--- title: "Privacy Policy ✦ Goldwater Droit" meta: "og:description": "How Goldwater Droit collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you visit our website." "og:title": "Privacy Policy" description: "How Goldwater Droit collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you visit our website." --- ### Privacy Policy ## Overview This policy explains how Goldwater Droit collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you visit our website or interact with us through our online forms. It applies to all visitors of goldwaterdroit.com. This policy does not apply to information collected in the course of a lawyer–client relationship. That information is governed by the [_Code of Professional Conduct_](https://canlii.ca/t/557k4) of the [Barreau du Québec](https://www.barreau.qc.ca/en/). To keep this simple: we collect only what we need, we do not sell your data, and we respect your right to control it. --- ## Table of Contents 1. [What We Collect](#what-we-collect) 2. [Cookies](#cookies) 3. [How We Use Your Information](#how-we-use-your-information) 4. [Third-Party Service Providers](#third-party-service-providers) 5. [Data Transfers Outside Québec](#data-transfers-outside-qu%C3%A9bec) 6. [Data Retention](#data-retention) 7. [Security](#security) 8. [Sensitive Information](#sensitive-information) 9. [Minors](#minors) 10. [Your Rights](#your-rights) 11. [Privacy Incidents](#privacy-incidents) 12. [Complaints](#complaints) 13. [Changes to This Policy](#changes-to-this-policy) 14. [Contact](#contact) --- ## What We Collect ### Information you provide When you fill out a form on our website — whether to request a consultation, ask a question, subscribe to our newsletter, or submit an inquiry — we may collect your name, email address, phone number, the content of your message, and any files you choose to upload. Some of our forms are hosted by [Paperform](https://paperform.co/), a third-party form provider. Information and files submitted through Paperform are subject to their privacy practices in addition to ours. When you submit a form, we may also collect technical and attribution information associated with that submission, such as the page where the form was submitted, the page where your visit began, the referring URL, campaign parameters, and advertising click identifiers. We use this information to understand how inquiries reach us, measure advertising effectiveness, and respond to your request. ### Information collected automatically When you visit our website, we automatically receive standard technical data that your browser sends to our server, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, the pages you visit, and the date and time of your visit. We use this information to maintain, secure, and improve our website. We also use privacy-friendly operational telemetry, including Vercel Web Analytics and Vercel Speed Insights, to understand aggregate website usage and performance. These services are designed not to use cookies and not to identify individual visitors. Some analytics and advertising data is processed through server-side tracking infrastructure provided by [Stape](https://stape.io/). Server-side tracking helps us route measurement data through our own tagging infrastructure before it reaches analytics or advertising platforms. --- ## Cookies **Strictly necessary cookies** allow our website to function properly. These are set automatically and do not require your consent. **Analytics cookies** help us understand how visitors use our site. We use Google Analytics (GA4) to collect anonymized usage data. These cookies are placed only with your consent. **Marketing cookies** are used to measure the effectiveness of our advertising. We use Google Ads, which may place cookies on your device to track conversions and serve relevant ads to you on other websites. These cookies are placed only with your explicit consent. Some analytics and advertising data is collected through server-side tracking rather than browser cookies. This data is subject to the same usage limitations described in this policy. Some measurement tools may process limited cookieless data, such as consent-denied analytics pings or aggregate performance signals, without placing optional cookies on your device. We use these signals only where permitted and in accordance with your consent choices. You may adjust or withdraw your cookie preferences at any time through our cookie settings. Declining optional cookies does not affect your ability to use our website. --- ## How We Use Your Information We use the information we collect to: - respond to your inquiries and requests for consultation - send you our newsletter and other communications you have opted into - improve our website and understand how it is used - measure the effectiveness of our advertising - meet our legal and professional obligations We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We do not use the content of your inquiries to build advertising profiles. --- ## Third-Party Service Providers We work with a limited number of service providers to operate our website and manage communications. These currently include Vercel (website hosting, web analytics, and performance telemetry), Google (analytics and advertising), Paperform (forms), Stape (server-side tracking), Box (cloud storage), and Google Drive (cloud storage). If call tracking is enabled, we may also use CallRail to understand which pages or campaigns led to telephone inquiries. Each provider is contractually required to protect your information and to use it only for the purposes we specify. Information submitted through our forms — including uploaded files — may be stored on Paperform's servers, on Box, on Google Drive, and on our local in-firm servers. --- ## Data Transfers Outside Québec Some of our service providers operate outside Québec, including in other Canadian provinces and in the United States. Where this is the case, we ensure appropriate contractual safeguards are in place, consistent with Québec's [_Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector_](https://canlii.ca/t/56cq3). --- ## Data Retention We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. When information is no longer needed, it is securely deleted. --- ## Security We apply reasonable technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to protect personal information from unauthorized access or disclosure. No method of transmission over the internet is entirely secure, but we take the protection of your information seriously. --- ## Sensitive Information As a law firm, we understand that even an initial inquiry may involve sensitive personal circumstances. We treat all information submitted through our website with care and recommend that you avoid disclosing highly sensitive details in a contact form. Our lawyers will gather the information they need through secure and confidential means once a consultation is arranged. --- ## Minors Our website is not directed at individuals under the age of 14. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a minor has submitted personal information through our site, please contact our Privacy Officer so that we can delete it promptly. --- ## Your Rights Under Québec's _Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector_ (commonly known as Law 25), you have the right to: - **Access** the personal information we hold about you - **Correct** information that is inaccurate or incomplete - **Withdraw your consent** to the collection or use of your information, subject to legal or contractual limits - **Request deletion** of your personal information, subject to our retention obligations To exercise any of these rights, contact our Privacy Officer at the address below. We will respond within 30 days. We may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request. --- ## Privacy Incidents In the event of a privacy incident that presents a risk of serious injury, we will notify the _Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec_ and any affected individuals, in accordance with our obligations under Québec law. --- ## Complaints If you believe we have not handled your personal information in accordance with applicable law, you may file a complaint with the _Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec_ at [www.cai.gouv.qc.ca](https://www.cai.gouv.qc.ca) or by calling 1-888-528-7741. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can address your concerns directly. --- ## Changes to This Policy We review this policy annually and update it as needed. The date at the top of this page indicates when the current version took effect. --- ## Contact **Daniel Goldwater** Privacy Officer Goldwater Droit [privacy@goldwaterdroit.com](https://goldwaterdroit.com/mailto:privacy@goldwaterdroit.com) (514) 861-4367