Aldo

19 out of 20 Human-centred

Joint highest score in the index, and it comes from a shoe retailer rather than a privacy-first startup. Only the reading grade of the policy keeps it off full marks.

Transparency, Consent, Clarity, Control, Empathy · clockwise from the top

Transparency 4 / 4

How many clicks to find the privacy policy from the homepage?

One click, from the footer. “Privacy Policy” sits in the footer beside a separate “Cookie Policy”, both opening as web pages with an effective date shown at the top, 16 March 2026, and the previous version dated beside it. Naming the version it replaces is something no other brand in the index does.

Consent 4 / 4

Is there a meaningful choice about cookies and tracking before data is collected?

Refusing costs one click, the same as agreeing. Three buttons of the same width, stacked: “Accept All Cookies”, “Accept Only Necessary”, and “Adjust My Preferences”. Declining is a single click at the same level as accepting, with granular category control beside it, which is more than any bank in this index offers. Only the fill colour separates them. Worth knowing alongside that: on a first load, with the banner still unanswered, eight advertising identifiers are already set, among them Meta, TikTok, Pinterest and Google Ads. The choice is designed well and it is being offered late.

Clarity 3 / 4

How hard is the policy to read, how much of it is there, and can you get it in one piece?

Grade 13.1 across 3,935 words, in one place. Difficulty 1, length 3, access 4. Middling on both measured parts and easy to get hold of. Measure it yourself.

Control 4 / 4

How many clicks to reach data settings, and can you delete your account yourself?

A data rights form in one click, with no login. “Privacy Preferences” in the footer opens a request form asking for a name, an email and the type of request. No account, no sign-in, no support queue. Only Shopify, Desjardins and Clarks put a working request route that close to the front door.

Empathy 4 / 4

Find the support page. How many clicks, and is there a way to speak to a human?

A phone number and a chat, one click away. “Contact Us” in the footer carries 1-800-326-2536 and a live chat. A named data protection officer (dpo@aldogroup.com) sits in the policy as well.

Overall finding

19 out of 20 Human-centred

Aldo scores 19 and shares the top of the index with Clarks, another shoe retailer, which is not the result anyone would have predicted. It earns it in the places that are hardest to fake: a request form a click from the front door, a banner where refusing costs exactly what agreeing costs, and a human on the phone. The single point it drops is the policy, at grade 13.1 across 3,935 words. The one thing left to fix is the load order, because eight advertising identifiers are set before the banner it designed so carefully is answered.

Scored: 8 August 2026
Region: Canadian site, private window
Session: Logged out throughout

Scored from public evidence only. No company can pay to change a score, and paid relationships are disclosed here. Read the independence statement.

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