Privacy policy

1. Information we collect

Information you give us

When you submit the contact form on modernizesoftware.com, we collect the following:

• Name. Required.
• Email address. Required.
• Reason for inquiry. Required. Free text field where you describe what you are contacting us about.
• Phone number. Optional.

When you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect only your email address. Newsletter subscription is separate from the contact form and requires its own opt in.

Information collected automatically

When you visit modernizesoftware.com, our servers and analytics tools collect the following technical information:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Pages visited, time spent, and click paths
• Referring URL

This information is used in aggregate to understand how visitors use the website and to protect against abuse.

Cookies and similar technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies on modernizesoftware.com. See Section 9 for details on what we use and how to control them.

Sensitive personal information

We do not collect sensitive personal information as defined under California law (Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial account information, precise geolocation, racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, health information, sexual orientation, or biometric data) through the contact form or newsletter signup. If our collection practices change, this policy will be updated and California residents will have the right to limit the use of sensitive personal information under the California Privacy Rights Act.

2. How we use your information

We use the information we collect to:

• Respond to your inquiry and provide the information you requested
• Send case study briefings, codebase assessments, or other materials you specifically asked for
• Deliver our newsletter, but only if you separately opted in
• Improve the website and understand how visitors use it
• Protect the security of the website and prevent abuse
• Comply with legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We do not use it for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

3. Legal basis for processing

If you are in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we process your personal information on the following legal bases:

• Consent. You submitted the contact form or newsletter signup voluntarily.
• Legitimate interest. We have a legitimate interest in responding to inquiries about our services and operating modernizesoftware.com.
• Legal obligation. Where required by applicable law.

You can withdraw consent at any time by contacting web-regs@semanticdesigns.com. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

4. How we share your information

We share your information only with the categories of third-party service providers that help us operate our business:

• Email service providers. For sending responses to your inquiry and (separately) the newsletter.
• Customer relationship management systems. For tracking inquiries, responses, and customer engagements.
• Website hosting and infrastructure providers. For storing and serving website content and form submissions.
• Analytics providers. For aggregated traffic analysis and performance measurement.

All third-party vendors process your information on our behalf under data processing agreements that require appropriate security and confidentiality.

We may also disclose information when required by law, in response to valid legal process, or to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

5. How long we keep your information

We keep your information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy.

• Contact form submissions. Retained for the duration of active correspondence, plus three years from the date of last contact.
• Customer records. If you become a customer, retained for the duration of the relationship plus seven years for legal and accounting purposes.
• Newsletter subscribers. Retained until you unsubscribe.
• Automatic analytics data. Retained for 14 months by default through our analytics provider.

You can request earlier deletion at any time by contacting web-regs@semanticdesigns.com.

6. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to know. Confirm whether we hold information about you and what categories we hold.
• Right to access. Request a copy of the information we hold about you.
• Right to correct. Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Right to delete. Ask us to delete information we hold about you, subject to legal exceptions.
• Right to opt out. Stop receiving the newsletter at any time using the unsubscribe link in any newsletter email. Opt out of sale, sharing, or processing for targeted advertising (see Section 8).
• Right to data portability. Receive your information in a portable, machine-readable format.
• Right to object. Object to certain types of processing, including direct marketing.
• Right to non-discrimination. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.
• Right to appeal. Most state privacy laws allow you to appeal a denied request. We will explain the appeal process in our response to your initial request.

How to exercise your rights

To exercise any of these rights, email web-regs@semanticdesigns.com. We will respond within the timeframe required by your state’s law, typically 30 to 45 days. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.

Authorized agents

You may use an authorized agent to submit a privacy request on your behalf. We require the agent to provide signed written permission from you, and we may need to verify your identity directly before fulfilling the request. California consumers can use an authorized agent registered with the California Secretary of State.

Universal opt-out signals

We honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals from your browser as a request to opt out of any sale or sharing of personal information and as an opt-out of cookies used for marketing purposes. We also recognize other universal opt-out mechanisms required by applicable state privacy laws.

7. State-specific privacy rights

Twenty US states currently have comprehensive consumer privacy laws in effect: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. Residents of these states have the rights listed in Section 6, subject to thresholds and exemptions in each state’s law.

California residents

If you are a California resident, additional rights apply under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), including:

• The right to know the categories and specific pieces of personal information we collect, the sources we collect from, the business purposes for collection, and the categories of third parties with whom we share information
• The right to limit the use of sensitive personal information (we do not currently collect this category)
• The right to opt out of automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects (we do not currently use such automated decision-making on this data)
• The right to designate an authorized agent to make requests on your behalf
• The right to opt out of sale or sharing of personal information (see Section 8)

California’s CCPA applies to business-to-business contact information collected through this website. Even though Modernize Software is a B2B service, California residents have full CCPA rights when they submit inquiries through modernizesoftware.com.

Texas residents

If you are a Texas resident, the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA) provides you with rights to access, correct, delete, and obtain a portable copy of your personal data, and to opt out of targeted advertising, sale of personal data, and certain profiling activities. Semantic Designs is headquartered in Austin, Texas, so we are familiar with TDPSA requirements.

EU, UK, and Swiss residents

If you are in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have rights under the GDPR, UK GDPR, and Swiss Federal Data Protection Act respectively. These include all of the rights listed in Section 6, plus the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

8. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

We do not sell your personal information for money or other valuable consideration. We do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, as those terms are defined under the California Consumer Privacy Act and equivalent state privacy laws.

If our practices change, California residents and residents of other states with similar opt-out rights can opt out at any time using any of these methods:

• Click the “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link in our website footer
• Enable the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal in your browser
• Email web-regs@semanticdesigns.com with the subject line “Do Not Sell or Share”
• Mail a written request to our address in Section 14

We will honor opt-out requests within 15 business days, as required under California law. Other states may have different timeframes; we will honor opt-outs within the period each state’s law requires.

9. Cookies and tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the website, understand how visitors use it, and where applicable measure the performance of our marketing.

Categories of cookies we use

• Essential cookies. Required for the website to function (session management, security). These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies. Help us understand website usage in aggregate. You can opt out through the cookie banner shown on your first visit.
• Marketing cookies. Used for measuring the performance of our advertising on third-party platforms. You can opt out through the cookie banner.

You can also manage cookies through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies may affect website functionality.

We honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals as an opt-out of non-essential cookies and as a Do Not Sell or Share signal under applicable state privacy laws.

10. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include encryption in transit, access controls on internal systems, and routine security review.

No method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is fully secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a security breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and any applicable regulators within the timeframes required by law.

11. International data transfers

Semantic Designs, Inc. is based in the United States. If you submit information from outside the United States, that information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from your country of residence.

For transfers of personal data from the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland to the United States, we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission and equivalent transfer mechanisms approved by the relevant authorities.

12. Children’s privacy

Modernize Software is a business-to-business service. The website is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13, the threshold under the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Some state laws, including in Oregon, Maryland, and Nebraska, apply additional protections to minors under 16 or 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors in any age range. If you believe a minor has submitted information to us, contact web-regs@semanticdesigns.com and we will delete it.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will update the effective date at the top of the policy when we do. California law requires us to review this policy at least once every twelve months.

For material changes, we will provide additional notice (for example, by email if we have your email address, or by posting a prominent notice on the website) before the change takes effect.

14. Contact us

For privacy questions, data subject requests, or other concerns about this policy, contact us:

Email: web-regs@semanticdesigns.com
Mail: Semantic Designs, Inc.
Austin, Texas, United States

If you are in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom and prefer to contact our representative there, please use the contact information above and we will route your request appropriately. [EU representative under GDPR Article 27 and UK representative under UK GDPR Article 27 to be appointed before EU and UK traffic is accepted in volume.]