Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

North Star IT Services Ltd. is a technology services company based in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. We provide web development, digital strategy, IT consulting, and AI-enhanced business solutions to clients across Canada and beyond.

We are the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. For any privacy-related inquiries, you can reach us at:

2. Information We Collect

Information You Give Us

When you fill out a contact form, lead form, or request a service audit - whether through our website, a Google Ads lead form, a Meta (Facebook/Instagram) lead form, or a LinkedIn Lead Gen Form - we may collect:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Company or organization name
• Website URL
• Description of your business needs or goals
• Any other information you voluntarily provide in a message field

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically by us or by the third-party services we use:

• IP address and approximate geographic location (country, region, city)
• Browser type and version
• Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet) and operating system
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and navigation paths
• Referring URL (the page or advertisement that brought you to our site)
• Cookie identifiers and advertising identifiers
• Conversion events (e.g., form submission, button click)

This information is collected through cookies, pixels, and tracking scripts including Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, and LinkedIn Insight Tag (described further in Sections 5 and 6 below).

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Respond to inquiries and deliver requested audits. When you submit a form, we use your contact details and business information to reach out, answer your questions, and provide any free audits or assessments you requested.
• Send service-related communications. We may send you emails or messages related to our ongoing work together, such as project updates, invoices, or onboarding materials.
• Improve our website and services. Analytics data helps us understand which pages and offers resonate with visitors, identify technical issues, and improve the overall user experience.
• Marketing communications. We may send newsletters, case studies, or promotional messages only if you have opted in to receive them. You may withdraw this consent at any time.
• Advertising measurement and retargeting. We use ad platform pixels (Meta, Google, LinkedIn) to measure the performance of our paid campaigns and to show relevant ads to people who have previously visited our site, subject to their platform privacy settings.
• Comply with legal obligations. We may process your data to comply with applicable laws, regulations, or lawful government requests in Canada or other applicable jurisdictions.

4. How We Share Your Information

We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

Service Providers

We work with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in running our business - including email delivery tools, customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, and website hosting providers. These providers access your information only as needed to perform services on our behalf and are required to protect your data under data-processing agreements. They are not permitted to use your information for their own independent purposes.

Advertising Platforms

When you interact with one of our lead forms on Google, Meta, or LinkedIn, the platform that hosts the form receives your submission. Each platform's own privacy policy governs their use of that data. We receive your information from those platforms and use it as described in Section 3.

Legal Compliance and Protection

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, or a lawful request from government or law enforcement authorities. We may also disclose information where we reasonably believe it is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of North Star IT Services Ltd., our clients, or the public.

Business Transfers

If North Star IT Services Ltd. is involved in a merger, acquisition, asset sale, or business restructuring, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your information becomes subject to a materially different privacy policy.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies (pixels, local storage, tracking scripts) to enable core functionality, measure performance, and support advertising. Below are the categories we use:

Essential Cookies

These are necessary for the website to function correctly. They enable basic features such as page navigation and security. The site cannot operate properly without them. No personal data is collected by these cookies for marketing purposes.

Analytics Cookies

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website - including which pages are viewed most, where visitors come from, and how long they stay. This data is aggregated and used to improve our content and user experience. Google Analytics may set cookies on your device to support this tracking.

Advertising and Targeting Cookies

We use advertising pixels from Meta and LinkedIn (and potentially Google Ads) along with HubSpot tracking to measure conversion events, support our CRM, and deliver relevant ads to people who have visited our site. These tools may collect your IP address, browser information, and actions taken on our pages, and may associate them with your accounts on those platforms or your contact record in HubSpot.

Your Cookie Choices on This Site

When you first visit our site you will see a cookie consent banner letting you accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or customise which categories (Essential, Analytics, Marketing) are allowed. Essential cookies are always on because the site cannot work without them. Analytics and Marketing cookies stay off until you grant consent. We use Google Consent Mode v2 so Google Analytics, Google Ads, the Meta Pixel, and HubSpot all respect your choice. You can change your preferences any time by clicking the "Cookie settings" link in the footer of every page.

Managing Cookies

You can disable or delete cookies at any time through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to block cookies entirely or to delete existing ones. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. You may also opt out of interest-based advertising through:

• Google Ads Settings
• Meta Cookie Policy and Preferences
• LinkedIn Opt-Out
• Your Ad Choices (Canada - DAAC)

6. Third-Party Services We Use

We use the following third-party platforms that may collect or process personal information in connection with our website and advertising activities. Each service is governed by its own privacy policy.

Google Ads and Google Analytics

We use Google Ads to run paid search and display campaigns, and Google Analytics to measure website traffic and user behavior. Google may set cookies or use conversion tracking pixels on our site. Google's data practices are governed by the Google Privacy Policy.

Meta (Facebook and Instagram) Pixel and Lead Ads

We use the Meta Pixel on our website to track conversions from Facebook and Instagram ads and to build custom audiences for retargeting. We also run Lead Ads on Facebook and Instagram that allow users to submit contact information directly within those platforms. Meta's data practices are governed by the Meta Privacy Policy.

LinkedIn Insight Tag and Lead Gen Forms

We use the LinkedIn Insight Tag to track conversions from LinkedIn ads and to gather demographic insights about our site visitors. We also use LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms, which allow LinkedIn members to submit contact information directly within LinkedIn. LinkedIn's data practices are governed by the LinkedIn Privacy Policy.

Email and CRM Tools

We use email and CRM tools to manage client communications, send follow-up messages, and maintain records of inquiries. These tools process your contact information on our behalf under data-processing agreements.

Website Hosting

Our website is hosted on third-party infrastructure that may process server logs containing IP addresses and request metadata as part of normal operations.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal information collected through lead forms and contact submissions for up to 24 months from the date of collection, unless you request deletion sooner. This retention period allows us to follow up on inquiries, reference past interactions, and comply with reasonable business and legal recordkeeping requirements.

After this period, personal information is securely deleted or anonymized. Analytics and advertising data held by third-party platforms (Google, Meta, LinkedIn) is subject to those platforms' own retention policies.

If you request deletion of your data before the 24-month period has elapsed, we will fulfill that request promptly - typically within 30 days - subject to any overriding legal obligations.

8. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information. North Star IT Services Ltd. respects and honors these rights for all individuals we serve, regardless of jurisdiction, including under PIPEDA (Canada), GDPR principles (EU/EEA), and CCPA-style frameworks (California, USA).

• Right to access. You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you and information about how we use it.
• Right to correct. You may ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete information we hold about you.
• Right to delete. You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions (e.g., where we are legally required to retain it).
• Right to withdraw consent. Where we process your data on the basis of your consent (e.g., marketing emails), you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing before the withdrawal.
• Right to object or restrict processing. You may object to certain types of processing, including direct marketing or processing based on legitimate interests.
• Right to data portability. Where applicable, you may request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to lodge a complaint. If you are dissatisfied with how we handle your personal information, you have the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at priv.gc.ca, or with your applicable local data protection authority.

To exercise any of these rights, please email us at keegan@northstarit.ca. We will respond within 30 days and may need to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.

9. Children's Privacy

Our website, services, and advertising are not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently received personal information from a child under 13, we will promptly delete that information from our records.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has submitted personal information to us, please contact us at keegan@northstarit.ca and we will take appropriate action.

10. International Data Transfers

North Star IT Services Ltd. is based in Canada. However, we use third-party services - including Google, Meta, and LinkedIn - whose servers are primarily located in the United States and potentially other countries. When you submit information to us or interact with our website, your data may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States or other jurisdictions outside of Canada.

These countries may have privacy laws that differ from Canadian law. By using our website or submitting a lead form, you acknowledge that your information may be processed in these jurisdictions. We take reasonable steps to ensure that any such transfers are conducted in a manner consistent with applicable privacy law and that your information remains protected.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information. If changes are material, we may notify you by email (if you are a current client or subscriber) or by posting a notice on our website.

Your continued use of our website or services after any changes to this policy constitutes your acknowledgment of the revised terms.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please reach out to us directly. We are happy to help and committed to addressing your privacy concerns promptly.