Privacy Policy

At Digital Companion Services (“we,” “us,” “our”), we value your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website and our in-home and virtual tech support services. By using our website or services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

1. Information We Collect

• Personal information you provide: when you book a session, create an account, or contact us, we may collect:
  • Name
  • Contact information (email address, phone number)
  • Address (for in-home support)
  • A description of what you need help with, and your service preferences and history
  • Account credentials (if you create an account — your password is stored only in a securely hashed form we cannot read)
  • Billing information — see “Payments” under Data Sharing below. We do not store your card number.
• Session data: during support we may collect:
  • Screen sharing and recordings (for virtual sessions)
  • Audio (for virtual sessions)
  • Device information (device type, operating system, IP address)
  • Notes about the issue and the work performed, so we can follow up and bill accurately
• Technical & usage information: when you interact with our website we automatically collect certain information, such as browser type, device type, IP address, pages visited, and referring links. Some of this is collected through cookies and similar technologies — see Section 3.

2. How We Use Your Information

• Providing support: to deliver in-home and virtual tech support, schedule visits, troubleshoot issues, and resolve technical problems.
• Billing: to charge for the services you booked, using our payment processor (Stripe).
• Communication: to send booking confirmations, reminders, receipts, and service updates, and — only with your consent — occasional promotional messages you can opt out of at any time.
• Improving our services: to understand how the website and services are used and to improve them.
• Legal & security: to comply with legal obligations, enforce our terms, protect our rights, and prevent fraud and abuse.

3. Cookies, Analytics & Your Choices

Here is how we understand site usage, and what requires your consent:

• Essential cookies that are necessary to run the site — for example, to keep you signed in to your account and to remember your cookie choice. These are always on because the site cannot function correctly without them.
• Privacy-friendly analytics (no cookies). We use Vercel Web Analytics to see aggregate, anonymous usage such as which pages are viewed. It does not set cookies, does not identify you, and does not track you across other sites — so it runs for all visitors and does not require your consent.
• Optional analytics cookies. With your consent, we also use Google Analytics for more detailed insight into how the site is used. Google Analytics sets cookies, so it is not loaded at allunless you choose “Accept all” in our cookie banner.

When you first visit, a banner lets you accept or decline non-essential cookies; essential functionality works either way. You can change your choice at any time using the “Cookie preferences” link in the site footer. We do not use cookies for third-party advertising, and we do not sell or share the information collected through analytics.

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with the trusted service providers that help us operate, and only as needed for them to perform their function on our behalf:

• Payments — Stripe. When you book, your card is entered on a secure page hosted by Stripe and is stored by Stripe so we can charge you after your visit. Your card number is never sent to, seen by, or stored on our systems. We keep only an anonymous reference that lets us ask Stripe to charge the card you approved — that reference is useless to anyone else and cannot be turned back into your card number. Stripe’s handling of your data is governed by their privacy policy. You can ask us to remove your saved card at any time.
• Hosting & database — Vercel and Supabase. Our website and account data are hosted on these platforms under their security and privacy commitments.
• Video sessions — Zoom. Virtual sessions are delivered over Zoom.
• Email — Resend. Transactional emails (confirmations, receipts, reminders) are delivered through Resend.
• Analytics — Vercel and Google. Vercel Web Analytics is cookieless and runs for all visitors; Google Analytics runs only if you consent (see Section 3).
• Legal requirements: we may disclose information if required by law or in response to a valid legal request, such as a subpoena or court order.
• Business transfers: in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred; we will notify you of any such change.

5. Session Recording and Retention

• Recording notice: before a virtual session is recorded, we will tell you, and you may decline recording. For in-home support, no recordings are made unless you specifically request it.
• Recordings retention: recorded sessions are stored securely and retained for up to 1 year for quality and service-improvement purposes, then deleted unless a longer period is required for legal or compliance reasons.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described here — to provide the service, maintain your account and booking history, meet tax, accounting, and legal obligations, and resolve disputes. When you delete your account, we remove your sign-in and personal profile; we may retain limited records (for example, invoices and transaction history) where required by law, and anonymized or aggregated data that no longer identifies you.

7. Your Privacy Rights (Minnesota & California)

Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access / Know — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you and how we use it.
• Correct — ask us to fix inaccurate personal information.
• Delete — ask us to delete your personal information (you can also delete your account yourself in your account settings).
• Portability — obtain a copy of certain information in a portable format.
• Opt outof the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information and of targeted advertising and profiling.

We do not sell or share your personal information, and we do not use it for targeted advertising or profiling. This includes the meaning of “sale” and “sharing” under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA) and the Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.

To exercise a right, email us at digitalcompanionservices@gmail.com. We may need to verify your identity before acting, and you may use an authorized agent where the law allows. We will respond within the time required by applicable law (generally 45 days). Minnesota residents also have the right to appeal a decision by replying to our response; if we deny your appeal, you may contact the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.

8. Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously and use appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect it from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children’s Privacy

Our website and services are intended for adults and are not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make changes, we will post the updated policy here with a new effective date, and where appropriate we will notify you by email or a notice on the website. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, please contact us at digitalcompanionservices@gmail.com.