CONNECTED GEEK, LLC

PRIVACY POLICY

Effective Date: September 4, 2026

PART I – INTRODUCTION

1. Our Commitment to Privacy

Connected Geek, LLC ("Connected Geek," "Company," "we," "our," or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you share with us.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect your personal information when you:

• Visit our websites;

• Contact us by phone, email, text message, or online forms;

• Request information or support;

• Purchase products or services;

• Use CRM Connect or other Connected Geek platforms;

• Download or run diagnostic software provided by Connected Geek;

• Participate in our marketing communications;

• Schedule appointments with us; or

• Otherwise interact with Connected Geek.

By accessing our websites or using our products or services, you acknowledge that you have read and understand this Privacy Policy.

2. Scope of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected through:

• Connected Geek websites;

• CRM Connect portals;

• Customer support interactions;

• Technical support sessions;

• Diagnostic software provided by Connected Geek, including the Connected Geek Repair Tool;

• Online forms;

• Appointment scheduling systems;

• Email communications;

• SMS and MMS messaging;

• Voice communications;

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) services;

• Marketing campaigns;

• Client portals; and

• Other products or services provided by Connected Geek.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to third-party websites, applications, or services that may be linked from our websites or integrated into our services. Those organizations maintain their own privacy policies, and we encourage you to review them.

3. Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with Connected Geek, we may collect information including, but not limited to:

Personal Information

• Name

• Company name

• Job title

• Mailing address

• Billing address

• Email address

• Telephone number

• Mobile phone number

• Account credentials (where applicable)

Business Information

For business clients, we may also collect:

• Business contact information

• Business technology information

• Network information

• Device information

• Licensing information

• Configuration information

• Domain information

• Hosting information

• Microsoft 365 tenant information

• CRM configuration information

• Other information necessary to provide requested services

Payment Information

When you purchase products or services, payment information may be collected through secure third-party payment processors.

Connected Geek does not intentionally store complete credit card numbers, debit card numbers, or banking credentials unless specifically required as part of an authorized service and protected using appropriate security measures.

Communications Information

When you communicate with us, we may collect information such as:

• Emails

• Text messages

• Voicemail messages

• Chat conversations

• Contact form submissions

• Support requests

• Appointment requests

• Service inquiries

• Customer feedback

Technical Information

Depending on how you use our websites or services, we may automatically collect certain technical information, including:

• IP address

• Browser type

• Device type

• Operating system

• Internet service provider

• Referring website

• Date and time of access

• Pages visited

• General usage information

This information helps us improve website performance, security, and the overall user experience.

Diagnostic Information

Connected Geek offers diagnostic software, including the Connected Geek Repair Tool, that a client or prospective client may download and run on their own computer.

Where you choose to send a diagnostic report to Connected Geek, we may receive:

• Computer manufacturer, model, and hardware configuration

• System firmware manufacturer, version, and release date, which we use to estimate the approximate age of the computer

• Operating system edition, version, and build

• Installed memory and memory availability

• Storage device health status, capacity, and available space

• Storage device reliability information reported by the drive itself, including wear level, uncorrected read and write error counts, operating temperature, and total powered-on hours

• File system and volume information

• Whether each storage volume is encrypted, and the state and method of that encryption

• The presence, version, and state of the computer's security chip (TPM), and whether Secure Boot is enabled

• Network configuration, including IP addressing, DNS server settings, and routing information

• Network adapter information

• Which programs on the computer are accepting incoming network connections, the network ports involved, and the names of those programs

• Domain membership, where applicable

• Security software status, including protection state and signature currency

• Firewall status for each network profile

• Installed operating system updates

• Device driver inventory

• The names, version numbers, and publishers of programs installed on the computer

• The names of programs configured to start automatically, together with the command used to start them and the account they run under

• Whether a backup is configured on the computer, the method in use, and the date of the most recent system restore point, where one exists

• The names of the user accounts on the computer and which of those accounts hold administrator rights

• Recent operating system error and warning events

• A non-reversible identifier derived from the computer's hardware, used to recognize reports from the same computer over time

• The computer name and the name of the account in use, unless you choose to hide identifiers

• Any contact details or description of the problem you choose to provide

Some of the information above may relate to people other than the person running the software. In particular, a computer used by more than one person will report the names of every user account configured on it.

Where you choose to hide identifiers before sending a report, the software replaces the computer name, the name of the account in use, and the names of the other user accounts on the computer with placeholders before the report leaves your computer. Names of built-in system accounts, such as Administrator and Guest, are not replaced, because they do not identify any individual.

Hiding identifiers does not guarantee that no identifying text remains. Free text produced by the operating system, such as file paths, may still contain a name.

Diagnostic information is sent only when you affirmatively choose to send it. Before anything is transmitted, the software displays a notice describing what will be collected, and no information leaves your computer unless you accept that notice. Declining does not prevent you from using the diagnostic features of the software on your own computer.

The hardware identifier described above is converted on your computer into a form that cannot be reversed. The original value is not transmitted to Connected Geek and is not stored by us.

The software does not remain running after you close it, does not install a background service, and provides Connected Geek with no ongoing access to your computer.

4. Information You Provide

Most personal information collected by Connected Geek is provided voluntarily by you.

Examples include when you:

• Contact us by phone or email;

• Submit a website contact form;

• Request technical support;

• Schedule an appointment;

• Sign up for newsletters or communications;

• Request a proposal or estimate;

• Purchase products or services;

• Register for events or training;

• Participate in surveys;

• Choose to send a diagnostic report to Connected Geek; or

• Create an account or client portal profile.

You may choose not to provide certain information; however, doing so may limit our ability to provide requested products or services.

5. Information We Do Not Intentionally Collect

Connected Geek does not intentionally collect personal information beyond what is reasonably necessary to provide our products and services.

We do not knowingly collect sensitive personal information unless it is voluntarily provided by you and reasonably necessary to fulfill a requested service or comply with applicable legal obligations.

Diagnostic Software

The Connected Geek Repair Tool and similar diagnostic software provided by Connected Geek do not read, collect, transmit, or access:

• Your files, documents, photographs, videos, or other personal content

• The contents of your email or messages

• Passwords, saved credentials, or authentication tokens

• Browser history, bookmarks, or cookies

• Keystrokes or anything typed into other applications

• Screen contents or screenshots

• Webcam or microphone input

• The contents of any database or application data store

• The contents of the system registry or configuration files, beyond the specific configuration values described in Section 3

• Any information about computers other than the one the software is run on

This software reads system configuration and health information only. It makes no change to the computer in order to produce a report: every check performed for a diagnostic report is read-only.

If you believe you have inadvertently provided information that should not have been shared, please contact us so that we may take appropriate action.

PART II – HOW WE USE AND SHARE YOUR INFORMATION

6. How We Use Your Information

Connected Geek uses the information we collect for legitimate business purposes, including to:

• Provide requested products and services;

• Deliver technical support;

• Diagnose and troubleshoot technical problems reported through diagnostic software;

• Respond to inquiries and customer service requests;

• Schedule appointments and consultations;

• Process payments;

• Create proposals and estimates;

• Manage customer accounts;

• Configure and maintain technology systems;

• Provide Managed IT Services;

• Deliver CRM Connect services;

• Provide Artificial Intelligence (AI) services;

• Improve our websites, products, and services;

• Communicate with customers regarding services or support;

• Detect, investigate, and prevent fraud or unauthorized activity;

• Maintain the security and integrity of our systems; and

• Comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations.

We will only use your information for purposes that are consistent with this Privacy Policy or as otherwise authorized by you.

7. Communications, SMS, Email, and Marketing

Connected Geek may communicate with you using:

• Email;

• Telephone;

• SMS or MMS text messaging;

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) voice services;

• Customer portals;

• Postal mail; or

• Other communication methods you authorize.

These communications may include:

• Appointment reminders;

• Technical support updates;

• Service notifications;

• Security alerts;

• Account notifications;

• Project updates;

• Billing notices;

• Product announcements;

• Educational content; and

• Marketing communications (where permitted by law and with your consent where required).

SMS Communications

If you voluntarily opt in to receive SMS or MMS messages from Connected Geek, you may receive transactional or promotional messages relating to our products and services.

Message frequency varies depending on your interactions with us.

Message and data rates may apply according to your wireless carrier.

You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying STOP to any message, or request assistance by replying HELP or contacting us directly.

Your decision to opt out of promotional messaging will not affect essential service-related communications necessary to provide requested products or services where permitted by law.

8. CRM Connect and Client Data

Connected Geek provides CRM Connect as a customer relationship management, communications, automation, and business operations platform.

Clients remain the owners of their business information, customer information, communications, uploaded content, and other data entered into CRM Connect.

Connected Geek may access Client information only as reasonably necessary to:

• Configure services;

• Provide technical support;

• Troubleshoot technical issues;

• Perform authorized maintenance;

• Respond to Client requests;

• Maintain system integrity; or

• Comply with applicable legal obligations.

Connected Geek does not sell Client data.

Clients remain responsible for ensuring that information entered into CRM Connect is collected and processed in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

9. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Services

Connected Geek may utilize Artificial Intelligence ("AI") technologies to assist in providing products and services.

Examples include:

• AI-powered customer service;

• Voice AI;

• Business automation;

• Knowledge base searches;

• Workflow assistance;

• Data analysis;

• Content generation; and

• Other AI-assisted business functions.

Information submitted to AI-powered services may be processed by Connected Geek or by authorized Third-Party Providers necessary to deliver the requested functionality.

Connected Geek does not intentionally use Client information to independently train public AI models unless expressly authorized by the Client or permitted under the applicable Third-Party Provider's terms.

Clients remain responsible for reviewing AI-generated content before relying upon it for business, financial, legal, medical, employment, regulatory, or other significant decisions.

10. When We Share Information

Connected Geek does not sell personal information.

We may disclose information only when reasonably necessary to operate our business or provide requested services.

Examples include:

Service Providers

We may share information with trusted service providers that assist us in delivering products or services, including providers of:

• Cloud hosting;

• Email delivery;

• SMS messaging;

• Payment processing;

• Website hosting;

• Domain registration;

• Technical support tools;

• Remote management platforms;

• Diagnostic report processing and storage;

• Artificial Intelligence services;

• CRM infrastructure; and

• Other technology services.

Where you send a diagnostic report to Connected Geek, that report is processed and stored using the following providers, each acting on our behalf and each maintaining facilities in the United States:

• Supabase, Inc. – database and file storage for diagnostic reports;

• Vercel Inc. – hosting of the diagnostic service website;

• Zendesk, Inc. – support ticketing, where a report results in a support request; and

• HighLevel Inc. – customer relationship management, where you have an existing or prospective service relationship with us.

Connected Geek may change these providers from time to time and will update this Privacy Policy accordingly.

These providers are permitted to use information only as necessary to perform services on our behalf or as otherwise permitted under their own agreements with the Client.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose information when we believe disclosure is reasonably necessary to:

• Comply with applicable laws;

• Respond to lawful requests from government authorities;

• Comply with court orders or legal process;

• Protect the rights or property of Connected Geek;

• Investigate fraud or security incidents;

• Enforce our agreements; or

• Protect the safety of our employees, customers, or the public.

Business Transfers

If Connected Geek is involved in a merger, acquisition, corporate reorganization, financing transaction, or sale of assets, customer information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable law.

With Your Consent

We may also share information whenever you specifically authorize us to do so.

11. Legal Basis for Processing Information

Where applicable, Connected Geek processes personal information based upon one or more of the following legal bases:

• Your consent;

• Performance of a contract;

• Compliance with legal obligations;

• Protection of legitimate business interests;

• Protection of vital interests; or

• Other lawful bases permitted by applicable law.

Connected Geek processes only the information reasonably necessary to provide requested services and operate our business.

PART III – DATA SECURITY, YOUR RIGHTS & GENERAL PROVISIONS

12. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Connected Geek websites and online services may use cookies and similar technologies to improve functionality, enhance security, remember user preferences, analyze website traffic, and improve the overall user experience.

These technologies may collect information such as:

• Browser type

• Device type

• Operating system

• IP address

• Pages visited

• Time spent on our websites

• Referring websites

• General usage information

Some cookies are necessary for our websites to function properly, while others help us understand how visitors use our websites or support enhanced features.

Most web browsers allow you to control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of portions of our websites.

13. Third-Party Technologies

Our websites or services may utilize technologies or services provided by third parties, including but not limited to:

• Website hosting providers

• Domain registrars

• Payment processors

• Cloud service providers

• Email service providers

• SMS and voice communication providers

• Customer relationship management (CRM) platforms

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) service providers

• Diagnostic report processing and storage providers

• Website analytics providers

• Security and fraud prevention services

These third parties maintain their own privacy policies, terms of service, and security practices. Connected Geek is not responsible for the privacy practices of independent third-party providers.

14. Data Security

Connected Geek uses commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

Security measures may include, where appropriate:

• Encryption of sensitive data during transmission

• Access controls

• Authentication procedures

• Secure hosting environments

• Firewalls

• Endpoint security

• Multi-factor authentication

• Employee access restrictions

• Security monitoring

Despite these efforts, no method of electronic transmission, Internet communication, or electronic storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Accordingly, Connected Geek cannot guarantee absolute security of any information transmitted electronically.

15. Data Retention

Connected Geek retains personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to:

• Provide requested products and services;

• Maintain customer relationships;

• Comply with legal obligations;

• Resolve disputes;

• Enforce agreements; or

• Maintain legitimate business records.

Diagnostic Reports

Diagnostic reports submitted through Connected Geek diagnostic software are retained for twelve (12) months from the date of submission, after which they are automatically and permanently deleted.

Session codes issued for the submission of diagnostic reports, together with the associated request information, are deleted no later than thirty (30) days after the code expires.

Where a diagnostic report is attached to a support ticket, the copy held within the support ticketing system is retained according to the retention applicable to support records generally.

Retention periods may vary depending upon the type of information, applicable legal requirements, contractual obligations, and operational needs.

When information is no longer required, Connected Geek will take reasonable steps to securely delete, destroy, anonymize, or otherwise dispose of the information where practical.

16. Your Privacy Choices and Rights

Depending upon your location and applicable law, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including the right to:

• Request access to personal information we maintain about you;

• Request correction of inaccurate information;

• Request deletion of information where permitted by law;

• Withdraw consent where processing is based upon consent;

• Opt out of marketing communications;

• Request information regarding certain data processing activities; and

• Submit questions regarding our privacy practices.

To exercise any applicable privacy rights, please contact Connected Geek using the contact information provided at the end of this Privacy Policy.

Connected Geek will respond to privacy requests in accordance with applicable law.

17. Children's Privacy

Connected Geek's websites, products, and services are intended for business users and adults.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 without appropriate parental consent as required by applicable law.

If we become aware that personal information has been collected from a child in violation of applicable law, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information.

18. International Data Transfers

Connected Geek primarily operates within the United States.

Information collected through our products and services may be stored or processed in the United States or in other countries where Connected Geek or its authorized service providers maintain facilities.

By using our websites or services, you acknowledge that information may be transferred to jurisdictions that may have different data protection laws than those in your country of residence.

19. Changes to this Privacy Policy

Connected Geek may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect:

• Changes in applicable laws;

• Changes to our business operations;

• New technologies;

• New products or services;

• Security improvements; or

• Other operational changes.

When material changes are made, we will update the Effective Date shown at the beginning of this Privacy Policy.

Your continued use of our websites or services following the effective date of an updated Privacy Policy constitutes your acknowledgment of the revised Privacy Policy.

20. Contact Us

If you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:

Connected Geek, LLC

Website: https://connectedgeek.net

Support Portal: https://connectedgeek.net/contact-us/

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (248) 648-1717

Revision History

Version 1.2

Effective Date: September 4, 2026

Expanded the Diagnostic Information category in Section 3 to cover disk encryption status, storage device reliability data reported by the drive, security chip (TPM) and Secure Boot state, system firmware date, installed program inventory, startup program inventory, backup configuration and restore point dates, user account names and administrator rights, firewall status, and programs accepting incoming network connections. Added a statement to Section 3 describing information that may relate to other users of the same computer, the effect of the hide-identifiers option, and its limitations. Added the contents of the system registry and information about other computers to the list of what diagnostic software does not collect in Section 5, and added a statement that diagnostic checks are read-only. Supersedes Version 1.1 in full.

Version 1.1

Effective Date: September 4, 2026

Added disclosures covering diagnostic software provided by Connected Geek, including the Connected Geek Repair Tool. Added a Diagnostic Information category to Section 3, a statement of what diagnostic software does not collect to Section 5, named diagnostic service providers in Section 10, and a stated retention period for diagnostic reports in Section 15. Conforming references added to Sections 1, 2, 4, 6, and 13.

Version 1.0

Effective Date: July 24, 2026

Initial publication of the Connected Geek Privacy Policy.