Online Privacy Policy

Last Updated: October 27, 2026. Effective Date: October 27, 2026.

At Linwood Guardian Risk Management LLC ("Linwood Guardian," "we," "us"), we are committed to protecting your privacy and personal data. This Privacy Policy ("Policy") explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal data when you visit our website, https://linwoodguardian.com/, and use our services.

We are an independent insurance agency based in New York. This Policy is written to meet the laws that apply to our website, including New York's data security law (the SHIELD Act) and, to the extent it applies to us, the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA).

By using our website, you agree to the collection and use of personal data in accordance with this Policy.

1. Introduction and Scope

This Policy applies to personal data processed by Linwood Guardian Risk Management LLC through our website, including our quote request form and our website chat assistant.

Our Contact Details: Linwood Guardian Risk Management LLC, 759 Dick Rd, Buffalo, NY 14225. Phone: (716) 710-8910.

Privacy Contact: Tamara Boyle, tboyle@linwoodguardian.com.

We encourage you to read this Policy carefully to understand our practices regarding your data and how we will treat it.

2. Information We Collect

We collect only the information we need to answer your questions, prepare insurance quotes, and run our website.

2.1. Information You Give Us

Quote requests: your name, email address, phone number, business name, the type of coverage you are interested in, how your vehicles are used (for commercial auto requests), and anything you write in the message box.
Chat messages: anything you type into the chat assistant on our website.
Communications: information you provide when you call, email or otherwise contact us.
Business information: your job title and company name, if you contact us in a business capacity.

Our website does not take payments and does not offer user accounts, so we do not collect payment card details, usernames or passwords through it.

2.2. Information Collected Automatically

If you accept analytics cookies (see section 2.4), we collect information about how you use our website through Google Analytics, including:

Device information: browser type and version, operating system, and device type.
Usage information: pages visited, time spent on pages, the site that referred you, and the links and buttons you click, such as tapping our phone number or sending a quote request.
Location: general location (city or region) derived from your IP address.

Like any website, our hosting provider also records basic technical logs (such as IP address, browser and the page requested) to deliver the site and keep it secure.

2.3. Sensitive Personal Information

We do not collect sensitive personal information through our website (for example Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, health information, financial account numbers, or racial or ethnic origin). Please do not enter this kind of information in our quote form or chat assistant. If we need sensitive information to quote or place your insurance, we will ask for it directly.

2.4. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use a small number of technologies, and only one of them is used for analytics:

Analytics cookies (Google Analytics): set only after you click "Accept" on our cookie banner. They help us understand how visitors use the site. We do not use them for advertising. If you click "Decline," or if your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, Google Analytics does not load and these cookies are not set.
Your cookie choice: stored in your browser's local storage so we remember it on your next visit.
Chat conversation: kept in your browser's session storage while your browser tab is open, so the conversation stays on screen as you move between pages. It is cleared when you close the tab.
Map: our Contact page shows an embedded Google Map, and Google may set its own cookies when the map loads. Google's privacy policy applies to that content.

You can change your choice at any time using the "Cookie Settings" link at the bottom of every page. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings.

2.5. Our Website Chat Assistant

The chat assistant on our website is an automated artificial intelligence (AI) system, not a person. When you send it a message, your message is sent to our AI service provider to generate a reply. We do not save chat transcripts, and our provider does not use them to train its models. The assistant gives general information only; it cannot bind, change or cancel coverage. For advice about your situation, please call or email us.

3. How We Use Your Information

To respond to you and provide our services: to answer your questions, prepare and compare insurance quotes, and service the insurance you buy through us.
For customer support: to respond to your calls, emails and messages.
To improve our website: to understand how visitors use the site, using analytics only if you have accepted analytics cookies.
For security and fraud prevention: to protect our website and our clients, including filtering spam submissions.
To comply with legal obligations: including the record-keeping rules that apply to licensed insurance agencies.

We do not use your information for targeted advertising, and we do not sell it.

4. How We Share Your Information

We share personal data only as described below.

Insurance companies and wholesale brokers: to get you a quote or place your coverage, we share the information you provide with the insurance carriers and wholesale brokers we work with.
Service providers: companies that help us run our website and business, acting on our behalf and only for that purpose. These include our website hosting provider, our analytics provider (Google Analytics), the AI provider that powers our chat assistant, the service that delivers quote requests to our inbox, and our email provider.
Business transfers: if Linwood Guardian is involved in a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, your personal data may be transferred. We will give notice before it becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
Legal requirements: when we believe in good faith that disclosure is needed to comply with the law, respond to a subpoena or court order, protect our rights or property, prevent or investigate wrongdoing, or protect anyone's safety.
With your consent: for any other purpose you agree to.
Aggregated or de-identified data: information that cannot reasonably be used to identify you.

5. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral (targeted) advertising.

Our only use of third-party analytics is Google Analytics, which runs only if you accept it. To opt out, choose "Decline" in our cookie banner or use the "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" or "Cookie Settings" links at the bottom of every page. Using the "Do Not Sell or Share" link turns analytics off for your browser immediately. We also treat a Global Privacy Control signal from your browser as an opt-out, automatically.

6. Where Your Information Is Stored

We are based in the United States, and our service providers store and process data in the United States. If you visit our website from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States.

7. Data Security and Retention

7.1. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction, as required by New York's SHIELD Act. These include:

Encryption: our website is served only over HTTPS (SSL/TLS), so information you send us is encrypted in transit.
Access controls: only authorized people can access personal data.
Data minimization: we collect only what we need.
Security reviews: our website is checked regularly for security issues.

No method of transmission over the internet or of electronic storage is 100% secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7.2. Data Retention

We keep personal data only as long as we need it for the purposes in this Policy, unless the law requires or permits us to keep it longer. Quote requests and related correspondence are kept as long as needed to respond to you and to meet the record-keeping requirements for licensed insurance agencies. Analytics data is kept by Google Analytics for no longer than 14 months. When we no longer need personal data, we delete it or make it anonymous.

8. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

Know what personal data we collect, why we collect it, and how we use and share it. This Policy is our answer.
Access a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Correct personal data that is inaccurate or incomplete.
Delete personal data, subject to the records we must keep by law.
Opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal data (see section 5).
Withdraw consent you have given, such as for analytics cookies, at any time.
Not be discriminated against for exercising any of these rights.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at tboyle@linwoodguardian.com or call (716) 710-8910. We will respond within the time the law requires (for example, 45 days under the CCPA). We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request. Exercising your rights is free unless a request is clearly unfounded or excessive.

9. Children's Privacy

Our website is intended for adults and is not directed to anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has given us personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

10. Links to Other Websites

Our website contains links to other websites that we do not operate, such as insurance company and Better Business Bureau pages. If you click a third-party link, you will be taken to that site, and its own privacy policy applies. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of third-party sites.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the new Policy on this page and update the "Last Updated" date at the top. We review this Policy at least once a year. Changes are effective when they are posted on this page.

12. Questions and Complaints

If you have questions or concerns about our privacy practices, please contact Tamara Boyle at tboyle@linwoodguardian.com or (716) 710-8910, or write to us at 759 Dick Rd, Buffalo, NY 14225.

You may also contact the New York State Attorney General's Bureau of Internet and Technology, or, for questions about an insurance matter, the New York State Department of Financial Services. California residents may contact the California Attorney General or the California Privacy Protection Agency.