Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, tablet, or mobile phone when you visit our website. They allow us to remember information about your visit, such as your preferred language and other settings.

This makes your next visit to our website easier and the site more useful to you.

Types of Cookies

Cookies can be categorized in the following ways:

By Duration:

• Session cookies (deleted when you close browser)
• Persistent cookies (stored for set period)

By Purpose:

• Essential/Necessary (required for site function)
• Preference (remember your choices)
• Analytics (understand how you use site)
• Marketing/Advertising (track for ads)

2. Essential Cookies (Always Active)

These cookies are necessary for our website to function properly.

What They Do

• Enable login/authentication
• Secure your session
• Load balancing
• Remember your preferences
• Prevent fraud
• Security features

Examples

• Session ID cookies
• Security tokens
• CSRF protection
• Load balancer cookies

Duration

• Usually deleted when you close browser
• Some may persist for security

Cannot Be Disabled

You cannot disable these cookies as the website will not function without them.

Legal Basis: Contractual necessity

3. Analytics Cookies

These cookies help us understand how visitors use our website.

What They Collect

• Pages visited
• Time spent on page
• Links clicked
• Referring website
• Device type
• Browser type
• General location (not precise)
• User interaction patterns

What They DON'T Collect

• ❌ Personally identifiable information
• ❌ Payment information
• ❌ Precise location
• ❌ Email addresses (unless provided)

Services We Use

Google Analytics 4

• Purpose: Website analytics
• Data: Page views, user behavior, traffic sources
• Duration: 2 years (default)
• Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
• Opt-out: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Consent Required

These cookies require your consent before placement.

Legal Basis: Explicit consent

4. Marketing & Advertising Cookies

These cookies are used to track your activity for advertising purposes.

What They Do

• Display relevant ads
• Remarketing (show ads on other sites)
• Measure ad effectiveness
• Build audience segments
• Frequency capping

Services We Use

Note: We currently do not use marketing/advertising cookies, but may implement them in the future with your consent.

Consent Required

These cookies require your consent before placement.

Legal Basis: Explicit consent

5. Cookie Consent Management

How We Obtain Consent

First Visit: When you first visit our website, you'll see a cookie consent banner that:

• Explains cookies we use
• Distinguishes essential vs optional
• Provides accept/reject options
• Provides manage preferences option

Consent Options

Accept All:

• Essential cookies: Automatically enabled
• Analytics cookies: Enabled
• Marketing cookies: Enabled

Reject Non-Essential:

• Essential cookies: Enabled
• Analytics cookies: Disabled
• Marketing cookies: Disabled

Manage Preferences:

• Choose which optional cookies to enable
• Fine-grained control
• Customize your experience

Changing Your Preferences

You can change your cookie preferences anytime:

• Click "Cookie Settings" in footer
• Adjust preferences
• Click "Save"
• Your choice is remembered

Withdrawing Consent

You can withdraw consent anytime by:

• Clearing browser cookies
• Clicking "Cookie Settings" and opting out
• Contacting us at [email protected]

5.5. How We Handle Cookie Rejection

The Problem (Old Way - Without Consent Mode V2)

Before: If you rejected analytics cookies:

• We couldn't place ANY cookies
• We couldn't see ANY of your behavior
• We lost 25-35% of traffic data
• Our reports became inaccurate

The Solution (New Way - With Consent Mode V2)

Now: If you reject analytics cookies:

• ✓ NO cookies placed on your device
• ✓ NO personal data stored or shared
• ✓ BUT we still get ~85% accurate traffic insights
• ✓ Using Google's behavioral modeling AI

Here's How It Works

When you ACCEPT analytics cookies:

You visit our site → Cookie placed on device →
Your data tracked in detail → Your journey recorded →
We see: pages, time, behavior, conversions

When you REJECT analytics cookies:

You visit our site → No cookie placed (respects your choice) →
Anonymous signal sent to Google →
Google compares to similar users who accepted →
Google's AI estimates your likely behavior →
We see: traffic trends, approximate conversions, general patterns

Why This Is GDPR Compliant

1. No cookies without consent ✓
   • Your choice is respected
   • No tracking files on your device
   • Completely optional
2. No personal data stored ✓
   • Behavioral modeling doesn't create a profile of "you"
   • No user ID created if you reject
   • All data is aggregated
3. You have full control ✓
   • You can change your mind anytime
   • You can request data deletion
   • You can see how we're tracking you
4. Transparent about methods ✓
   • You're reading about it right now
   • We explain behavioral modeling
   • You understand what we're doing

6. Google Consent Mode V2 Deep Dive

What Is Google Consent Mode V2?

Google Consent Mode V2 is a technology framework that allows websites to:

1. Respect your cookie choices - No cookies if you say no
2. Continue providing insights - Through behavioral modeling
3. Stay compliant with laws - GDPR, CCPA, DMA, etc.
4. Build better analytics - AI learns from willing participants

The Four Consent Parameters

When you interact with our cookie banner, we're actually updating these parameters:

Behavioral Modeling Explained

When you reject tracking cookies, Google uses "Behavioral Modeling" — here's what that means:

The Process:

1. You visit our site and reject tracking cookies
2. Your page view/action is recorded as an anonymous ping
3. No cookies, no user ID, no personal data stored
4. Google's machine learning system compares this ping to users who DID accept
5. Google finds "similar users" - people with similar:
   • Device type
   • Location (country/general region)
   • Time of visit
   • Initial page viewed
   • Browsing behavior (estimated)
6. Google estimates: "Based on similar users, this visitor probably has X% chance of converting"
7. We get the estimate instead of exact data

Real Example:

Privacy Guarantee With Behavioral Modeling

Even though Google estimates your behavior:

• ❌ NO profile of "you" is created
• ❌ NO personal identifier is stored
• ❌ NO historical data about you is kept
• ❌ You cannot be identified by this data

✓ You appear as aggregated trends only
✓ The estimates are temporary (not stored long-term)
✓ You're still completely anonymous

7. If You Reject Cookies, Here's What Happens

8. Your Data Rights With Consent Mode V2

You Have These Rights

9. How To Change Your Cookie Preferences

Change Your Mind? Easy.

10. Technical Details (For Curious Users)

The "Ping" Explained

When you reject cookies but we still see data, here's the technical side:

What is a "ping"?

Example ping sequence:

Consent Mode V2 Parameters (Technical)

For developers: Consent Mode V2 uses 4 parameters we set:

gtag('consent', 'update', {
  'analytics_storage': 'granted' | 'denied',
  'ad_storage': 'granted' | 'denied',
  'ad_user_data': 'granted' | 'denied',      // NEW in V2
  'ad_personalization': 'granted' | 'denied' // NEW in V2
});

Each parameter is independent:

• You can accept analytics but reject ads
• You can accept ads but reject personalization
• You have granular control

11. FAQs About Consent Mode V2

12. Compliance With Laws

GDPR Compliance

CCPA Compliance

DMA Compliance (Europe)

13. Cookie List

Essential Cookies (Always)

Analytics Cookies (With Consent)

14. Third-Party Cookies

We work with third parties who may set their own cookies:

Google Analytics

• Purpose: Traffic analysis
• Cookies: _ga, _gid, _gat, and others
• Privacy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
• Opt-out: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

15. Local Storage & Similar Technologies

In addition to cookies, we may use:

Local Storage

• Purpose: Store user preferences
• Duration: Until cleared by user
• Sensitive data: No

Session Storage

• Purpose: Temporary data during session
• Duration: Until browser closed
• Sensitive data: No

Pixel Tags

• Purpose: Track email opens and link clicks
• Duration: Varies
• Used in: Email campaigns

16. Your Browser Controls

How to Manage Cookies

Most browsers allow you to control cookies:

Chrome:

1. Settings → Privacy and security
2. Cookies and other site data
3. Allow or block by site

Firefox:

1. Preferences → Privacy & Security
2. Cookies and Site Data
3. Manage exceptions

Safari:

1. Preferences → Privacy
2. Cookies and website data
3. Manage storage

Edge:

1. Settings → Privacy
2. Cookies and other site data
3. Manage exceptions

Do Not Track (DNT)

If your browser has DNT enabled, some third parties may honor it. We honor DNT signals where possible.

17. Data Retention

How Long We Keep Cookie Data

Data Deletion

You can request deletion anytime by:

• Clearing browser cookies
• Contacting [email protected]
• Requesting right to erasure

18. Children's Privacy

We do NOT knowingly:

• Use cookies for children under 13
• Track children's data
• Display ads to children
• Collect children's information

COPPA Compliance: Children under 13 should not use our site.

Parents concerned: Contact [email protected]

19. International Users

GDPR (EU/EEA)

• Consent required before analytics/marketing cookies
• Right to access, delete, restrict
• 30-day response requirement
• Can file complaint with data authority

CCPA (California)

• Right to know what's collected
• Right to delete your data
• Right to opt-out of sale
• Right to non-discrimination

LGPD (Brazil)

• Consent required
• Data controller transparency
• User rights included

20. Updates to This Policy

We may update this cookie policy anytime.

Notification

• Updated policy posted to this page
• Last updated date changed
• Material changes: Email notification

Your Acceptance

Continued use = acceptance of updated policy.

22. Related Policies

• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service
• Cookie Settings (Manage your preferences)