Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 20, 2026

The Design Works (“we”, “us” or “our”) is a registered trade name operating under the parent corporation True North Digital Network Inc. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it through our compliance with this privacy policy (“Policy”).

This Policy describes the types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide (“Personal Information”) on the thedesignworks.ca website (“Website” or “Service”), along with our project intake channels, and our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information.

By accessing and using this Website, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by the terms of this Policy. This Policy does not apply to the independent hosting servers, websites, or data practices of the clients we build or manage.

Table of contents

  1. Collection of Client and Technical Information
  2. Handling of Sensitive Technical and Project Credentials
  3. Use and Processing of Collected Information
  4. Non-Disclosure and Information Sharing Boundaries
  5. Data Retention and Security Architecture
  6. Canadian Privacy Rights (PIPEDA Compliance)
  7. Cookies and Development Analytics
  8. Changes and Amendments
  9. Acceptance of this Policy
  10. Contacting us

1. Collection of Client and Technical Information

You can explore our portfolio, stack explanations, and informational layout guides without revealing your personal identity.

However, if you choose to initiate a project proposal, request a site audit, or complete an onboarding form, we collect specific information necessary to establish a professional scope. This includes:

  • Contact Coordinates: Your name, email address, phone number, and company name.
  • Commercial Project Data: Existing domain names, current web hosting platforms, functional design specifications, marketing goals, and budget constraints.

2. Handling of Sensitive Technical and Project Credentials

During our consulting, scoping, or active development phases, you may choose to voluntarily share sensitive backend credentials with us. This can include administrative website logins, FTP/SFTP access parameters, third-party API keys, or registrar endpoints.

We treat these technical data points with the highest tier of corporate security. Any access credentials shared via our intake forms or onboarding protocols are encrypted, restricted strictly to necessary development engineering eyes, and are completely expunged from our operational active records upon contract termination or project hand-off.

3. Use and Processing of Collected Information

Acting as a data controller, True North Digital Network Inc. (operating as The Design Works) uses information collected via this Website strictly to fulfill development workflows, including:

  • Generating accurate design and development estimates, project contracts, and proposals.
  • Provisioning, configuring, and deploying active staging servers, plugins, or client sites.
  • Responding to technical support inquiries, ticket requests, and debugging challenges.
  • Enforcing our master service agreements and preventing server-level infrastructure abuse.

4. Non-Disclosure and Information Sharing Boundaries

To maintain absolute data integrity, we do not sell, rent, trade, or share your personal details or project data with external third-party advertisers or marketing networks.

We disclose information strictly to core infrastructure partners (such as performance hosting providers or automated backup storage nodes) explicitly contracted to help deploy and secure your web stack, and who are contractually bound to preserve your data’s safety. We will disclose information externally only to comply with a binding legal subpoena, court order, or official regulatory audit.

5. Data Retention and Security Architecture

We secure client details and project profiles on secure computing servers within a highly controlled, administrative environment. While no transmission over the open Internet can be guaranteed 100% secure, we utilize industry-standard technical safeguards to block unauthorized manipulation, disclosure, or access. Project intake histories are archived only for the duration required to satisfy ongoing service contracts, tax accounting audits, or statutory reporting guidelines.

6. Canadian Privacy Rights (PIPEDA Compliance)

As an Ontario-based technical provider, we fully comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). You maintain the following rights regarding your agency data:

  • The right to request transparent access to any personal data records we hold.
  • The right to demand prompt corrections to inaccurate contact or corporate details.
  • The right to challenge our compliance framework directly with us or escalate an unresolved issue to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

7. Cookies and Development Analytics

To support core development features, monitor system performance, and analyze platform navigation patterns, our Website utilizes functional cookies and lightweight analytical pixels. These scripts capture generalized system variables (such as browser type, viewport size, and loading latency) to improve our site optimization and layout flow. They do not harvest, track, or link individual visitor identities with general statistical logs.

8. Changes and Amendments

We reserve the right to modify this Policy at any time at our discretion to match updates in privacy law or changes in our development stack. When updates are published, we will revise the updated date at the top of this document. Continued navigation of the platform implies direct consent to the updated terms.

9. Acceptance of this Policy

By navigating thedesignworks.ca, executing our consultation forms, or submitting backend technical metadata through our platform, you explicitly consent to the professional handling of your data as established in this contract.

10. Contacting us

If you have any questions, wish to audit your file records, or need to formally communicate with our data management point-of-contact, please connect with us directly:

Corporate Operator: True North Digital Network Inc.

Agency Endpoint: https://thedesignworks.ca/contact/

Data Access Tool: Submit a data access request