This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) describes how Joshua Cote (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, discloses, and protects your information when you use the website at joshuacote.net (the “Site”), including when you contact us, request services, or interact with our content. We are committed to handling your personal data responsibly and in line with applicable privacy laws.
1. Who Is Responsible for Your Data
Joshua Cote is the data controller for the personal information processed through this Site. If you have questions about this Policy or your data, you can reach us using the contact details in Section 11.
2. Information We Collect
We may collect the following categories of information:
- Information you provide. When you use our contact form or get in touch with us, we collect the information you submit, such as your name, email address, optional Discord or Telegram handle, service interest, budget preferences, and your message. We use this solely to respond to your inquiry and, if applicable, to discuss or provide services.
- Cookie and consent data. We use a cookie to remember your cookie consent choice (e.g., accepted or dismissed). This allows us to honour your preference on future visits and does not identify you personally beyond that preference.
- Technical and usage data. When you visit the Site, we or our service providers may automatically collect certain technical data, such as your IP address, browser type and version, device type, referring URL, and pages or features you access. This information helps us operate the Site, analyse usage, and improve performance and security.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Respond to your inquiries and communicate with you about projects or services.
- Provide, manage, and improve our services (including web development, app development, SEO, LLC formation, and related offerings).
- Operate, maintain, and secure the Site and to understand how it is used.
- Comply with legal obligations and protect our rights and the rights of others.
- Send you service-related or administrative messages where necessary.
We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your contact details for marketing unless you have given clear consent or we are otherwise permitted by law.
4. Legal Basis for Processing
We process your personal data where we have your consent (e.g., when you submit the contact form or accept cookies), where it is necessary to perform a contract or take steps at your request before entering into a contract, where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (such as improving the Site and providing our services), or where we are required to do so by law.
5. Cookies and Similar Technologies
The Site uses cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
- Strictly necessary. Certain cookies are required for the Site to function (e.g., security and basic operation). These do not require your consent under applicable cookie rules.
- Preference. We use a cookie to store your cookie consent choice so we can apply it on subsequent visits. This cookie is set when you accept or dismiss our cookie notice.
- Analytics and performance. We may use privacy-conscious analytics or similar tools to understand how visitors use the Site (e.g., page views, referral sources). Where such tools are used, we aim to minimise identifiable data and to comply with applicable consent requirements.
You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Blocking or deleting cookies may affect how the Site works (for example, your cookie preference may not be remembered).
6. Sharing and Disclosure of Your Information
We may share your information only in the following circumstances:
- Service providers. We work with trusted third parties who assist us in operating the Site and delivering services (e.g., hosting, contact form delivery, and analytics). These providers are contractually or otherwise bound to use your data only for the purposes we specify and to protect it in line with this Policy.
- Legal and safety. We may disclose your information where required by law, to respond to legal process or lawful requests by public authorities, to enforce our terms, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of us, our users, or others.
- Business transfers. If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to the same privacy commitments.
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.
7. Data Retention
We retain your information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Policy, including to respond to your inquiries, provide services, comply with legal obligations (e.g., tax or regulatory record-keeping), resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Contact form submissions and related communications are typically retained for the duration of our business relationship and for a reasonable period thereafter. Cookie preference data is stored for the period indicated in our cookie notice (e.g., one year). When we no longer need your data, we will delete or anonymise it in accordance with our retention practices.
8. Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include secure transmission (e.g., HTTPS), input validation and sanitisation, and limiting access to personal data to those who need it for the purposes described in this Policy. No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure; we encourage you to use strong passwords and to avoid sending sensitive information through unsecured channels.
9. Your Rights and Choices
Depending on your location, you may have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Correct or update inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal and contractual exceptions.
- Object to or request restriction of certain processing of your data.
- Withdraw consent where we rely on consent (without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal).
- Data portability, where applicable (e.g., to receive your data in a structured, commonly used format).
- Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority in your country.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 11. We will respond in accordance with applicable law. You may also control cookies through your browser settings as described in Section 5.
10. Children’s Privacy
The Site is not directed at individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.
11. International Transfers
Your information may be processed in or transferred to countries outside your country of residence, including where data protection laws may differ. Where we do so, we take appropriate safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses or other approved mechanisms) to ensure your data remains protected in line with this Policy and applicable law.
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the Site, or legal requirements. We will post the revised Policy on this page and update the “Last updated” date. We encourage you to review this page periodically. If we make material changes that affect how we use your personal information, we will provide additional notice (e.g., on the Site or by email where we have it) where required by law. Your continued use of the Site after the effective date of the updated Policy constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms, to the extent permitted by law.
13. Contact Us
For any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, or to exercise your rights, please contact us via the contact form on the Site (available at the homepage or the Contact section) or by email at business@joshuacote.net. We will respond to your request as required by applicable law.