Privacy Policy

Effective Date: March 1, 2026  |  Last Updated: March 18, 2026

Bytewire Forensics LLC, a Wisconsin limited liability company doing business as ByteWire Forensics (“we,” “us,” or “our”), is a cybersecurity and digital forensics practice. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard information when you visit our website at bytewireforensics.com (the “Site”), use the ByteWire Forensics Academy learning platform (the “Academy”), or engage with our consulting services.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Contact Inquiries. Full name, email address, organization name, area of interest, and message content submitted through our contact form.
• Academy Registration. Full name, email address, organization (optional), and an encrypted password when you create an Academy account.
• Newsletter Subscription. Email address and subscription source.
• Consulting Engagement. Business contact information, organizational details, and scope-of-work data exchanged during service delivery.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Log Data. IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URL, pages visited, date/time stamps, and general geolocation (country/region level) derived from IP.
• Analytics. We use Google Analytics 4 to collect anonymized usage metrics. Google’s privacy policy applies to data processed by their service.
• Academy Activity. Course enrollment records, lesson completion, quiz scores, certificate issuance, and learning progress data.
• Security and Audit Logs. Authentication events (login, failed login, registration), rate-limit events, and administrative actions are logged for security monitoring and incident response.

2. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data based on the following legal grounds:

• Contractual Necessity. To deliver consulting services, provide Academy access, and fulfill course enrollment.
• Legitimate Interest. For security monitoring, fraud prevention, service improvement, and marketing communications to existing clients.
• Consent. For newsletter subscriptions and non-essential analytics. You may withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal Obligation. Where required by applicable data protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and other relevant jurisdiction-specific regulations.

3. How We Use Your Information

• To respond to inquiries submitted through our contact form.
• To create, maintain, and secure your Academy account.
• To track course progress, issue certificates, and manage enrollment.
• To send newsletter updates (opt-in only; unsubscribe at any time).
• To detect, prevent, and respond to security threats and unauthorized access.
• To maintain audit trails for accountability and regulatory compliance.
• To improve website functionality and user experience.
• To comply with applicable legal obligations.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with the following categories of processors, under appropriate data processing agreements:

• Hosting and Infrastructure. Abacus.AI (application hosting, database hosting, email delivery).
• Analytics. Google LLC (Google Analytics 4 — anonymized usage metrics).
• No additional third-party processors currently receive personal data from this website. If this changes, this policy will be updated accordingly.

5. Cross-Border Data Transfers

ByteWire Forensics is headquartered in the United States. Data may be processed in the United States, where our hosting infrastructure is located. For individuals in jurisdictions with data transfer restrictions (including the European Economic Area), we rely on standard contractual clauses or equivalent safeguards as provided by our hosting provider. By using the Site or Academy, you acknowledge that your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States.

6. Data Retention

• Contact form submissions: Retained for 24 months after the last interaction, then deleted.
• Academy accounts and enrollment data: Retained for the lifetime of your account. You may request account deletion at any time (see Section 8).
• Newsletter subscriptions: Retained until you unsubscribe. Unsubscribe records retained for 12 months to honor opt-out requests.
• Security and audit logs: Retained for 12 months for security monitoring purposes, then purged.
• Analytics data: Governed by Google Analytics retention settings (currently 14 months).
• Consulting engagement data: Retained per contractual terms, typically 7 years for regulatory compliance purposes.

7. Data Security

We implement technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including:

• Passwords are hashed using bcrypt with a cost factor of 12 and are never stored in plaintext.
• All data in transit is encrypted via TLS/HTTPS.
• Server-side authentication and authorization on all protected API routes.
• Rate limiting on authentication, contact, and registration endpoints.
• Role-based access control (student, instructor, admin) with least-privilege enforcement.
• Audit logging of authentication events and administrative actions.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data.
• Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Restriction: Request restriction of processing under certain conditions.
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interest.
• Withdrawal of Consent: Withdraw consent at any time where processing is consent-based.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Academy-Specific Data Handling

The ByteWire Forensics Academy collects additional data related to your learning activities. This includes:

• Course enrollment and progress tracking (modules completed, lessons viewed).
• Quiz responses, scores, and pass/fail records.
• Certificate issuance records including unique certificate numbers and issue dates.
• Organization affiliation for institutional enrollment tracking.

Academy data is used exclusively for educational delivery, progress tracking, and certification. It is not shared with third parties for marketing purposes. Institutional clients who enroll employees may receive aggregate progress reports under the terms of their service agreement.

10. Cookies and Tracking

This Site uses essential session cookies for authentication and optional analytics cookies via Google Analytics 4. Session cookies are strictly necessary for the Academy login functionality and do not require consent. Analytics cookies are loaded with anonymized data collection. You may disable cookies through your browser settings.

11. Children’s Privacy

Our Site and Academy are not directed at individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a minor, contact us immediately.

12. Breach Notification

In the event of a personal data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will:

• Notify affected individuals without undue delay, and in any event within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach.
• Notify the relevant supervisory authority where legally required.
• Provide details of the nature of the breach, categories of data affected, likely consequences, and measures taken to mitigate harm.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or services. Material changes will be indicated by updating the “Last Updated” date. Continued use of the Site or Academy after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

14. Contact Us

For privacy-related inquiries, data subject requests, or complaints:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 414-373-0092
• Headquarters: 250 N Sunnyslope Rd, Ste 200, Brookfield, WI 53005