Privacy Policy & Data Custody Protocol

1. Scope & Covered Digital Fleet

This Privacy Policy applies to all digital properties, automated services, and communication channels operated by 7 Layer Studio ("we," "us," or "our"), including:

• Main Agency Website: https://7layer.studio/
• The Media Zine: https://zine.7layer.studio/ (audio essays, video teardowns, interactive pitch decks, and reader discussions)
• 7 Layer Lister: https://lister.7layer.studio/ (local visibility scanner, IndexNow push protocol, and schema engine)
• Direct Client Automations: Inbound SMS, missed-call text-back dispatchers, AI receptionist test lines, and consultation forms.

2. The Zero-SaaS Data Custody Difference

Standard agency and automation vendors route your business records through third-party SaaS middleware (e.g., Zapier, Make, bloated CRM hubs), allowing intermediate services to warehouse, process, and analyze your proprietary customer conversations.

7 Layer Studio operates under a Zero-SaaS code ownership model:

3. Information We Collect & How It Is Handled

We only collect information when you directly provide it to us or when required to generate an audit requested by you:

A. Direct Inquiries & Project Consultations

When you submit an inquiry form, email us at automate@7layer.studio, or call/text us at 937-315-2585, we receive your name, email address, phone number, and project scope details. This information is used strictly to communicate with you regarding automation projects and provide requested quotes.

B. 7 Layer Lister Visibility Audits (lister.7layer.studio)

When you enter a website URL into our visibility scanner, our server analyzes publicly accessible HTTP response headers, SSL certificate expiration dates, HTML viewport tags, and Schema.org JSON-LD scripts. When you submit your business details to receive the full audit report:

• We record the business name, phone number, website URL, and calculated score.
• This data is appended directly to an internal, encrypted lead ledger accessible strictly by 7 Layer Studio system administrators.
• We never publish your business audit to a public index or sell it to competitor agencies.

C. Media Zine Reader Discussions (zine.7layer.studio)

When you participate in reader discussions on The Media Zine, you provide an author display name and your comment text. These entries are stored on our dedicated VPS instance to foster technical dialogue. We do not require third-party social logins or track your browsing habits across other sites.

D. Technical Logs & Telemetry

Like all standard web servers, our Nginx reverse proxy logs basic access parameters (client IP address, timestamp, requested URI, and user-agent) solely to detect security intrusions, mitigate malicious bot floods, and maintain server reliability. These logs are automatically rotated and purged.

4. Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) & SMS Policy

7 Layer Studio respects your privacy regarding mobile telephone numbers and text communications. We strictly adhere to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and wireless carrier compliance standards:

• No Promotional SMS Blasts: We do not purchase marketing contact lists, nor do we blast unsolicited mass text promotions to consumers.
• How to Opt-Out: You may revoke SMS communication consent at any time. Simply reply STOP, CANCEL, END, UNSUBSCRIBE, or QUIT to any text message received from our system. Upon receiving your command, our system will send a single final confirmation text and cease all automated SMS transmissions.
• Help & Customer Support: Reply HELP to any text message, call us at (937) 315-2585, or email automate@7layer.studio.
• Message & Data Rates: Standard message and data rates may apply depending on your wireless service provider plan. Message frequency varies based on your direct interaction with our services.
• Carrier Disclaimer: Wireless carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
• Zero Mobile Number Sharing: Mobile phone numbers collected for text messaging consent will never be sold, rented, or shared with third parties or affiliates for promotional or marketing purposes.

5. CAN-SPAM Act & Commercial Email Compliance

We comply fully with the Federal Trade Commission's CAN-SPAM Act requirements:

• Clear Identification: Emails sent from our systems clearly identify 7 Layer Studio as the sender (automate@7layer.studio or admin@7layer.studio).
• Accurate Headers & Subjects: Our email headers and subject lines accurately reflect the content and purpose of the communication without deceptive headers.
• Physical Address Disclosure: Our verified business mailing address is disclosed in all business correspondence: 1431 Malden Ave, Dayton / Springfield, OH 45504.
• Unsubscribe Mechanism: Every non-transactional email contains a clear, conspicuous link or reply mechanism to unsubscribe. Unsubscribe requests are processed immediately and honored in perpetuity.

6. 7 Layer Lister & Private Directory Protocol

Many lead-generation tools scrape small business data and post it into public directories where competitor agencies scrape phone numbers for unsolicited cold calling.

The 7 Layer Studio Confidentiality Standard:

• Private Database: Audit results and contact numbers submitted to lister.7layer.studio are stored in a private, token-authenticated repository. No public lead index or open business directory is maintained.
• IndexNow Search Engine Push: When an IndexNow ping is requested, our engine packages the public URL and notifies participating search engines (including Microsoft Bing and Yandex) to re-crawl your updated content. No internal contact info or private metadata is transmitted to search crawlers during this ping.
• Local Schema Generator: The LocalBusiness JSON-LD schema generated by our tool runs entirely in your browser. The generated markup is for you to paste into your website header; it is not cataloged for third-party resale.

7. Third-Party APIs & Google API Services Policy

When 7 Layer Studio builds custom automations interfacing with Google Cloud Platform APIs (such as Gmail, Google Drive, Google Sheets, or Google Calendar):

• All applications are created inside your own Google Cloud organization or Workspace console.
• 7 Layer Studio adheres strictly to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
• Data accessed through Google APIs is used solely to execute the specific, client-authorized automation functions (e.g., creating calendar bookings, sending invoice alerts, reading spreadsheet rows).
• We do not transfer or disclose Google user data to third parties, nor do we use Google user data for serving advertisements or training general AI foundation models.

8. Data Security & Infrastructure Specifications

We implement industry-standard cryptographic and administrative security measures across our digital infrastructure:

• Strict Transport Security (HSTS): All web requests across 7layer.studio, zine.7layer.studio, and lister.7layer.studio are enforced over TLS 1.3 encryption with a 1-year HSTS header (max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload).
• Server Hardening: Our Linux host servers utilize hardened SSH key-pair authentication (Ed25519), disabled root password logins, Docker container isolation, and automated Nginx reverse proxy routing.
• Zero Storage of Payment Cards: 7 Layer Studio does not store, process, or hold payment card details. All invoicing and payments are executed via secure, PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant processors (such as Stripe or QuickBooks).

9. Your Data Rights & Right to Deletion

Regardless of your physical jurisdiction (including CCPA/CPRA rights in California or international privacy frameworks), we extend the following universal rights to all clients and visitors:

• Right of Access: You may request a copy of any personal contact records or consultation notes maintained in our systems.
• Right to Rectification: You may request immediate corrections to inaccurate phone numbers, business names, or email records.
• Right to Erasure ("Right to Be Forgotten"): Upon your email request to automate@7layer.studio, we will permanently delete your inquiry records, audit submissions, and discussion comments from our databases within 10 business days, free of charge.
• Non-Discrimination: We never deny service, adjust pricing, or degrade engineering quality if you exercise any of your privacy rights.

10. Contact, Governance & Policy Updates

This policy is reviewed periodically to reflect infrastructure enhancements or statutory requirements. When revisions occur, the "Effective Date" at the top of this document will be updated. Continued engagement with our web properties constitutes acceptance of the current policy.