Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 28, 2026
GoatCloud Communications LLC ("GoatCloud," "we," "us") is a U.S.-based provider of digital services including website development, hosting and maintenance, search engine optimization, online advertising assistance, and related services.
This policy explains how we collect, use, and share information about our customers, our marketing subscribers, visitors to our websites, and buyers in our online store. Our services and this website are directed to customers in the United States.
**What this policy does not cover.** It does not cover websites we host, build, or maintain for our clients. Those sites are controlled by our clients, who are responsible for their own privacy policies. Where we handle personal information on a client's behalf, we act on that client's instructions — see [Hosting and client sites](#hosting-and-client-sites) below.
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## Information we collect
**Customers.** When you engage us for services, we collect your name, business name, email address, mailing address, phone number, domain names, and account or hosting credentials you choose to share with us. Payment information is described below.
**Store customers.** When you buy something from the GoatCloud swag store, we collect your name, email address, billing address, shipping address, phone number (if you provide one), and the contents and history of your order.
**Payment information.** We do not collect or store full payment card numbers or bank account numbers. Card payments in our store are processed by **Stripe**, which receives your card details directly; we receive only a confirmation, the last four digits, and the card type. Invoiced customers may pay by other methods, in which case the relevant processor or financial institution receives those details. Stripe's privacy policy is at https://stripe.com/privacy.
**Marketing subscribers.** If you subscribe to our email list, attend an event, enter a contest, or respond to a survey, we may collect your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number. Participation is voluntary.
**Website visitors.** We collect information automatically when you visit, including IP address, internet service provider, browser type and version, operating system, device type, referring page, pages viewed, and date and time stamps. We also collect any information you choose to submit through a contact or inquiry form.
**Security logs.** Our sites use the Wordfence security plugin, which logs IP addresses and request details in order to identify and block malicious traffic and login attempts.
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## Analytics, advertising, and tracking technologies {#tracking}
We use cookies, pixels, tags, and similar technologies to understand how our sites are used and to advertise our services. As of the date of this policy, the following third-party tools run on our websites:
| Tool | What it does | More information / opt out |
|---|---|---|
| **Google Analytics 4**, deployed through **Google Tag Manager** | Measures site traffic and how visitors move through our pages | Opt-out browser add-on: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout · https://policies.google.com/privacy |
| **Google Ads** (including remarketing via DoubleClick) | Shows our ads to people who have previously visited our sites, on Google and on third-party sites | Google Ads Settings: https://adssettings.google.com · Network Advertising Initiative: http://optout.networkadvertising.org |
| **Meta (Facebook) pixel** | Measures site traffic and lets us advertise our services on Facebook and Instagram | https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy |
| **LinkedIn Insight Tag** | Measures site traffic and lets us advertise our services on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy |
| **Cloudflare** | Content delivery, site security, and basic performance analytics | https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy |
| **Mailchimp** | Delivers our email newsletters and reports opens and clicks | http://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/ |
| **Stripe** | Processes store payments and screens for fraud | https://stripe.com/privacy |
**What this means in practice.** Ads for GoatCloud may follow you around the web because you visited one of our sites. Third-party vendors, including Google, Meta, and LinkedIn, use cookies and similar identifiers to make that possible, and they receive information about your visit.
**Your options.** You can change your browser's cookie settings (see www.aboutcookies.org), browse in private mode, or use an ad blocker — any of which may limit some features of our sites. You can opt out of interest-based advertising at http://optout.networkadvertising.org or, depending on where you are, http://www.youronlinechoices.eu/.
We do not currently respond to browser "Do Not Track" signals, because there is no common industry standard for them.
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## How we use information
- To respond to sales inquiries and provide support
- To perform our agreements with you and communicate about your account, your services, and changes to them
- To fulfill, ship, and provide support for store orders
- To bill and collect payment, and to detect and prevent fraud
- To send newsletters, offers, and marketing emails you have asked to receive
- To register and manage domain names and hosting resources on your behalf
- To secure, diagnose, maintain, and improve our sites and services
- For any other purpose we describe to you at the time we collect the information, or to which you consent
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## How we share information
We **do not sell your personal information**, and we do not share your contact information with unrelated third parties for their own marketing. We share information in the following ways:
- **Service providers.** With companies that perform services for us — website and online presence development, payment processing, email delivery, hosting and infrastructure, shipping and fulfillment, analytics, advertising, and customer support. They may use the information only to perform those services for us.
- **Advertising partners.** As described in [Analytics, advertising, and tracking technologies](#tracking) above, our advertising and analytics partners receive information about your visits through cookies and similar technologies.
- **Business transfers.** In connection with a sale, merger, reorganization, assignment, or bankruptcy affecting all or part of our business.
- **Legal requirements.** To comply with law, respond to subpoenas or lawful requests from public authorities, enforce our agreements, or investigate suspected fraud or security incidents. We cooperate with law enforcement to the full extent required by law.
- **Safety.** Where we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of GoatCloud, our customers, or others.
- **Aggregated or de-identified information.** We may use and share information that no longer identifies you.
- **With your consent.** In any other case, with your permission.
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## Hosting and client sites {#hosting-and-client-sites}
When we host, build, or maintain a website for a client, personal information belonging to that client's own visitors and customers may pass through systems we administer. In those situations the client decides what is collected and why; we handle that information only as needed to provide our services and on the client's instructions, and we do not use it for our own marketing.
Clients who need a written data processing agreement can request one at [email protected].
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## Your choices
- **Marketing email.** Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link. You can also email [email protected] and we will remove you, no questions asked.
- **Account information.** You can ask us to update or correct your account information at any time by emailing [email protected].
- **Cookies and advertising.** See the options listed above.
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## Access, correction, and deletion
Email [email protected] if you would like to access, correct, or delete the personal information we hold about you, or to object to or restrict how we use it. We will respond within **thirty (30) days**.
We will need to verify your identity before acting on a request, and we will comply to the extent applicable law requires. Depending on where you live, you may have additional statutory rights; residents of the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom also have the right to lodge a complaint with their supervisory authority.
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## Data retention and security
We keep personal information for as long as we have a business relationship with you, and afterward for as long as we need it to meet legal, tax, accounting, or regulatory obligations or to resolve disputes. When we no longer need it, we delete it or remove its identifiers.
We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These include encryption in transit (TLS/SSL) across our sites, access controls and multi-factor authentication on administrative accounts, application-level firewalls and malware scanning, routine software updates, and regular backups. We review these safeguards periodically and adjust them as our business and the threat landscape change.
No method of transmitting or storing information is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you have questions about the security of your information, email [email protected].
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## Children
Our sites and services are intended for businesses and adult consumers. They are not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13 years of age, or from anyone under 18 where applicable law — including New York's Child Data Protection Act — requires additional protections for minors. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, email [email protected] and we will delete it.
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## Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we make a material change, we will revise the "last updated" date above and post a notice on our website. If you do not agree with a change, you may stop using our sites and terminate your services as provided in our [Terms of Service](https://goatcloud.com/terms-of-service/).
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## Contact us
Questions, concerns, or requests:
**Email:** [email protected]
**Mail:**
GoatCloud Communications LLC
Attn: Privacy
2215 Nott Street #190
Schenectady, NY 12309
See also our [Disclaimer and Legal Information](https://goatcloud.com/disclaimer/) and our [Terms of Service](https://goatcloud.com/terms-of-service/).