Privacy Policy

Effective October 10, 2026. Gerardo M. Franco, Web & Business Technology, White Plains, New York.

Who I am

This policy covers gerardofranco.com and the services I provide: website design and development, hosting, email, domains and care plans. “I” and “me” means Gerardo M. Franco, Web & Business Technology, based in White Plains, New York. I decide how the information described here is used.

What I collect, and when

When you contact me or request a quote or support

Your name, email address, phone number (if you give one), business name, website address, how you’d like to be contacted, your preferred language, and whatever you write in your message.

When you review or sign a proposal

Your name, email, phone and company; the options you choose; your signature; the date and time you sign; and your IP address and browser details. Together these form a signed record of the agreement, which is saved as a PDF. Proposal pages also note which sections have been viewed and when, so I know when to follow up. A small cookie keeps you signed in to your proposal.

When you pay

Card payments are handled by Stripe. Your card number goes directly to Stripe and never passes through or is stored on my site. I receive a confirmation with the amount, date and the last four digits of the card. For cash, check, Zelle or Venmo payments, I record the amount, date and method.

When I host your site or register your domain

The account and contact details needed to run the service, and the registrant details that domain registries require: name, organization, address, email and phone. Where available, WHOIS privacy hides these details from public lookups.

When you visit this website

• Like any website, the server records basic request logs: IP address, browser, the page requested and the time. These are used for security and troubleshooting.
• Analytics and advertising. Unless you opt out, the site uses Google Analytics (how visitors use the site), Google Ads (whether ads lead to inquiries) and Microsoft Clarity (anonymous heatmaps and session recordings with form fields hidden). These services set cookies and receive your IP address and browser details. To opt out, use “Your privacy choices” at the bottom of any page; a Global Privacy Control signal from your browser opts you out automatically. These tools are never loaded on proposal pages.
• How you found the site. When you send a form, I note how you arrived (for example a search, an ad, a link with campaign tags or another website) so I know which marketing works. This is kept with your inquiry and isn’t used to follow you across other sites. The fonts are hosted with the site, so loading pages doesn’t contact other services for them.
• Your theme and animation choices are saved in your own browser and never sent to me.
• When you look up a proposal by reference code, your IP address is used for 15 minutes to limit repeated attempts, then discarded.

How I use it

• To reply to you and prepare quotes and proposals.
• To deliver, host and support the work you hire me for.
• To send proposal follow-ups, renewal reminders and domain expiry notices. You can ask me to stop follow-ups at any time. Renewal and domain notices continue while you have an active service, because they protect it.
• To keep records of agreements and payments.
• To keep this site and my clients’ sites secure.

I don’t sell personal information, share it for advertising, or use it to build marketing profiles.

Who I share it with

Only with the service providers needed to do the work, and only what they need:

• Hosting infrastructure: ICDSoft runs the servers for the sites and email I host.
• Domain registrars and registries, for domain registration and renewal.
• Stripe, for card payments.
• Email and form services that deliver messages you send through this site.

I’ll also disclose information if the law requires it, for example in response to a valid court order.

How long I keep it

• Inquiries that don’t become a project: up to 2 years, then deleted.
• Client records, including proposals, signed agreements and payment records: for as long as we work together plus 7 years, for tax and legal reasons.
• Server logs: kept by the hosting infrastructure for security, for up to 2 years on some plans.

How it’s protected

The site runs over HTTPS. Proposal access details are encrypted, and signed agreements are stored privately with a fingerprint that shows whether they’ve been changed. Access is limited to me. If a breach ever exposes your personal information, I’ll notify you as New York law requires.

Your choices

You can ask me to:

• show you the personal information I have about you;
• correct anything that’s wrong;
• delete it, except records I’m required to keep, such as signed agreements and payment records;
• stop sending follow-up emails.

Send these requests through the contact form. I’ll reply within 30 days. You won’t be treated differently for asking.

My clients’ websites

For websites I build or host for clients, each client decides what its own site collects from its visitors and is responsible for its own privacy policy. I handle their visitors’ information only to run and support those sites, following the client’s instructions. I’m happy to help clients write a policy that fits their site.

Children

This site and my services are meant for businesses and adults. I don’t knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child has sent me information, contact me and I’ll delete it.

Changes to this policy

If I change how I handle personal information, I’ll update this page and the date at the top. If a change significantly affects clients, I’ll email them about it.

Questions

For questions about this policy or your information, contact me.