Privacy Policy

Introduction

Pine IT ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or use our services.

We operate under Canadian federal privacy law, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), and Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). This policy reflects our commitment to transparency and your privacy rights.

Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information:

Information You Provide

• Contact information: Name, email address, phone number, and company name when you fill out forms or contact us
• Inquiry details: Information about your IT needs and business that you share through our contact forms or consultations
• Meeting scheduling: Calendar and availability information when you book a consultation

Information Collected Automatically

• Usage data: Anonymous, aggregated data about how visitors interact with our website, including pages visited and general geographic location (country/region level only)
• Technical data: Browser type, device type, and screen size for website optimization purposes

Important: We do not use cookies for tracking. Our analytics are privacy-focused and do not collect personally identifiable information.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To respond to inquiries: We use your contact information to follow up on your questions and service requests
• To provide services: We use your business information to deliver IT services you have requested
• To improve our website: We use anonymous usage data to understand how visitors use our site and make improvements
• To communicate: With your consent, we may send you newsletters or updates about our services
• To meet legal obligations: We may use information as required to comply with applicable laws

Third-Party Services

We work with the following service providers to operate our business. We have selected these providers based on their privacy practices and data protection standards:

Apollo.io (United States)

We use Apollo.io for contact form processing and meeting scheduling. When you submit a contact form or book a consultation, your information is processed through Apollo's systems. Apollo complies with GDPR and CCPA requirements.

Apollo.io's privacy policy: apollo.io/privacy-policy

Google Analytics (GA4) (United States)

We use Google Analytics 4 for website analytics. GA4 collects anonymized usage data including pages visited, session duration, and general geographic location (country/region level). We have configured GA4 with IP anonymization enabled. Data is processed in the United States.

Google's privacy policy: policies.google.com/privacy

Metricool (Spain)

We use Metricool for social media analytics and scheduling. Metricool collects anonymized website visit data to measure the performance of our social media presence. Metricool is based in Spain and complies with GDPR requirements.

Metricool's privacy policy: metricool.com/privacy-policy

Data Transfers

Some of our service providers process data outside of Canada. When this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including contractual commitments to protect your data in accordance with Canadian privacy standards.

Your Rights Under PIPEDA

Under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), you have the following rights:

• Right to access: You can request to know what personal information we hold about you
• Right to correction: You can request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Right to withdraw consent: You can withdraw your consent to the collection, use, or disclosure of your information at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions
• Right to complain: If you are not satisfied with how we handle your information, you have the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided at the end of this policy.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected:

• Contact form submissions: Retained for up to 3 years after your last interaction with us, unless you become a client
• Client information: Retained for the duration of our business relationship plus 7 years for legal and accounting purposes
• Email consent records: Retained for 3 years as required by CASL
• Website analytics: Anonymous and aggregated, retained indefinitely

You may request deletion of your personal information at any time, subject to our legal obligations.

Email Communications (CASL Compliance)

Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) requires us to obtain your consent before sending commercial electronic messages. Here's how we comply:

Consent

We only send commercial emails when you have:

• Explicitly opted in by checking a consent box on our forms
• Subscribed to our newsletter
• Requested information about our services

Pre-checked consent boxes are never used. You always have a clear choice.

What You May Receive

• Responses to your inquiries (not commercial, no consent required)
• Newsletters about IT security best practices (with consent)
• Service updates relevant to your inquiry (with consent)

Unsubscribe

Every commercial email includes an unsubscribe link. We process unsubscribe requests within 10 business days as required by CASL. You can also contact us directly to be removed from our mailing list.

How We Protect Your Data

We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect it, including:

• Encryption: Data transmitted to our website is encrypted using TLS (Transport Layer Security)
• Access controls: Access to personal information is limited to employees who need it to perform their duties
• Secure service providers: We select service providers with strong security practices and appropriate certifications
• Regular review: We regularly review and update our security practices

While we take reasonable precautions, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

Policy Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy
• Post the revised policy on this page
• If required, provide additional notice through our website or email

We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us:

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concern, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.