Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

When you interact with backcountry.tronboll.us, we may collect the following information:

• Contact information you provide via our contact form (name, email, phone number, company name, message)
• Technical data collected automatically: IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, and referring URL
• Conversation data from our AI chat assistant, used solely to respond to your inquiry
• Cookies and similar technologies for analytics and site functionality

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To respond to your inquiries and provide requested services
• To evaluate project fit and generate service proposals
• To improve our website, services, and user experience
• To send transactional communications related to your inquiry or project
• To comply with legal obligations and protect our rights

3. AI-Powered Features

Our website uses AI services (Anthropic Claude) to power our chat assistant and lead scoring. When you interact with these features:

• Your messages are processed by third-party AI providers to generate responses
• We do not use your conversations to train AI models
• AI-generated lead scores are used internally to prioritize follow-up and are never shared
• You can request deletion of any AI conversation data by contacting us

4. Connected Accounting Data (QuickBooks Online and similar platforms)

Some applications we build for our clients can connect to an accounting platform the client already uses, such as QuickBooks Online. That connection is made only with explicit authorization, and this section describes exactly what we do with what it returns.

• HOW ACCESS IS GRANTED: through the platform’s own authorization flow (OAuth 2.0). We never ask for, receive, or store your accounting platform username or password
• WHAT WE ACCESS: accounting data needed to produce the reporting and insights the application exists to provide — financial reports such as profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow, and the underlying records those reports summarize. We request accounting permissions only, and do not request payments permissions for applications that do not process payments
• WHY WE ACCESS IT: to display your own financial information back to you and to your bookkeeper or accountant, in the format they have prepared for you. That is the entire purpose
• ONE CUSTOMER’S DATA IS NEVER SHARED WITH ANOTHER. Each client application is a separate deployment with its own database. We do not combine data across customers, and we do not produce cross-customer benchmarks, industry comparisons, or competitive insights
• WE DO NOT USE IT TO TRAIN AI MODELS, and we do not sell, rent, or trade it
• HOW IT IS SECURED: authorization tokens are encrypted at rest, transmitted only over TLS, and never exposed to a browser. See our Security Baseline for the full technical posture
• HOW LONG WE KEEP IT: for as long as the connection is active and the engagement continues. Disconnecting the integration stops all further access immediately and deletes the stored authorization tokens
• HOW TO REVOKE IT: disconnect the application from within your accounting platform at any time, or contact us and we will disconnect it and confirm when it is done
• HOW TO HAVE IT DELETED: contact us at backcountry@tronboll.us and we will delete retrieved data we hold and confirm completion, subject only to records the law requires us to retain
• Your accounting platform subscription is between you and that platform, or is arranged by your accounting professional under their own program. It is not a charge from us

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share data with:

• Service providers who assist in operating our website (Vercel for hosting, Resend for email, Neon for database hosting)
• AI providers (Anthropic) for processing chat interactions, subject to their privacy policies
• Analytics providers (Vercel Analytics) for aggregated, anonymized usage statistics
• Accounting platforms you have authorized (Intuit / QuickBooks Online), which we exchange data with on your behalf and only while the connection is active
• Law enforcement or regulatory bodies when required by law

6. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data:

• All data transmitted via TLS 1.3 encryption
• Sensitive data fields encrypted at the application layer (AES-256) before database storage
• Database hosted on Neon with TLS-only connections and automated backups
• No plaintext credentials stored — all secrets managed via environment variables
• See our Security Promise page for our full public security baseline

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary:

• Contact form submissions: retained for the duration of the business relationship plus 3 years
• AI chat conversations: retained for 90 days, then automatically purged
• Analytics data: aggregated and anonymized — no personally identifiable information retained beyond 26 months
• You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting us

8. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate personal data
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
• Portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format
• Opt-out: Unsubscribe from any marketing communications at any time
• We handle personal data in accordance with applicable data-protection law, including the GDPR, CCPA, LGPD and PIPEDA where they apply to you

9. Cookies

We use minimal cookies for essential site functionality:

• Session cookies for admin authentication (not applicable to public visitors)
• Analytics cookies via Vercel Analytics (anonymized, no cross-site tracking)
• No third-party advertising cookies or tracking pixels
• You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though some site features may be affected

10. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act:

• Right to know what personal information is collected, used, shared, or sold
• Right to delete personal information held by us
• Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights
• To exercise these rights, contact us at backcountry@tronboll.us

11. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us immediately for deletion.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. Continued use of our website after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.