PRIVACY

1. Who we are

Bootstrapped Studios is a web design and development studio based in Ontario, Canada. For questions about this policy or your personal information, email hello@bootstrappedstudios.com or call +1 647 846 6561.

2. Information we collect

We collect only what is reasonably needed to answer inquiries, provide our services, operate the site, and protect the studio.

• Contact information: your name, email address, phone number, messaging handle, company name, and communication preferences when you contact us or book a consultation. This includes details you give us when you call or leave a message on our business line at +1 647 846 6561.
• Project information: your brief, feedback, content, account access you choose to provide, contracts, invoices, and other materials needed to build or support your project.
• Chat information: messages you send to Rover, our site assistant, and limited recent conversation context needed to produce a reply.
• Payment records: transaction status, amount, date, and limited billing details supplied by our payment provider. We do not receive or store your full card number.
• Technical information: basic server logs and cookie free analytics data such as browser type, device information, requested pages, referring pages, approximate country, timestamps, and security events. An internet protocol address may be used briefly to operate and secure the service, but our analytics system does not store the raw address.
• Website preferences: settings stored in your browser so interactive features can remember choices or game progress.

3. How we collect information

We receive information directly from you when you email us, call our business line, book a consultation, use the site chat, pay an invoice, complete a project document, or otherwise communicate with us. We also receive limited technical information automatically from our hosting and security systems. If a payment provider is used to settle an invoice, it sends us confirmation and transaction records.

4. Why we use it

• To reply to inquiries and provide consultations.
• To scope, design, build, launch, host, maintain, and support client projects.
• To invoice for services, process payments, issue refunds, and maintain business records.
• To operate Rover and improve the usefulness of site responses.
• To secure the website, prevent abuse, troubleshoot errors, enforce our terms, and understand aggregate site use.
• To comply with tax, accounting, legal, and regulatory obligations.
• To send service messages or marketing you requested. You can opt out of promotional email at any time.

5. Legal bases

Where a law requires a legal basis, we rely on your consent, steps requested before entering a contract, performance of a contract, compliance with legal obligations, and our legitimate interests in operating, securing, and improving the studio. You may withdraw consent at any time, although that does not affect earlier lawful processing.

6. Payments

If you pay an invoice, it may be settled through a bank transfer or an agreed payment provider. Any payment details are entered directly with that provider and handled under its privacy policy. We receive only the transaction information required to confirm payment, administer the project, prevent fraud, and keep financial records.

7. Artificial intelligence and site chat

Rover may send your chat message and limited recent context to an artificial intelligence service so it can generate a reply. Do not enter passwords, payment card details, confidential project credentials, health information, or other highly sensitive information into the chat. Chat responses are general studio information and may be reviewed for quality, safety, or troubleshooting.

8. Analytics, cookies, and local storage

We use MaxAnalytics, our own cookie free visit counter, to count page views and understand aggregate traffic. It does not track you across other websites. It records the requested page, referring page, approximate country, browser, and device type. It does not use advertising identifiers, does not sell data, does not build a profile of you, and does not store raw internet protocol addresses. An address may be used briefly to look up country and count unique visits for that day, then it is discarded.

The site may also use essential browser storage to remember interaction settings, suppress repeat intro animations, retain game scores, or support security and performance. We do not use this site to build advertising profiles. If marketing tools or materially different analytics are added later, we will update this policy and provide consent controls where required.

9. When we share information

We may share the minimum necessary information with trusted providers that help us run the studio, including hosting, analytics, email, scheduling, payment, cloud storage, accounting, security, communication, and artificial intelligence providers. We may also disclose information:

• When you direct us to connect a service or collaborate with another person.
• To comply with law, a valid legal process, or a lawful government request.
• To protect clients, the public, our rights, or the security of our systems.
• In connection with a business sale, financing, reorganization, or transfer, subject to appropriate confidentiality.

We do not sell or rent personal information.

10. International processing

We are based in Canada, and some providers may process information in Canada, the United States, or another country where they operate. Those countries may have different privacy laws. Where required, we use contractual and organizational safeguards for international transfers.

11. How long we keep information

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purpose collected, the client relationship, legitimate business records, dispute resolution, security, and legal obligations. Project and financial records may be retained for at least the period required by tax and commercial law. Temporary chat context and routine logs may be retained for shorter periods. We may keep anonymized information that no longer identifies you.

12. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards appropriate to the information we hold. No internet service is perfectly secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we learn of a breach that requires notice, we will notify affected people and regulators as required by law.

13. Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to request access, correction, deletion, restriction, portability, or withdrawal of consent, and to object to certain processing. You may also complain to your local privacy regulator. Email us to make a request. We may need to verify your identity before acting, and some records may be retained where law requires it.

14. Children

Our professional services and this website are not directed to children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided information to us, contact us so we can investigate and delete it where appropriate.

15. Third party links

The site may link to services we do not control. Their privacy policies govern their collection and use of information. A link does not mean we are responsible for that provider's practices.

16. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when our services, providers, or legal obligations change. The effective date at the top shows the latest revision. Material changes will be highlighted on the site or communicated directly where required.