Who We Are and What This Covers

Cognitex operates from our New York office at 179 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012. We help businesses improve their marketplace positioning and SEO strategies. This policy covers all data we collect through our website, client engagements, consultations, and any other interactions with our services.

When we say "personal data" in this document, we're talking about information that identifies you as an individual. That could be your name, email address, company details, or even your IP address when you visit our site.

Information We Collect

We're not in the business of collecting data for the sake of it. Here's what we actually gather and why:

Information You Give Us Directly

• Contact Information: When you reach out through our contact form or email us at support@efees-ss.com, we collect your name, email address, phone number, and whatever details you choose to share about your business needs.
• Client Project Data: If you become a client, we collect information about your business, website analytics access, competitive landscape details, and strategic goals. This helps us actually do the work you're hiring us for.
• Payment Information: We need billing details to process payments. However, we don't store complete credit card numbers on our servers. That's handled by our payment processors who are PCI-DSS compliant.
• Communication Records: We keep records of our conversations, whether through email, phone notes, or project management tools. This helps us maintain continuity and reference past discussions.

Information We Collect Automatically

• Website Usage Data: Like most websites, we collect basic information about how people use our site. This includes IP addresses, browser types, pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring websites.
• Technical Information: We gather device information, operating system details, and screen resolution. This helps us make sure our site works properly for everyone.
• Location Data: We collect general geographic information based on your IP address. Not precise GPS coordinates, but city and country level data.

How We Use Your Information

We're pretty straightforward about this. Here's what we do with the data we collect:

• Providing Services: This is the main reason we collect anything. We need your information to analyze your marketplace position, develop SEO strategies, communicate about projects, and deliver the results you're paying for.
• Communication: We use your contact information to respond to inquiries, send project updates, share relevant industry insights, and occasionally let you know about new services that might genuinely help your business.
• Improving Our Services: Website analytics help us understand what content is useful and where people get confused. Client feedback shapes how we refine our processes.
• Legal Compliance: Sometimes we're required to keep certain records for tax purposes, contract enforcement, or regulatory requirements.
• Security and Fraud Prevention: We monitor for suspicious activity to protect both our clients and our business from security threats.

We don't sell your data to third parties. Period. We're not a data broker, and that's not our business model.

How We Share Information

There are limited situations where we share your information with others:

All our service providers are bound by confidentiality agreements and can only use your data for the specific purposes we've authorized.

Your Rights and Choices

You have real control over your personal information. Under various privacy laws, including CCPA and similar state regulations, you have these rights:

How We Protect Your Information

Security isn't just a checkbox for us. Here's what we do to protect your data:

• Encryption: We use industry-standard SSL/TLS encryption for data transmitted between your browser and our servers. Sensitive data at rest is also encrypted.
• Access Controls: Only team members who need access to your data to perform their jobs can see it. We use role-based permissions and strong authentication requirements.
• Regular Security Audits: We routinely review our security practices and update them based on emerging threats and best practices.
• Vendor Security: We only work with service providers who maintain strong security standards and undergo regular third-party audits.
• Incident Response: We have procedures in place to detect, respond to, and notify affected parties of any data breaches within legally required timeframes.

That said, no system is completely impenetrable. We do everything reasonably possible to protect your data, but we can't guarantee absolute security. If you notice any suspicious activity related to your account, contact us immediately.

Data Retention

We don't keep your information longer than necessary. Here's our general approach:

• Active Client Data: We keep this for the duration of our engagement plus a reasonable period afterward for reference and support purposes.
• Financial Records: Tax regulations require us to maintain billing and payment records for seven years.
• Marketing Data: If you've opted in to our mailing list but haven't engaged in three years, we'll remove you from active lists.
• Website Analytics: Aggregate usage data is retained for analysis, but individual IP addresses and identifiable information are anonymized after 26 months.
• Communication Records: Email and phone records are typically kept for three years unless there's an active project or legal reason to retain them longer.

When we delete data, we actually delete it. We use secure deletion methods to ensure information can't be recovered.

International Data Transfers

Our primary operations are in the United States, and that's where your data is primarily stored and processed. However, some of our service providers may have servers or operations in other countries.

When we transfer data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place through standard contractual clauses, Privacy Shield frameworks (where applicable), or other legally approved mechanisms.

If you're accessing our services from outside the United States, you're consenting to the transfer of your information to the US and other countries where we operate.

Children's Privacy

Our services aren't designed for or directed at anyone under 18. We don't knowingly collect information from minors. If we discover we've inadvertently collected data from someone under 18, we'll delete it promptly.

If you're a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can address it.

Third-Party Links and Services

Our website might link to other sites or integrate third-party services. We're not responsible for their privacy practices. When you click a link to another site, you're subject to their privacy policy, not ours.

We try to only link to reputable sites, but we can't control or guarantee their data practices. Read their privacy policies if you're concerned about how they handle information.

Changes to This Policy

We update this policy occasionally to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or service offerings. When we make significant changes, we'll notify you through email or a prominent notice on our website.

The "Last Updated" date at the top tells you when we last revised this document. We recommend checking back periodically, especially if it's been a while since you last reviewed it.

Continued use of our services after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

California Privacy Rights

If you're a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to know what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell
• Right to request deletion of your personal information
• Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (though we don't sell personal information)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your CCPA rights

To exercise these rights, contact us using the information below. We'll verify your request and respond within the timeframes required by California law.