Privacy policy

The short version

We collect the details you type into our contact form or chat so we can reply to you. We do not sell your data, we do not add you to a marketing list without asking, and we do not run advertising trackers on this site. We count page views ourselves, without cookies or IP addresses. We only text you if you ask us to.

Who we are

This site is operated by The Automation Department, 275 SW 6th Street, Miami, FL 33130, United States. We are the ones who decide what happens to the personal information described here, which under the GDPR makes us the data controller for it. Anything in this policy that says "we" means us, and the fastest way to reach a person about it is support@theautomationdepartment.com.

What we collect

Information you give us. When you submit the contact form, we receive your name, email address, and any company name, phone number and message you choose to include. That is all sent to us by email and stored in our inbox and CRM.

Information collected automatically. Our web server keeps standard access logs including IP address, browser user agent, requested page and timestamp. These are used for security and troubleshooting and are retained for a limited period. We also run our own cookieless analytics. For each page view it records the time, the page, the website you came from (other sites only), your device type and your screen width rounded to 160 pixels. It stores no IP address, no identifier and no cookie, and it records nothing if your browser sends Do Not Track.

Information from a client engagement. If you become a client, we will necessarily see business data inside your systems while building automations. That is governed by our engagement agreement and any NDA in place, not by this policy. We do not copy client data out of client systems except where a specific piece of work requires it, and we do not use it for anything other than delivering your project.

Cookies and browser storage

This site sets no cookies of its own. Our page-view counter is deliberately cookieless, there is no advertising or cross-site tracking pixel anywhere on it, and nothing we run follows you to another website.

The one exception is the chat window. GoHighLevel's widget keeps its own cookies and browser storage so that a conversation survives you moving between pages or coming back later, and it loads only once you interact with the page or the browser goes idle. If you never open the chat, that storage is the only trace it leaves; clearing your site data removes it, and the rest of the site works normally without it.

Why we process it

• To respond to your inquiry and, if relevant, to prepare a proposal. This is our legitimate interest in responding to people who contact us, and steps taken prior to entering a contract.
• To deliver services under a contract with you.
• To keep the website secure and functioning.
• To meet legal and accounting obligations.

Text messages

We only text people who ask us to. Both forms on the contact page carry a checkbox for it, unticked by default, and nothing here depends on ticking it. If you do tick it, we may text you about your inquiry or your booked call, and occasionally about what we do: a confirmation, a reminder before the call, replies to what you send us, and from time to time an offer or something we think is useful. Reply STOP to any of it and it all stops.

Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to any message to stop them, or HELP for help. Stopping texts changes nothing else, and we will carry on replying by email.

Mobile numbers and SMS consent are never shared with third parties for marketing. Your number reaches our CRM and the messaging carrier for the sole purpose of sending the message you asked for.

What we do not do

• We do not sell or rent your personal information to anyone.
• We do not add contact-form submissions to a marketing mailing list. If we ever want to email you something other than a reply, we will ask first.
• We do not run advertising or cross-site tracking pixels on this website.
• We do not text anyone who has not ticked the box asking us to.
• We do not use your business data to train AI models. Where a client engagement involves AI providers, that is agreed in writing in advance and configured under commercial terms that exclude training use.

Who else sees it

We use a small number of service providers to run the business: web hosting, email, and a CRM to keep track of conversations. The chat window on this site is provided by that CRM (GoHighLevel, through its LeadConnector service): what you type into it, and any name, email or phone number you give it, goes to our CRM so we can reply, and an AI assistant may answer first on our behalf. They process data on our instructions only. If a client engagement requires a specific third-party service to handle your data, we identify it before the work starts.

The chat window is also the one part of this site that can call Cloudflare, which GoHighLevel uses to check that a sender is a person rather than a script. Where that check runs, Cloudflare sees the connection making it. We do not use Cloudflare anywhere else on the site.

We will disclose information if legally required to do so, and we will tell you unless we are prohibited from doing so.

How long we keep it

Inquiries that do not become engagements are kept for up to 24 months, then deleted. Client records are kept for the duration of the engagement plus the period required for legal, tax and accounting purposes. Server access logs are kept for a short operational period. The page-view log contains no personal data, is stored outside the public website, and is never shared.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you, to have it corrected, to have it deleted, to object to or restrict how we use it, and to receive it in a portable format. Residents of the EU and UK have these rights under the GDPR; California residents have comparable rights under the CCPA, including the right not to be discriminated against for exercising them. Since we do not sell personal information, there is nothing to opt out of on that front.

To exercise any of these, email us and we will respond within 30 days.

Security

The site is served over HTTPS. Access to inquiry data is limited to people who need it. Client system credentials are stored in a password manager, held in your vault wherever possible, and are scoped to least privilege so you can revoke our access at any time.

International transfers

We deliver remotely and our service providers may process data in the United States and the European Union. Where personal data is transferred across borders, we rely on the relevant standard contractual clauses or equivalent safeguards offered by those providers.

Changes

If we change this policy materially, we will update the date at the top of the page. Continuing to use the site after a change means you accept the updated policy.

Contact

Questions about this policy, or a request relating to your data, can be sent through the contact form or emailed to support@theautomationdepartment.com.