Legal

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 13, 2026 · Last Updated: July 13, 2026

1. Introduction and Scope

Dr. Ryan Giffen ("Dr. Giffen," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how information is collected, used, disclosed, retained, and protected when you visit or interact with this website, including when you submit an inquiry through the Site's contact form.

This Privacy Policy applies only to this Site. It does not apply to third-party websites, social-media platforms, podcast platforms, event-registration services, or other websites or services that may be linked from the Site. Those third parties maintain their own privacy practices and policies.

Plain-Language Summary

Information submitted through the contact form is used to understand the services you may be requesting and to respond to your inquiry.

We do not sell, rent, trade, or disclose your contact-form information to third parties for their own marketing or advertising. We do not use contact-form information for unrelated promotional communications or subscribe you to a mailing list without separate permission.

Limited service providers may process information solely to host and operate the Site, deliver form submissions and email, maintain security, store appropriate business records, and provide basic website analytics.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Voluntarily Provide

When you submit the contact form, we may collect:

Your first and last name;
Your email address;
Your telephone number, if you choose to provide it;
The category or type of service you are seeking;
The contents of your message;
The organization, matter, project, or event you choose to describe; and
Any other information you voluntarily include in your communication.

Providing information through the contact form is voluntary. Certain fields may be required so that we can understand and respond to your inquiry.

By providing an email address or telephone number, you authorize Dr. Giffen to contact you individually regarding the inquiry you submitted. This authorization does not enroll you in marketing communications and does not authorize automated promotional calls or text messages.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the Site, the Site and its service providers may automatically collect limited technical and usage information, including:

Internet Protocol address;
Browser type and version;
Device type;
Operating system;
Screen resolution and similar device characteristics;
Cookie or online identifiers;
Pages viewed;
Links or features used;
Date and time of access;
Referring website or source;
General interaction information; and
Approximate geographic location derived from an IP address, such as city, region, or country.

This information is generally used to understand Site traffic, improve Site performance, identify technical issues, and maintain security.

2.3 Information We Do Not Request

Please do not submit highly sensitive information through the general contact form, including:

Social Security numbers;
Driver's-license or passport numbers;
Financial-account or payment-card information;
Account passwords or security credentials;
Detailed medical or health information;
Private personnel records;
Confidential employee-investigation materials;
Protected health information;
Trade secrets;
Attorney work product;
Information subject to a protective order;
Privileged communications; or
Confidential case files or litigation strategy.

Attorneys or legal professionals seeking expert-witness or litigation-support services should initially provide only a high-level, nonconfidential description of the matter. Confidential documents and case materials should not be transmitted until Dr. Giffen has completed any appropriate conflicts review, accepted the engagement in writing, and provided an appropriate transmission method.

The Site does not presently process online payments or intentionally collect financial-account information.

3. Sources of Information

We collect information:

Directly from you when you complete a form or otherwise communicate with us;
Automatically from your browser or device when you use the Site; and
From service providers that host, secure, maintain, or analyze the Site on our behalf.

4. How We Use Information

We may use information collected through the Site to:

Receive, review, and respond to your inquiry;
Understand the service, event, speaking engagement, consulting need, workshop, research request, podcast collaboration, or expert-witness matter you are describing;
Determine whether Dr. Giffen may be available and appropriately qualified to assist;
Contact you using the email address or telephone number you provided;
Schedule an introductory conversation;
Maintain reasonable records of inquiries and communications;
Transition an accepted matter into a separate written professional-services agreement;
Operate, maintain, secure, and improve the Site;
Understand aggregate Site traffic and engagement;
Identify technical problems, spam, fraud, misuse, or security threats;
Protect our rights, property, safety, and legitimate interests; and
Comply with applicable legal obligations.

We do not use contact-form information to enroll you in a newsletter, distribute unrelated promotional messages, or create advertising profiles unless you separately and affirmatively request or consent to such communications.

5. When Information May Be Disclosed

We limit disclosure of personal information to the circumstances described below.

5.1 Website and Operational Service Providers

Information may be processed by limited service providers that perform functions on our behalf, such as:

Website hosting;
Contact-form processing and delivery;
Email delivery and hosting;
Cloud storage or business-record maintenance;
Website security, spam prevention, debugging, or technical support; and
Website traffic measurement and analytics.

These providers receive only the information reasonably necessary to perform their services. They are not authorized by us to sell contact-form information or use it for their own independent marketing.

The processing of information by these providers is an operational disclosure and is not a sale of your information.

5.2 Legal, Safety, and Rights-Protection Purposes

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

Comply with applicable law, regulation, subpoena, court order, or lawful governmental request;
Exercise or defend legal rights or claims;
Enforce applicable agreements or Site terms;
Investigate fraud, abuse, or security incidents; or
Protect the rights, property, safety, or security of Dr. Giffen, Site visitors, or others.

5.3 At Your Direction or With Your Consent

We may disclose information when you expressly direct or authorize us to do so, such as when you ask us to communicate with another person regarding your inquiry.

6. No Sale or Targeted-Advertising Sharing

We do not:

Sell personal information;
Rent personal information;
Trade personal information;
Exchange personal information for monetary or other valuable consideration;
Provide contact-form information to third parties for their independent marketing;
Use contact-form information for cross-context behavioral advertising; or
"Share" personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising as that term is defined under California privacy law.

During the preceding 12 months, we have not sold personal information or shared personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

Because there is presently no sale or targeted-advertising sharing from which to opt out, the Site does not provide a "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link. If these practices change, this Privacy Policy and the Site's privacy controls will be updated before the new practice is implemented where required by law.

7. Google Analytics, Cookies, and Similar Technologies

7.1 Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to obtain general information about how visitors find, navigate, and engage with the Site. Google Analytics may use cookies and similar identifiers and may process information such as device and browser information, Site pages viewed, approximate location, referring source, interaction and session information, and an IP address used to provide the service.

We do not intentionally transmit your name, email address, telephone number, contact-form message, or other directly identifying contact-form information to Google Analytics. We use Google Analytics for basic Site measurement rather than advertising. We do not use Google Analytics Advertising Features, Google Signals, remarketing audiences, cross-site advertising personalization, or Google Ads-linked profiling.

7.2 Cookies

The Site may use cookies necessary to operate and secure the Site, and analytics cookies used to understand Site traffic and performance. You may configure your browser to block, restrict, or delete cookies. You may also use Google's Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

7.3 Do Not Track

Because there is not presently a universally accepted technical standard for interpreting Do Not Track signals, the Site does not currently respond differently to browser-based Do Not Track signals. The Site does not use contact-form information for behavioral advertising.

7.4 Global Privacy Control

Because we do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, there is presently no such activity for a Global Privacy Control signal to stop. If our practices change or applicable law requires a different response, we will implement the legally required response.

8. Data Retention

We retain contact-form information only for as long as reasonably necessary to review and respond to the inquiry, communicate regarding the requested service, maintain appropriate business records, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, or establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

If an inquiry becomes a professional engagement, information relating to that engagement may be retained according to the applicable engagement agreement and professional recordkeeping requirements. If no engagement results, information may be deleted or deidentified when it is no longer reasonably needed.

9. Information Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures intended to protect personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, loss, misuse, or disclosure. However, no website, contact form, email system, storage system, or internet transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You should therefore avoid transmitting highly sensitive, privileged, or confidential information through the general contact form.

10. Your Privacy Choices and Requests

You may request that we confirm whether we maintain contact-form information about you, provide access to information you submitted, correct inaccurate contact information, delete contact-form information, or stop further communications regarding an inquiry.

To submit a request, use the Site's Contact page and include the words "Privacy Request" in your message, or call (949) 992-1164. We will not discriminate against you for making a legitimate privacy request.

11. California Privacy Information

11.1 Categories of Information Collected

During the preceding 12 months, the Site may have collected identifiers (name, email, phone, IP address, cookie identifiers), internet or electronic-network activity, approximate geolocation information, professional or service-inquiry information, and communications including the contents of inquiries sent to Dr. Giffen.

11.2 CCPA and CPRA

Based on the current scope of this personal professional website, we do not believe the Site operator presently meets the CCPA/CPRA statutory thresholds. Nevertheless, we provide California visitors with reasonable methods to request access, correction, or deletion of contact-form information. We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

11.3 California "Shine the Light"

We do not disclose contact-form personal information to third parties for their independent direct-marketing purposes.

12. Children's Privacy

The Site is designed for an adult and professional audience and is not directed to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of individuals under 16 years of age.

13. Third-Party Websites and Services

The Site may link to third-party websites or services. A link does not mean that Dr. Giffen controls or is responsible for that third party's privacy, security, content, or business practices. You should review the privacy policy of each third-party service before providing information to it.

14. International Visitors

The Site is operated from the United States. Information submitted through or collected by the Site may be processed and stored in the United States. By voluntarily submitting an inquiry, you understand that your information will be processed in the United States for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when Site features, service providers, data practices, or legal requirements change. The updated policy will be posted on the Site with a revised "Last Updated" date. Material changes will be communicated through a reasonably prominent notice on the Site or by another legally required method.

16. Contact Information

Questions, concerns, or requests concerning this Privacy Policy may be submitted through the Site's Contact page. Please include "Privacy Request" in the message.

You may also call:

Dr. Ryan Giffen
Telephone: (949) 992-1164