Privacy Policy &
Terms of Service

1. Privacy Policy

Quantum Hardware Software Systems LLC ("QHS Systems", "we", "us", "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect personal information when you visit our website at qhssystems.com (the "Site") or engage with us for business purposes.

This policy applies to all visitors, clients, and business contacts worldwide. We comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and applicable US federal and state privacy laws.

2. Data We Collect

Information you provide voluntarily

• Contact inquiries: Name, email address, company name, and message content when you contact us via email or contact forms.
• Business communications: Information exchanged during consultations, proposals, or engagements (names, contact details, project requirements).

Information collected automatically

• Usage data: IP address (anonymized where possible), browser type, operating system, pages visited, time spent on pages, and referral URLs — collected via server logs and, if you consent, analytics tools.
• Cookies and local storage: We use cookies and browser localStorage to remember your cookie consent preference. See the Cookie Policy section below.

Information we do not collect

We do not collect payment information directly (any payments are processed by third-party payment processors). We do not collect sensitive personal data such as health data, biometric data, or government identification numbers through this Site.

3. Cookie Policy

Cookies are small text files stored in your browser. We use the following categories:

Essential cookies (always active)

• qhs_cookie_consent: Stored in localStorage. Records your cookie consent choice (accepted or essential-only). Expires after 365 days. No personal data is stored in this value.

Analytics cookies (with consent only)

If you choose "Accept all", we may use privacy-respecting analytics tools to understand aggregate site usage. These tools are configured to anonymize IP addresses and not share data with advertising networks.

How to manage cookies

You can withdraw or change your cookie preferences at any time by clearing your browser's localStorage for this domain, or by using your browser's built-in cookie management tools. You can also set your browser to block all cookies, though this may affect site functionality.

We do not use advertising cookies, cross-site tracking, or sell browsing data to third parties.

4. Your Rights

EU/EEA residents — GDPR rights

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten"), subject to legal obligations.
• Restriction: Request that we limit processing of your data in certain circumstances.
• Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time without affecting prior lawful processing.

Our legal basis for processing personal data is: legitimate interests (responding to business inquiries), performance of a contract (client engagements), and consent (analytics cookies).

You have the right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority if you believe we have not handled your data lawfully.

California residents — CCPA rights

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, California residents have the right to:

• Know: Request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we collect.
• Delete: Request deletion of personal information we have collected, subject to certain exceptions.
• Opt out: We do not sell personal information. No opt-out from sale is required.
• Non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the address below. We will respond within 30 days (GDPR) or 45 days (CCPA) of receiving a verifiable request.

5. Data Retention & Security

We retain personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law:

• Contact inquiry data: up to 3 years after last contact, unless a business relationship requires longer retention.
• Client engagement data: for the duration of the engagement plus 7 years, as required for business and tax records.
• Server logs: up to 90 days, used for security monitoring and then deleted.

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These include access controls, encrypted communications (HTTPS), and limited internal data access on a need-to-know basis.

We do not transfer personal data outside the EEA without appropriate safeguards (Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions) where required by GDPR.

6. Third-Party Services

Our Site may reference or link to the following third-party platforms. Each has its own privacy policy:

• LinkedIn — Used for founder profile links. LinkedIn's privacy policy applies when you visit linkedin.com.
• ResearchGate — Linked for academic publications. ResearchGate's privacy policy applies.
• Google Scholar — Linked for citation data. Google's privacy policy applies.
• Google Fonts — This Site loads fonts from Google's CDN. Google may collect limited request data. We use display=swap and preconnect hints to minimize exposure.

We do not embed third-party advertising, social media tracking pixels, or any cross-site tracking scripts on this Site.

7. Terms of Service

By accessing this Site, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

Use of the Site

This Site is provided for informational purposes about the services offered by Quantum Hardware Software Systems LLC. You may access and view the content for lawful purposes only. You agree not to:

• Use the Site in any way that violates applicable laws or regulations.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Site or its underlying systems.
• Scrape, copy, or reproduce content from this Site without prior written permission.
• Use automated tools to interact with the Site in a way that places unreasonable load on our servers.
• Misrepresent your identity or affiliation when contacting us through the Site.

Accuracy of information

We make reasonable efforts to ensure the information on this Site is accurate and current. However, we do not warrant that all content is error-free or complete. Information about services, team members, and research credentials reflects conditions as of the publication date and may change without notice.

No professional advice

Content on this Site is for general informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal, financial, technical, or scientific advice. Specific advice is only provided through formal engagement agreements signed by both parties.

8. Intellectual Property

All content on this Site — including but not limited to text, design, graphics, logos, code, and the selection and arrangement of content — is the property of Quantum Hardware Software Systems LLC or its licensors and is protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and intellectual property laws.

The hero background photograph (IQM quantum computer hardware) is used under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Attribution: IQM Finland Oy via Wikimedia Commons.

You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, or commercially exploit any content from this Site without express prior written permission from us, except as permitted by applicable law (e.g., fair use for commentary or criticism).

References to third-party product names (IBM Quantum, IonQ, Quantinuum, Qiskit, PennyLane, etc.) are for descriptive purposes only and do not imply endorsement or affiliation.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Quantum Hardware Software Systems LLC, its founders, employees, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of, or inability to use, this Site or its content.

The Site is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Site at any time without notice.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New Mexico, USA. Any disputes arising from use of this Site shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New Mexico, USA, except where mandatory consumer protection laws in your jurisdiction provide otherwise.

10. Contact & Data Controller

For privacy requests, rights exercises, or legal inquiries, contact the data controller:

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy and Terms of Service from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of the Site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms. For material changes, we will make reasonable efforts to notify users via site notice.