Westside Virtual, Inc.
Privacy Policy
Westside Virtual, Inc. respects the privacy of people who visit our website and contact us about investigative research services. This policy explains how personal information may be collected and used through westsidevirtual.com, and how to reach us with privacy questions.
Information You Provide
When you contact us or submit an inquiry, you may provide information such as your name, email address, organization, and details about your research request. Please avoid submitting sensitive personal records or confidential case materials through the website inquiry form unless we have agreed on a suitable way to receive them.
Website and Technical Information
When you visit our website, technical information is collected, including your IP address and web browser type. We also use Statcounter, a website analytics service, as described below. [CONFIRM WHETHER ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS COLLECTED THROUGH HOSTING LOGS, CAPTCHA, EMBEDDED CONTENT, OR OTHER THIRD-PARTY SERVICES.]
Website Analytics and Cookies (Statcounter)
We use Statcounter to understand website visits and how visitors use our site. Statcounter collects website usage statistics and technical information that may include your IP address, the date and time of a visit, browser and operating system details, device information, pages visited, referring URLs (the web addresses of pages that directed visitors to our site), and approximate geographic location, such as country, region, or city, inferred from technical data such as IP addresses. This approximate location is not a precise GPS location. Referring URLs are not the same as the IP addresses of referring websites.
Statcounter uses cookies and similar technologies to measure visits, including whether a visitor is new or returning. Cookie use and the information recorded may depend on your browser settings and our Statcounter configuration. You can manage or block cookies through your browser. For additional details, see Statcounter's privacy policy and cookie information.
How Information Is Used
- To read and respond to inquiries.
- To evaluate potential research engagements and communicate about requested services.
- To operate, maintain, troubleshoot, and secure the website.
- To understand website traffic, visitor activity, and referring sources through Statcounter.
- To comply with applicable legal obligations when necessary.
Sharing and Service Providers
Information submitted through the website may be processed by service providers involved in website hosting, form delivery, email, site security, and analytics (including Statcounter). [IDENTIFY OR DESCRIBE RELEVANT PROVIDERS AND ANY OTHER DISCLOSURES ACTUALLY MADE.] Information may also be disclosed where required by applicable law.
Confidentiality and Security
We take confidentiality seriously and use security practices appropriate to the information and services involved. For investigative work, certain research notes may be maintained in Notesnook, an end-to-end encrypted note-taking application. We also use Obsidian for research notes stored locally on our desktop computer, rather than through Obsidian cloud synchronization. Local storage does not, by itself, mean those files are encrypted. These practices do not mean that every website submission, email exchange, research file, or document transfer is end-to-end encrypted. No method of internet transmission or storage can be guaranteed completely secure.
Website Backups
We use UpdraftPlus to create backups of our WordPress website for recovery, maintenance, and business continuity. Depending on the content included in a backup, these copies may contain website settings, technical information, and information submitted through website forms. Backups may be stored on our hosting infrastructure or with a configured backup-storage provider. Backup copies are managed according to our backup settings and operational needs and may remain available for a limited period after information is removed from the live website. [VERIFY BACKUP DESTINATION, CONTENTS, ACCESS CONTROLS, AND ACTUAL RETENTION SETTINGS BEFORE PUBLISHING.]
Data Retention and Disposal
We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including responding to inquiries, providing services, maintaining appropriate business and investigative records, meeting contractual obligations, resolving disputes, protecting legal rights, and complying with applicable law.
For completed or accepted investigative engagements, we may maintain case records, research materials, reports, related correspondence, and signed agreements, including nondisclosure agreements, throughout the operation of Westside Virtual, Inc. when there is a continuing legitimate business, contractual, evidentiary, or legal reason to do so. This is not a commitment to retain every record for the entire life of the business. Contract terms, legal obligations, preservation requirements, and the sensitivity of the information may call for a different period.
Routine website inquiry data and technical records are periodically reviewed and removed when no longer reasonably needed. When information is no longer required and no legal or contractual obligation prevents its disposal, we take reasonable steps to delete, destroy, or de-identify it securely. Information contained in website backups may remain until the relevant backups expire or are replaced according to the configured backup schedule.
If Westside Virtual, Inc. ceases operations, remaining records will be handled in accordance with applicable law, outstanding agreements, and any valid preservation obligations, with secure disposal when retention is no longer required.
Your Privacy Requests
If you wish to ask what personal information you provided through this website or request a correction or deletion, please contact us using the method below. We will review requests in light of applicable law and any relevant recordkeeping obligations.
Third-Party Websites
Our website may link to websites operated by others. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies, not this one.
Updates to This Policy
We may revise this policy when our website practices or legal obligations change. The effective date at the top of this page will indicate the current version.
Contact
For privacy questions, please use our contact form.