Privacy & Cookie Policy

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

At G&J Appraisal, LLC, we believe that your privacy is a fundamental right, not a commodity to be traded or exploited. Unlike many websites that harvest your personal information for advertising, analytics, or sale to third parties, we have made a deliberate choice to operate differently. We do not track you. We do not profile you. We do not collect or store any information about your browsing behavior, location, device characteristics, or any other personally identifiable information.

This commitment extends to every aspect of our online presence. We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any other third-party tracking scripts. We do not participate in advertising networks. We do not employ fingerprinting techniques. We do not set tracking cookies. Your visit to our website is your business, not ours.

What We Store

The only data we store on your device is a single preference setting: gj-theme. This value is saved in your browser's localStorage and contains nothing more than your display preference; whether you prefer our website in dark mode or light mode. This setting exists solely to enhance your browsing experience by remembering your visual preference between visits.

This theme preference:

• Contains no personally identifiable information
• Is stored only on your device, never transmitted to our servers
• Can be cleared at any time through your browser settings
• Is not used for tracking, analytics, or any purpose other than displaying the site in your preferred color scheme

No Cookies for Tracking

We do not use cookies for tracking purposes. Period. While many websites deploy dozens of cookies to monitor your behavior, build advertising profiles, and share your data across the internet, we have chosen a simpler and more respectful approach. When you visit our site, you can browse with confidence knowing that no tracking cookies are being placed on your device.

Third-Party Services

Our website loads fonts from Google Fonts to ensure consistent typography across devices. Google may log standard server access information (IP address, browser type, etc.) as part of delivering these fonts. We have no control over or access to any data Google may collect through this service. If this concerns you, you may use browser extensions that block external font loading.

Contact Information You Provide

If you choose to contact us through our contact form or by email, the information you voluntarily provide (name, email, phone number, message content) will be used solely to respond to your inquiry and provide our services. We do not add this information to marketing lists, sell it to third parties, or use it for any purpose other than the direct business communication you initiated.

Data Storage

Upon completion of an inventory, you will receive a zip archive containing all of your personal data along with your appraisal and related documentation. After the job is complete, you retain the only copy of this data.

During the appraisal process, all client data is stored exclusively on an encrypted partition using LUKS2 (Linux Unified Key Setup version 2). LUKS2 is the standard for Linux hard disk encryption, providing robust protection through authenticated encryption, secure key management, and resistance to tampering. It uses modern cryptographic algorithms including AES-256 and Argon2id for key derivation, making unauthorized access to the encrypted data computationally infeasible.

Your data is never stored on the internet or in any cloud service. It exists only on our local encrypted drive during the retention period.

Retention Policy

We retain client inventory data for 90 days following the completion of your appraisal. After this period, all inventory data is permanently deleted from our systems. This limited retention window exists solely to address any immediate follow-up questions or corrections you may need.

Business records such as: tax documents, invoices, contracts, and non-disclosure agreements are retained in compliance with Virginia Code § 55.1-2537. Note: Invoices DO NOT contain firearm and accessory information.

Questions

If you have any questions about our privacy practices, please get in touch. We are happy to discuss our approach to privacy and answer any concerns you may have.