Privacy Policy

1. Overview

Phi Web Studio ("Phi Web Studio", "we", "us", or "our") is a web design and development studio located at 1117 State St #33, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit phiwebstudio.com (the "Site") or work with us, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. By using the Site you agree to the practices described here. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

2. Information you give us

We collect the information you choose to share with us:

• Contact and inquiry details. When you submit a form on the Site, email us, or call, we receive what you provide, typically your name, email address, phone number, company name, and the details of your message or project.
• Client and project information. If you become a client, we collect what the work requires, such as billing details, brand assets, website content, and access credentials for accounts you ask us to manage on your behalf. We use those credentials only for the agreed work and recommend you change them when the engagement ends.
• Communications. We keep records of our correspondence with you so we can follow up accurately.

3. Information collected automatically

When you browse the Site, some information is collected by the technology that runs it:

• Analytics. We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use the Site: pages viewed, time on page, referring sites, approximate location derived from your IP address, browser and device type, and similar usage data. Google Analytics sets cookies (such as _ga) to recognize returning browsers. Google's handling of this data is described in the Google Privacy Policy.
• Hosting and security logs. The Site is served through Cloudflare, which processes IP addresses and request data to deliver pages, block abuse, and report aggregate performance metrics.
• Embedded content. The map on our homepage is loaded from Google Maps, and some blog posts may embed content from other providers. When those embeds load, the provider may set cookies or collect usage data under its own privacy policy.

4. How we use information

We use the information described above to:

• Respond to your inquiries, prepare proposals, and schedule consultations;
• Plan, build, host, maintain, and support the work you hire us to do;
• Send invoices and keep business records;
• Understand how the Site is used so we can improve its content and performance;
• Protect the Site and our business against fraud, abuse, and security threats;
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our agreements.

We do not use your information for automated decision-making, and we do not send marketing email unless you have asked to hear from us. Any marketing message we send includes a way to opt out.

5. Cookies and your choices

Cookies are small files stored by your browser. The Site uses them for analytics as described above; we do not currently run advertising or retargeting cookies. You can delete or block cookies through your browser settings, and you can stop Google Analytics from collecting your data on any site by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. Blocking cookies will not prevent you from using the Site.

Do Not Track. Because there is no common standard for how sites should respond to browser "Do Not Track" signals, the Site does not change its behavior when it receives one. We do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, so there is nothing to opt out of in that respect.

6. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for targeted advertising. We share it only in these situations:

• Service providers. Companies that help us run the Site and our business process information on our behalf and only under our instructions: Cloudflare (website hosting and security), Vercel and our database provider (the system that receives and stores form submissions), Google (analytics and the maps embed), and our email and invoicing tools.
• Legal requirements. We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or court order, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Phi Web Studio, our clients, or others.
• Business transfers. If Phi Web Studio is ever sold or merged, your information may be transferred to the new owner, who will remain bound by this policy until it is updated.

7. Data retention

We keep inquiry and correspondence records for as long as we need them to respond to you and to maintain reasonable business records. Client information is kept for the life of the engagement and afterwards for as long as tax, accounting, and legal obligations require. Analytics data is retained according to the retention period configured in Google Analytics and is aggregated or deleted after that. When information is no longer needed we delete it or anonymize it.

8. Security

The Site is served over HTTPS, form submissions are encrypted in transit, and access to the systems that store your information is limited to the people who need it. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, so we cannot promise absolute security, but we take reasonable technical and organizational steps to protect your information and will notify you as the law requires if a breach affects you.

9. Your privacy rights

You can ask us at any time to tell you what personal information we hold about you, to correct it, or to delete it, and you can object to or ask us to limit how we use it. Email carlos@phiwebstudio.com with your request and we will respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity first, and we will never treat you differently for exercising your rights.

California residents. California law gives you the right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose, to request its deletion or correction, and to be free from discrimination for making a request. We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined in California law. Under California's "Shine the Light" law you may also request a list of any third parties to whom we have disclosed personal information for their direct marketing purposes; we do not make such disclosures.

Visitors outside the United States. The Site is operated from the United States and your information is processed here. Where the law of your country requires a legal basis for processing, we rely on the performance of our agreement with you, our legitimate interest in operating and improving the Site and our business, or your consent, which you may withdraw at any time. If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

10. Children's privacy

The Site is intended for businesses and adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

11. Third-party websites

The Site links to other websites, including client sites shown in our portfolio and sources cited in our blog. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of those sites, and this policy does not apply to them.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the revised version here with a new effective date, and if the changes are significant we will note them on this page for a reasonable period. Continued use of the Site after a change means you accept the updated policy.

13. Contact us

Questions or requests about this policy can be sent to carlos@phiwebstudio.com, by phone at (805) 453-9085, or by mail to Phi Web Studio, 1117 State St #33, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.