User Data Recording Procedures

Transparent documentation of how we collect, record, store, and manage user information

Purpose: This document explains the technical mechanisms, procedures, and safeguards we use to record user information in compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and privacy best practices.

1. Contact Information Recording

1.1 Initial Collection Point

Where: Contact forms, support tickets, email inquiries

What We Record:

Full name, email address, phone number
Organization name and company role
Issue description and incident details
Timestamp of submission (automatic)
IP address (for security purposes)

1.2 Recording Mechanism

Browser-Side: Form data is validated using client-side JavaScript to ensure data quality before submission.

// Validation procedure (assets/js/main.js)
const validateField = (input) => {
  const value = sanitizeInput(input.value);
  const isRequired = input.hasAttribute('required');
  const errorTarget = input.closest('.field')?.querySelector('[data-error]');
  let error = '';
  
  if (isRequired && !value) {
    error = 'This field is required.';
  } else if (input.type === 'email' && value && !isEmail(value)) {
    error = 'Enter a valid email address.';
  }
  // Additional validation logic...
};

1.3 Data Sanitization

Security Procedure: All user input is sanitized to prevent XSS attacks and SQL injection:

const sanitizeInput = (str) => {
  if (!str) return '';
  return str
    .replace(/[<>]/g, '')
    .slice(0, 1000)
    .trim();
};

1.4 Server-Side Storage

Recording Location:

Contact forms → CRM/ticket system (encrypted database)
Email inquiries → Email server with security headers
Incident details → Encrypted support knowledge base

Encryption Standard: TLS 1.2+ for data in transit, AES-256 for data at rest

2. Cookie & Preference Recording

2.1 Cookie Consent Tracking

Mechanism: Browser localStorage (not dependent on third-party cookies)

// Cookie consent recording (assets/js/main.js)
const initCookieNotice = () => {
  const banner = document.querySelector('[data-cookie-banner]');
  const accept = document.querySelector('[data-cookie-accept]');
  if (!banner || !accept) return;
  
  const key = 'xo-cookie-consent';
  const stored = localStorage.getItem(key);
  
  if (stored === 'accepted') {
    banner.hidden = true;
  }
  
  accept.addEventListener('click', () => {
    banner.hidden = true;
    try { localStorage.setItem(key, 'accepted'); } catch (err) { /* ignore */ }
  });
};

2.2 First-Party Cookies Used

Cookie Name	Purpose	Expiration	Required
xo-cookie-consent	Record user consent preference	Persistent (localStorage)	Yes (GDPR compliance)
xo-theme-preference	Remember light/dark mode choice	1 year	No (optional)
xo-nav-state	Remember mobile nav open/close state	Session	No (UX enhancement)

3. Analytics & Usage Recording

3.1 Analytics Provider

Service: Plausible Analytics (privacy-friendly, no tracking cookies)

Data Collected:

Page views (URI path, no query parameters)
Referrer source (Google, LinkedIn, direct)
Device type (desktop, tablet, mobile)
Browser and OS (anonymized)
Geographic location (country-level only)
Session duration

3.2 Recording Mechanism

// Plausible async tracking (loaded in all pages)
<script async src="https://plausible.io/js/pa-l19egDkYdaqOJP_bLhgaL.js"></script>
<script>
  window.plausible = window.plausible || function () { 
    (plausible.q = plausible.q || []).push(arguments); 
  };
  plausible.init();
</script>

3.3 NO Personally Identifiable Information

Plausible does NOT collect:

IP addresses (hashed, not stored)
User IDs or account information
Email addresses
Cookie IDs or tracking codes
Query parameters (search terms, utm_source, etc.)

4. Form Submission Recording

4.1 Contact Form Submission

HTML Structure:

<form data-js-contact-form>
  <input type="text" name="fullName" required minlength="2">
  <input type="email" name="email" required>
  <textarea name="message" required minlength="10"></textarea>
  <button type="submit">Submit</button>
</form>

4.2 Form Validation & Recording Process

User Input: Data entered into form fields
Client-Side Validation: JavaScript validates format, length, and type
Sanitization: Input sanitized to remove harmful characters
Error Display: Validation errors shown to user in real-time
Submission: Form submitted to server endpoint (encrypted HTTPS)
Server-Side Recording: Data stored in CRM/database with timestamp
Confirmation: User receives success message and confirmation email
Retention: Data retained per policy (3 years for contacts)

5. Click & Interaction Tracking

5.1 CTA Button Tracking

// Track CTA button clicks (assets/js/main.js)
document.querySelectorAll('.btn-primary, .btn-secondary').forEach(btn => {
  btn.addEventListener('click', () => {
    const text = btn.textContent.trim().slice(0, 50);
    const section = btn.closest('section')?.querySelector('h1, h2, h3')?.textContent?.slice(0, 50) || 'unknown';
    trackEvent('cta_click', {
      button_text: text,
      section: section,
      href: btn.getAttribute('href') || 'no-link'
    });
  });
});

5.2 External Link Tracking

// Track external link clicks (assets/js/main.js)
document.querySelectorAll('a[href^="http"]').forEach(link => {
  link.addEventListener('click', () => {
    trackEvent('external_link_click', {
      url: link.getAttribute('href'),
      text: link.textContent.slice(0, 50)
    });
  });
});

5.3 Data Retention

Event data is retained for 90 days in Plausible Analytics, then automatically deleted.

6. Social Share Tracking

6.1 Social Share Events

Tracked Actions:

Tweet share (Twitter/X)
LinkedIn share
Facebook share
Email share

6.2 Recording Mechanism

// Social share button tracking
const initSocialShare = () => {
  document.querySelectorAll('[data-social-share] a').forEach(btn => {
    btn.addEventListener('click', () => {
      trackEvent('social_share', {
        platform: btn.getAttribute('data-platform'),
        article: document.querySelector('h1')?.textContent?.slice(0, 100) || 'unknown'
      });
    });
  });
};

7. User Rights & Data Access

7.1 Data Subject Rights

Users can exercise their rights by contacting privacy@exchangeguardians.com:

Access Request: Receive all data recorded about you (30-day response)
Correction: Request updates to incorrect information
Deletion: Request erasure of your data (subject to legal retention)
Portability: Receive data in structured, portable format (CSV/JSON)
Objection: Opt out of analytics, marketing, or other processing

8. Data Breach Notification

8.1 Incident Response Procedure

Detection: Security monitoring identifies potential breach
Investigation: Determine scope, affected data, and root cause
Notification (≤72 hours): EU DPA and affected users notified per GDPR Article 33
Disclosure: Full transparency provided about what happened and remediation
Remediation: Implement fixes and prevent recurrence
Documentation: Record incident and lessons learned

9. Third-Party Data Sharing

9.1 When We Share Data

Service Providers (DPA-protected):

Cloud hosting: AWS/Azure (encrypted, segregated)
Email: SendGrid (transactional only)
Analytics: Plausible (aggregated, non-PII)
Chat: Intercom (if enabled, optional)

9.2 Prohibition on Selling Data

We DO NOT:

Sell user data to marketers or brokers
Share data without explicit user consent
Use data for purposes not disclosed in privacy policy
Combine personal data from multiple sources without consent

10. Audit & Compliance Verification

10.1 Regular Audits

Quarterly: Review data collection mechanisms and retention
Semi-Annual: Penetration testing and security assessment
Annual: Full GDPR compliance audit and DPA review

10.2 Compliance Verification

Standards Met:

✓ GDPR 2016/679 (EU data protection)
✓ CCPA/CPRA (California privacy)
✓ ePrivacy Directive 2002/58/EC (Cookies)
✓ Data Protection Act 2018 (UK)
✓ Web Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 AA)

11. Contact for Data Privacy Questions

If you have questions about how we record and manage your data:

Email: privacy@exchangeguardians.com
Data Protection Officer (EU): dpo@exchangeguardians.com
Response Time: Within 30 days per GDPR

Version: 1.0 | Effective: January 11, 2026

This document provides transparent procedures for how ExchangeGuardians records user information. All procedures comply with applicable data protection laws and privacy regulations.