Privacy Policy for Veterans Startup HQ

Effective Date: February 22, 2025

1. Introduction

Veterans Startup HQ ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website https://www.veteransstartuphq.com/ (the "Website") and use our services. This policy applies to all users of our Website and services, regardless of location.

We are committed to complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) for California residents.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information from you:

• Personal Information:

• First Name

• Email Address

• Automatically Collected Information:

• Cookies

• IP Address (collected through Google Analytics, see section 5)

• Browser Type

• Operating System

• Referring Website

• Pages Visited

• Date and Time of Access

• Device Information (e.g., device type, screen resolution)

3. Purpose of Data Collection

We collect and use your information for the following purposes:

• Website Performance: To analyze website traffic, user behavior, and trends to improve the functionality, content, and user experience of our Website.

• Marketing: To send you promotional emails, newsletters, and information about our services and programs that may be of interest to you. (You will always have the option to opt-out of these communications).

• Analytics: To understand how users interact with our Website and services, allowing us to optimize our offerings and tailor content to better meet your needs.

• Communication: To respond to your inquiries, provide customer support, and communicate important updates about our services.

• Security: To protect our Website and users from fraud, security breaches, and other illegal activities.

• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are located in the EEA, our legal basis for processing your personal information depends on the specific context in which we collect it. Generally, we rely on the following legal bases:

• Consent: We will obtain your explicit consent to process your personal information for specific purposes, such as sending marketing emails. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

• Contractual Necessity: We may process your personal information when it is necessary to perform a contract with you, such as providing you with access to our services.

• Legitimate Interests: We may process your personal information when it is in our legitimate interests to do so, provided that your rights and freedoms are not overridden. Our legitimate interests include improving our Website and services, marketing our services, and protecting our business.

• Legal Obligation: We may process your personal information when we are required to do so by law.

5. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may collect and process your information:

• Google Analytics: We use Google Analytics to collect and analyze information about website traffic and user behavior. Google Analytics may collect your IP address, browser type, operating system, and other usage data. This information is used to generate reports and improve our Website. You can opt-out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on: [Insert Link to Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on]. You can also review Google's privacy policy here: [Insert Link to Google's Privacy Policy].

We may also use other third-party services in the future. We will update this Privacy Policy to reflect any changes in our use of third-party services.

6. Data Retention

We will retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a more extended retention period is required or permitted by law.

• Personal Information (Name, Email): We will retain your name and email address as long as you are subscribed to our mailing list or have an active account with us. If you unsubscribe or close your account, we will delete your information within [Specify Timeframe, e.g., 30 days], unless we are required to retain it for legal or regulatory purposes.

• Cookies: Cookie retention periods vary depending on the type of cookie. Session cookies expire when you close your browser, while persistent cookies may remain on your device for a longer period. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.

• Google Analytics Data: Google Analytics data is retained according to Google's data retention policies. You can find more information about Google's data retention policies here: [Insert Link to Google Analytics Data Retention Policy].

7. Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. These measures include:

• Using secure server software (SSL/TLS) to encrypt data transmitted between your browser and our Website.

• Implementing firewalls and intrusion detection systems to protect our servers from unauthorized access.

• Restricting access to your personal information to authorized personnel only.

• Regularly monitoring our systems for security vulnerabilities.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information.

8. Your Rights (GDPR and CCPA)

You have certain rights regarding your personal information, depending on your location and applicable laws.

GDPR (EEA Residents):

• Right to Access: You have the right to request access to the personal information that we hold.

• Right to Rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.

• Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): You have the right to request that we delete your personal information under certain circumstances.

• Right to Restriction of Processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information under certain circumstances.

• Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller.

• Right to Object: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information under certain circumstances, including for direct marketing purposes.

• Right to Withdraw Consent: If we are processing your personal information based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

• Right to Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority if you believe that we have violated your rights under the GDPR.

CCPA (California Residents):

• Right to Know: You have the right to request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources of the information, the purposes for collecting the information, and the categories of third parties with whom we share the information.

• Right to Delete: You have the right to request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.

• Right to Opt-Out of Sale: [Important: If you sell personal information (as defined by the CCPA), you must include this section and provide a clear and conspicuous "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" link on your website. Since you haven't indicated selling data, I'm omitting this, but you MUST add it if you sell data.]

• Right to Non-Discrimination: You have the right not to be discriminated against for exercising your CCPA rights.

How to Exercise Your Rights:

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at:

• Email: [Insert Email Address Here]

• Mailing Address: [Insert Mailing Address Here]

We will respond to your request within [Specify Timeframe, e.g., 30 days] of receiving it. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

9. Data Transfers

Your personal information may be transferred to and processed in countries outside of your country of residence, including countries that may not have data protection laws that are as comprehensive as those in your country. We will take appropriate safeguards to protect your personal information when it is transferred internationally, including:

• Using Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission for transfers of personal information from the EEA to countries outside of the EEA.

• Ensuring that the recipient country has been deemed to provide an adequate level of data protection by the European Commission.

• Obtaining your explicit consent to transfer your personal information to a specific country.

10. Children's Privacy

Our Website and services are not directed to children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 16. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under the age of 16, we will take steps to delete the information as soon as possible.

11. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post any changes on our Website and update the "Effective Date" at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Your continued use of our Website and services after the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

• Email: info@veteransstartuphq.com

• Mailing Address: 113 E Illinois Ave., Carterville, IL 62918

13. CCPA Specific Disclosures (California Residents)

• Categories of Personal Information Collected: We collect the following categories of personal information: Identifiers (name, email address, IP address), Internet activity information (cookies, browsing history).

• Purposes for Collecting Personal Information: As described in Section 3.

• Categories of Sources of Personal Information: Directly from you when you provide it to us, and automatically through your use of our Website.

• Categories of Third Parties with Whom We Share Personal Information: Google (through Google Analytics).

• We do not sell your personal information.