Privacy Policy

1. Who I am

SacAIConsultant.com is owned and operated by Mountain Town Media, a sole proprietorship registered in Sacramento, California, United States. I'm Matthew Hoesch, and I run it on my own. When this policy says "I", "me", or "my", it means Mountain Town Media. When it says "you", it means anyone visiting or using this website. This policy covers this website only, and it goes together with my Terms of Use.

2. The short version

• I collect only what you type into the contact form or the free AI Readiness Assessment, plus the basic technical information every website receives.
• I use it to reply to you, show you your results, and follow up about AI for your business.
• I don't sell it, share it for advertising, or give it to anyone who markets to you.
• I delete contact messages and assessments 12 months after you submit them.
• There are no visitor accounts, no online payments, and no analytics or advertising trackers on this site.
• You can ask me for a copy of what I have about you, a correction, or deletion at any time.

3. What I collect and why

I collect information in three ways.

The contact form

When you send me a message through the contact page, I keep your name, the email address and/or phone number you give me, your message, and, if you came from your assessment results, a link to that assessment. I use these only to reply to you. The form also has a hidden anti-spam field that is checked and not stored.

The free AI Readiness Assessment

Nothing is saved while you answer the questions. If you leave before the final step, nothing reaches my server. When you submit the final form to see your score, I keep your name, email address, phone number, your answers to the 14 questions, the score and range calculated from them, and how you found the site: the page you landed on, the site that referred you, and any campaign tags (UTM parameters) in the link you clicked. I use these to show your results, follow up with you about them, and learn which ads and referrers bring visitors.

Your score is a simple total of the points for your answers. It is not an automated decision about you, and it has no effect beyond the summary you see on the page.

Technical information every website receives

Like any website, mine sees your IP address and browser type when you visit. I don't record them against your submissions. They are held briefly in two places: a session record that expires about two hours after your last visit, and an anti-spam counter that limits how many times a form can be submitted from one address in an hour. Standard web server logs, which include IP addresses, may also be kept for a short time for security and troubleshooting.

4. Cookies and browser storage

This site sets only the cookies it needs to work:

• A session cookie, so the site can tell one visit from another and protect the forms. It expires about two hours after your last activity.
• A security token cookie that protects the forms against forged submissions.
• Small preference cookies that remember settings such as your light or dark mode choice.

When you first arrive, the site also notes the landing page, referrer, and campaign tags in your browser's session storage. That note stays on your device, is cleared when you close the tab, and is sent to me only if you submit the assessment.

There are no analytics cookies, advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or third-party trackers on this site. If I add an analytics tool later, I'll update this policy first. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; if you block the session cookie, the forms won't submit.

5. How I use your information

I use the information above to:

• Reply to your message and answer your questions.
• Show you your assessment results and follow up with you about them.
• Understand which ads, searches, or referring sites bring visitors, so I can spend my marketing budget sensibly.
• Protect the site from spam, abuse, and automated submissions.
• Meet legal obligations, and establish or defend legal claims if that ever becomes necessary.

I don't use your information for any other purpose without telling you first.

6. I don't sell or share your information

I have never sold personal information, and I don't share it with anyone for cross-context behavioral advertising, which is what California law means by "sharing." I don't trade lists with other businesses, and I don't let third parties market to you. Because none of this happens, there is no "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link on this site. If that ever changed, I would update this policy and add one first.

7. Who else handles your information

I run this business alone, so your information goes to the service providers that keep the website and email running, and nowhere else:

• DigitalOcean hosts the website and its database in a data center in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Your submissions are stored there.
• Laravel Forge is the tool I use to set up, secure, and update that server. It has administrator access to the server to do that work, which means it can reach the database, but it does not store your information itself.
• SendGrid delivers the email notifications the site sends to me. When you send a contact message, the notification includes your name, contact details, and message. When you submit an assessment, the notification includes only a reference number and the time; your name, contact details, and answers stay in the database.

Each provider processes your information only to provide its service to me, under its own terms and security commitments, and I don't give them permission to use it for anything else. I may also disclose information if the law requires it, for example in response to a valid subpoena or court order, or to protect the safety and rights of others. If I ever sell or transfer this business, your information could transfer with it, and I would update this policy.

8. How long I keep it

• Contact messages and assessment submissions: 12 months from the day you submit them. An automatic job runs every day and permanently deletes anything older than that. If an assessment is deleted but a linked contact message is newer, the message keeps its own 12-month clock.
• Email notifications in my mailbox: I delete them on the same schedule.
• Session records: about two hours after your last visit.
• Anti-spam counters: one hour.

If you ask me to delete your information sooner, I will. See section 9.

9. Your rights and choices

You don't need an account, a lawyer, or a California address to use these. Anyone can ask me to:

• Tell you what information I hold about you and where it came from.
• Give you a copy of it in a readable format.
• Correct something that's wrong.
• Delete it.

To make a request, email matt@sacaiconsultant.com or call (916) 352-0644. To protect your information, I verify requests by matching the name and contact details you gave when you submitted the form. I'll respond within 45 days, and I won't treat you differently for asking. Someone else may make a request for you if they show written permission from you. You can also tell me to stop following up at any time, and I will.

10. Security

The site is served over HTTPS, so what you type is encrypted on its way to me. The database and the mailbox that receives notifications are accessible only to me and to Laravel Forge, the service that manages the server, and the site's admin login is protected by a password plus two-factor authentication. No website can promise perfect security, but I keep what I collect to a minimum and delete it on a schedule, so there is less to protect.

11. Children

This website is for business owners and is not directed to children. I don't knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has submitted information through one of the forms, contact me and I'll delete it.

12. Other websites

The site may link to other websites and services I don't control, such as software providers I mention. Their privacy practices are their own, so please read their policies. A link is not an endorsement.

13. Changes to this policy

I may change this policy when the site, my service providers, or the law changes. The "Last updated" date at the top shows the current version. If a change is significant, for example adding an analytics tool or a new service provider, I'll make it easy to notice on this page before it takes effect.

14. Contact

Questions or requests about your privacy: email matt@sacaiconsultant.com or call (916) 352-0644. Mountain Town Media, Sacramento, California.