Privacy Policy_

Proposed effective date: August 2, 2026

Company: The Helpful Byte LLC, doing business as The Helpful Byte (“The Helpful Byte,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).

1. Scope

This Privacy Policy explains how The Helpful Byte collects, uses, discloses, protects, retains, and deletes personal information through its website, booking system, communications, support services, remote-access sessions, memberships, invoices, and projects.

2. Information we collect

• Identity and contact information, such as name, email address, telephone number, business name, and mailing or billing information.

• Booking information, including appointment type, date, time, availability, intake responses, reminders, attendance, cancellation, and rescheduling records.

• Service information, such as device type, operating system, software, error descriptions, screenshots provided with consent, support notes, configurations, and agreed deliverables.

• Business and project information, including workflows, vendors, systems, project requirements, confidential business information, proposals, approvals, and communications.

• Payment and transaction information, including amount, status, invoice, Stripe customer or transaction identifiers, card brand, and limited card details such as last four digits when supplied by Stripe. Stripe processes complete card information.

• Technical and security information, including IP address, browser or device information, authentication and session logs, server logs, and strictly necessary cookies.

• Remote-support metadata, such as session date, time, duration, technician, connection status, and audit information. Sessions are not recorded by default.

• Consent and agreement records, including the accepted document version, disclosure text, checkbox or signature record, timestamp, enrollment channel, and cancellation record.

3. Information we ask you not to send

Do not submit passwords, multifactor codes, recovery codes, Social Security numbers, government filing access codes, complete payment-card numbers, card security codes, bank credentials, or other highly sensitive credentials through forms, email, or ordinary messages. If received unexpectedly, we may delete or redact the information and notify you.

4. How we use information

• Provide, schedule, personalize, document, support, and improve services.

• Process payments, refunds, service credits, invoices, memberships, and account administration.

• Authenticate users, secure systems, prevent abuse, diagnose failures, and preserve audit records.

• Communicate confirmations, reminders, service updates, receipts, support responses, and legally required notices.

• Comply with law, enforce agreements, establish or defend legal claims, and respond to lawful requests.

• Use AI tools for internal business assistance when appropriate, subject to data minimization and vendor controls. We do not intentionally submit passwords or highly sensitive credentials to AI providers.

5. How information is disclosed

We may disclose information to service providers only as reasonably needed for their services, including:

We may also disclose information to professional advisers, insurers, authorities, or transaction counterparties when reasonably necessary and lawful. We do not sell personal information and do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We do not use advertising pixels at launch.

6. Cookies, analytics, and tracking

At launch, the website does not use advertising pixels or third-party behavioral analytics. Strictly necessary cookies or similar technologies may be used for booking sessions, security, fraud prevention, preferences, and administrative authentication. If we later adopt analytics or advertising technologies, we will update this policy and implement any required notice or consent mechanism before use.

7. Remote support

Remote sessions are attended. The client initiates access and remains present. We do not retain unattended access. Screenshots are taken only with consent and should exclude credentials and sensitive information. Files are transferred only when reasonably necessary and with client knowledge. Recordings are not made by default; any client-requested recording requires express consent and is delivered to the client and deleted after delivery unless otherwise agreed.

8. Retention

We may retain information longer when reasonably necessary for legal obligations, fraud prevention, security, disputes, insurance, or enforcement. We may delete information sooner when it is no longer needed and deletion is operationally feasible.

9. Security

We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information and the size of the business, including access controls, limited data collection, vendor selection, account authentication, encrypted transmission where supported, server and application controls, and deletion practices. No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee that unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or interruption will never occur.

10. Your choices and requests

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of support notes and intake information by emailing [email protected]. We may verify identity and may retain records required for tax, payment, legal, security, or dispute purposes. These voluntary procedures do not concede that any particular privacy statute applies. Where applicable law provides additional rights, we will honor those rights.

11. Children

Services are directed to adults. Family technology services are contracted with an adult. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13. Contact [email protected] if you believe a child submitted information.

12. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

Because the website does not use cross-site behavioral advertising at launch, it does not respond differently to browser Do Not Track signals. We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. If practices change, this section and any applicable Global Privacy Control process will be updated.

13. Policy changes

We may update this policy to reflect operational, legal, or vendor changes. The updated policy will show a new effective date. Material changes will be communicated when required or reasonably appropriate.

14. Contact

Privacy requests: [email protected]
General support: [email protected]
The Helpful Byte LLC, 2108 N St, 16962, Sacramento, CA 95816
(833) 986-2983