visitar la categoría de cartas LEGAL LETTERS.