Privacy Policy

Introduction

Northshore Data Tools Inc. (“we”, “us”, “our”) provides neutral, educational content about digital systems, data processing, and automation tools. We respect your privacy and are committed to handling personal information responsibly. This policy explains what data we collect, how and why we use it, the circumstances under which we share it, and your choices. Our practices are designed to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR, Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), and applicable provincial privacy laws.

This service is available to users located in Canada. By using our website or submitting a form, you acknowledge that you have read this policy. For immediate access to your cookie controls, select the button below.

Section 1: Cookie Categories

We divide cookies into exactly three categories. You can manage your preferences at any time using the cookie preferences panel.

1) Essential Cookies

• Purpose: core site functionality, security, and session management
• Examples: session_id, csrf_token, cookie_consent_status
• Consent required: NO — activated automatically
• Retention: session duration or up to 12 months for preference storage

2) Analytics Cookies

• Purpose: measuring traffic, user behavior, and site performance
• Tools: Google Analytics 4
• Examples: _ga, _ga_XXXXXXX, _gid, _gat
• Consent required: YES — activated only after user accepts
• Retention: up to 14 months

3) Marketing / Advertising Cookies

• Purpose: remarketing, personalized ad delivery, conversion tracking
• Consent required: YES — activated only after user accepts
• Retention: up to 540 days (Google Ads default)

Section 2: Marketing Cookies — Mandatory Disclosures

a) Third-party ad serving: “Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's previous visits to this website and other sites on the internet.”

b) Advertising partners: “We may work with advertising partners such as Google and Meta to deliver advertisements tailored to your interests across various websites and platforms.”

c) Remarketing: “We may use remarketing services to advertise to previous visitors of our website. After visiting our site, you may see our ads on other websites, apps, or platforms you visit.”

d) YouTube and Display Network: “Advertisements may appear across Google services including YouTube, Gmail, and the Google Display Network.”

e) Tracking technologies — list ALL that apply: “We use the following tracking technologies on this website: - Cookies (first-party and third-party) - Tracking pixels (Google Ads tag / gtag.js, Meta Pixel) - Device identifiers (browser fingerprint, IP address) - Conversion event tags”

f) Advertising measurement: “We use conversion tracking to understand which advertisements lead to actions on our website — such as form submissions, calls, or purchases. This allows us to measure campaign effectiveness and allocate budget appropriately. Conversion data may be shared with Google Ads and Meta.”

g) Technologies in use — list explicitly: “Advertising and analytics technologies active on this site: - Google Ads (gtag.js / Google Tag Manager) - Google Analytics 4 - Google Remarketing Tag - Meta Pixel (Facebook / Instagram)”

h) Opt-out from personalized advertising: “You may opt out of personalized advertising at any time: - Google Ads Settings: adssettings.google.com - Your Online Choices (EU): www.youronlinechoices.eu - Network Advertising Initiative: optout.networkadvertising.org - Digital Advertising Alliance: optout.aboutads.info Opting out does not remove ads entirely — you will continue to see non-personalized advertisements.”

i) Cookie preference management: Use the “Manage cookie preferences” control on this page or in the site footer to open the panel and update your selections at any time.

Section 3: Consent Requirements

Consent banner: Our cookie banner offers three options — “Accept All”, “Reject Non-Essential”, and “Manage Preferences”. Analytics and marketing cookies are not activated until you provide consent. Your choice is stored in your browser’s localStorage for 12 months and can be changed at any time through the preferences panel. A link to this Privacy Policy is available directly from the banner and throughout the site.

Consent statement: “By clicking 'Accept All Cookies', you consent to the storing of cookies on your device for analytics and advertising purposes, including personalized advertising delivered by Google and Meta. You may withdraw consent at any time through the cookie preferences panel without affecting the lawfulness of processing that occurred before withdrawal.”

EEA / UK users: “Users in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom receive this consent notice in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR. Marketing and analytics cookies are activated solely after explicit, informed, freely given consent under GDPR Article 6(1)(a). Consent is recorded with a timestamp and may be audited upon request.”

Withdrawal of consent: “You may withdraw consent at any time by clicking 'Manage cookie preferences' in the website footer, or by clearing cookies via your browser settings. Withdrawal does not affect processing that occurred while consent was valid.”

Section 4: Data Sharing with Advertising Partners

We share certain data with advertising partners for campaign delivery and measurement. Recipients and the data categories shared include:

• Google LLC: cookie identifiers, conversion events, anonymized behavioral data, remarketing lists. Governed by Google's Privacy Policy: policies.google.com/privacy
• Meta Platforms, Inc.: pixel events, conversion data, custom audiences. Governed by Meta's Data Policy: facebook.com/privacy/policy

We do not sell personal data. All transfers to Google and Meta operate under Standard Contractual Clauses where applicable. Data is processed for ad targeting and campaign measurement only — not resold to unaffiliated third parties. Google and Meta may use this data across their own platforms in accordance with their respective policies. We encourage users to review those policies directly.

Section 5: Lead Forms and Contact Requests

When you submit a contact form, request a quote, or register interest in our services, we collect the information you provide. This typically includes: full name, email address, phone number, and your message.

Legal basis: consent (GDPR Art. 6.1.a) and, where a service relationship exists, performance of a contract (GDPR Art. 6.1.b).

Retention: form submission data is retained for up to 2 years from the date of submission, unless a longer period is required by applicable law. You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting us at [email protected]. A link to this Privacy Policy appears adjacent to every submission button on this site. Submitting a form constitutes acknowledgment of this policy.

Section 6: Google Services and Advertising

This website uses the following Google services:

• Google Analytics 4: collects anonymized usage data, device info, and behavioral signals. IP anonymization is enabled. Data retention is set to 14 months. Users may opt out via the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on: tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
• Google Ads Conversion Tracking: records when a user completes a defined action (form submission, call, purchase) after clicking one of our ads. This data is used solely for measuring ad campaign performance.
• Google Remarketing: allows us to show ads to previous visitors across Google's network. Remarketing lists are not created from sensitive data categories.
• Google Tag Manager: deploys tracking tags on our behalf. No personal data is collected by GTM itself; it acts as a container for the tags listed above.

Google's advertising products are described at: policies.google.com/technologies/ads

Section 7: Meta Advertising Services

This website uses the Meta Pixel to measure the effectiveness of our advertising on Facebook and Instagram. The pixel may record:

• Page views and time on site
• Specific conversion events (form submissions, purchases)
• Custom audience membership for retargeting purposes

We do not use the Meta Pixel to collect sensitive personal data, nor to target users based on health status, financial situation, religion, political views, sexual orientation, or any other special-category attribute prohibited under Meta's advertising policies. Meta acts as an independent data controller for data collected via its Pixel and processed within its own platform. Refer to Meta's Data Policy: facebook.com/privacy/policy. To manage your ad preferences on Meta platforms, visit: facebook.com/adpreferences/.

Section 8: Prohibited Content Self-Declaration

This website does not promote, sell, or facilitate access to prohibited product or service categories including but not limited to: weapons, controlled substances, counterfeit goods, gambling services (unlicensed), adult content, or services that make misleading health or financial claims. All advertising conducted through Google Ads and Meta Ads complies with the respective platform policies in full.

Section 9: Landing Page Integrity Statement

The content of this website accurately represents the products and services advertised. No bait-and-switch practices are employed. The experience delivered to users arriving from paid advertisements is identical to the experience for all other visitors. Cloaking, automatic redirects, and content variation by traffic source are not used on this website.

Section 10: Children’s Privacy

This website is not directed at individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If we discover that data has been collected from a person under 16 without verifiable parental consent, we will delete it promptly. Contact us at the address in this policy if you believe we have received data from a minor.

Section 11: International Data Transfers

Personal data collected through this website may be transferred to and processed in countries outside the European Economic Area, including the United States, where Google LLC and Meta Platforms, Inc. are based. These transfers are conducted under Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission, which provide appropriate safeguards for personal data. A copy of the applicable SCCs can be requested by contacting us directly.

Section 12: User Rights (GDPR Articles 15–22)

If you are located in the EEA or UK, you have the following rights:

• Access (Art. 15): request a copy of data we hold about you
• Rectification (Art. 16): correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure (Art. 17): request deletion (“right to be forgotten”)
• Restriction (Art. 18): limit how we process your data
• Portability (Art. 20): receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Objection (Art. 21): object to processing based on legitimate interest
• Withdraw consent (Art. 7.3): revoke consent at any time without penalty

To exercise any right, email us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority (EU users: edpb.europa.eu, UK users: ico.org.uk).

Section 13: What Data We Collect

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Device type and operating system
• Cookies and tracking identifiers
• Usage data (pages visited, time on site, click paths)
• Form submission content
• Conversion events (form submits, calls, purchases)

We collect the above data either directly from you (for example, through forms you submit) or automatically (for example, through cookies and similar technologies after you provide consent). We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal information and ask that you do not include such details in any text field on this website.

Section 14: Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR Art. 6)

• Contact form data: consent (Art. 6.1.a) and contract performance (Art. 6.1.b)
• Analytics data: consent (Art. 6.1.a)
• Marketing/remarketing data: consent (Art. 6.1.a)
• Security and fraud prevention: legitimate interest (Art. 6.1.f)

Under PIPEDA, our purposes are identified at or before the time of collection. We limit collection to what is necessary, use and disclose data only for identified purposes (or as required by law), safeguard data with appropriate technical and organizational measures, and provide access upon request.

Section 15: Retention Periods

• Contact form submissions: 2 years
• Analytics data (GA4): 14 months
• Marketing cookies (Google Ads): up to 540 days
• Email communications: duration of relationship + 1 year
• Server logs: 90 days
• Cookie consent records: 3 years (audit requirement)

When retention periods expire, we securely delete or anonymize data. If legal obligations require us to keep data longer, we restrict access and retain only what is necessary for compliance.

Section 16: Policy Metadata and Changes

Last Updated: January 15, 2026. Effective Date: January 15, 2026. Changes to this policy will be notified via a homepage banner at least 14 days before taking effect. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

How to Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, or wish to exercise your rights, contact us at [email protected] or write to: Northshore Data Tools Inc., 100 King Street West, Toronto, ON M5X 1A9, Canada. For site navigation, you can visit our Home, About, Contact, Terms, Cookie Policy, and Disclaimer pages.