Cookie Policy for Digitálna Pomoc

Last Updated: October 26, 2024

This Cookie Policy explains how Digitálna Pomoc ("we," "us," or "our") uses cookies and similar tracking technologies when you visit our website at digitalnapomoc.live (the "Site"). This policy is designed to help you understand what cookies are, how we use them, the types of cookies we use, the information we collect using cookies, how that information is used, and how you can manage your cookie preferences. By continuing to browse or use our Site, you agree to the use of cookies as described in this policy, unless you have disabled them via your browser settings or our cookie consent tool.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring transparency about our data practices. This policy is part of our broader commitment to comply with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ePrivacy Directive, where relevant. If you have any questions about this policy, please contact us at the email address provided at the end of this document.

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, tablet, smartphone, or other device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, provide a better user experience, and give website owners information about how their site is being used. Cookies can be "session" cookies (which expire when you close your browser) or "persistent" cookies (which remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them).

Cookies can be set by the website you are visiting (first-party cookies) or by third parties, such as analytics or advertising services (third-party cookies). Third-party cookies enable third-party features or functionality to be provided on or through the website, such as analytics, performance monitoring, or targeted advertising.

In addition to cookies, we may also use similar technologies such as web beacons, pixel tags, and local storage. These technologies function similarly to cookies and are used for the same purposes. For the purposes of this policy, we refer to all these technologies collectively as "cookies."

2. Why We Use Cookies

We use cookies for several purposes, including to ensure the proper functioning of our Site, to improve your experience, to analyze how our Site is used, and to provide personalized content and advertisements. Specifically, we use cookies to:

  • Essential Functionality: Enable core features of the Site, such as secure login, session management, and remembering your preferences (e.g., language settings). Without these cookies, the Site may not function properly.
  • Performance and Analytics: Understand how visitors interact with our Site, including which pages are most frequently visited, how long users spend on pages, and whether users encounter errors. This helps us optimize the Site's performance and content.
  • Personalization: Remember your choices and preferences, such as your preferred language or region, to provide a more tailored experience.
  • Advertising and Marketing: Deliver relevant advertisements to you on our Site and on third-party websites, measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns, and limit the number of times you see an ad.
  • Security: Protect against fraudulent activity, unauthorized access, and other security threats.

3. Types of Cookies We Use

We categorize cookies into the following types based on their function and purpose. Some cookies may fall into more than one category.

3.1. Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are essential for the operation of our Site. They enable you to navigate the Site and use its features, such as accessing secure areas, filling in forms, and making transactions. Without these cookies, the Site cannot function properly. We do not require your consent for the use of strictly necessary cookies, but you may block them via your browser settings, which may affect the Site's performance.

  • Examples: Session cookies for login, CSRF tokens for form security, load balancing cookies.
  • Duration: Typically session-based, but some may persist for the duration of your visit or until you close your browser.

3.2. Performance and Analytics Cookies

These cookies collect information about how you use our Site, such as which pages you visit most often, how you navigate the Site, and whether you encounter errors. This information is aggregated and anonymized, meaning it does not directly identify you. We use this data to improve the performance and user experience of our Site. We may use third-party analytics services, such as Google Analytics, for this purpose.

  • Examples: Google Analytics cookies (_ga, _gid, _gat), heatmap session recordings, performance monitoring scripts.
  • Duration: Up to 2 years for persistent cookies; session-based for some.
  • Consent Required: Yes, we obtain your consent before placing these cookies, unless they are strictly necessary.

3.3. Functional and Preference Cookies

These cookies allow our Site to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, more personalized features. For example, they may remember your language preference, font size, or region. They may also be used to provide services you have requested, such as watching a video or commenting on a blog. The information collected by these cookies is usually anonymized and cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.

  • Examples: Language preference cookies, region selection cookies, saved login preferences.
  • Duration: Up to 1 year or until you clear your cookies.
  • Consent Required: Yes, we obtain your consent for non-essential functional cookies.

3.4. Targeting and Advertising Cookies

These cookies are used to deliver advertisements that are relevant to you and your interests. They may also limit the number of times you see an ad and help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. These cookies are usually placed by third-party advertising networks with our permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organizations, such as advertisers. They may be persistent and may be used to track your browsing activity across different websites.

  • Examples: Google Ads, Facebook Pixel, DoubleClick cookies, retargeting cookies.
  • Duration: Up to 2 years, but typically shorter.
  • Consent Required: Yes, we require your explicit consent before placing targeting or advertising cookies.

3.5. Social Media Cookies

These cookies are set by social media services (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) that we have added to the Site to enable you to share content with your friends and networks. These cookies may track your browsing activity across websites and build a profile of your interests. This may affect the content and messages you see on other websites you visit.

  • Examples: Facebook like button cookies, Twitter share button cookies.
  • Duration: Varies by provider, typically up to 2 years.
  • Consent Required: Yes, we require your consent for social media cookies.

4. Third-Party Cookies

In addition to our own cookies, we may also use various third-party cookies to report usage statistics of the Site, deliver advertisements on and through the Site, and provide other services. These third parties may use cookies, web beacons, and other technologies to collect information about your browsing activities over time and across different websites. The information collected by third-party cookies is subject to the privacy practices of those third parties, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies.

Below is a list of third-party services we may use, along with links to their respective privacy or cookie policies:

Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and we may update it from time to time. We encourage you to check the privacy policies of these third parties for more information on their data practices.

5. How Long Do Cookies Stay on Your Device?

The duration of cookies varies depending on their type and purpose. Some cookies are session cookies, which are deleted automatically when you close your browser. Others are persistent cookies, which remain on your device for a predetermined period (e.g., 30 days, 6 months, or 2 years) or until you delete them manually. The specific duration for each cookie is set by its creator (us or a third party) and can be found in your browser's cookie settings or in the cookie consent tool on our Site.

We do not control the lifespan of cookies set by third parties, but we ensure that our own cookies are set for the minimum duration necessary to achieve their purpose. For example, essential session cookies are deleted upon browser closure, while analytics cookies may persist for up to 2 years.

6. How to Manage and Control Cookies

You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. You can exercise your cookie preferences by using the cookie consent tool provided on our Site (if available) or by adjusting your browser settings. Please note that disabling or rejecting certain cookies may affect the functionality of our Site and your user experience.

6.1. Cookie Consent Tool

When you first visit our Site, you will be presented with a cookie banner that allows you to accept or reject non-essential cookies. You can customize your preferences at any time by clicking the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer of our Site. This tool will allow you to enable or disable different categories of cookies (e.g., analytics, advertising). Your preferences will be stored in a cookie for up to 12 months.

6.2. Browser Settings

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically find these settings in the "Options" or "Preferences" menu of your browser. You can choose to block all cookies, delete existing cookies, or set preferences to allow or block cookies from specific websites. Below are links to instructions for common browsers:

6.3. Opt-Out of Third-Party Cookies

For targeted advertising cookies, you can opt out of interest-based advertising through industry self-regulation programs, such as:

Please note that opting out of interest-based advertising does not mean you will no longer see ads; it means that the ads you see will be less relevant to your interests.

6.4. Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers have a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that lets you signal to websites that you do not want them to track your online activity. Our Site does not currently respond to DNT signals, as there is no consistent industry standard for how to handle them. However, you can manage your cookie preferences as described above.

7. Data Collected Through Cookies

The information we collect through cookies may include, but is not limited to:

  • Device Information: IP address (anonymized where possible), browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen resolution.
  • Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, clickstream data, referral URLs, search queries, interactions with forms or buttons.
  • Preferences: Language preference, region, font size, and other customization choices.
  • Advertising Data: Whether you clicked on an ad, the ad ID, and conversion data.
  • Session Data: Login status, session tokens, and shopping cart contents (if applicable).

We do not use cookies to collect sensitive personal data, such as health information, political opinions, or religious beliefs, unless you explicitly provide such information through our Site (e.g., in a contact form).

8. Data Sharing and Transfers

We may share cookie-collected data with third-party service providers as described in Section 4 above. These providers may process data on our behalf for purposes such as analytics, advertising, and security. We ensure that any third-party service providers we engage are contractually obligated to protect your data and comply with applicable data protection laws.

Some third-party services (e.g., Google, Facebook) may transfer your data to servers located outside the European Economic Area (EEA), including the United States. In such cases, we rely on appropriate safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or the adequacy decisions of the European Commission, to ensure that your data is protected to a standard equivalent to that in the EEA.

9. Data Retention

We retain cookie-collected data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law. The specific retention period for each cookie varies, as outlined in Section 5. Once the data is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it.

For example, analytics data collected via Google Analytics is retained for 26 months before being automatically deleted. Advertising data may be retained for up to 18 months. You can also delete cookies manually at any time via your browser settings.

10. Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect the data collected through cookies from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include encryption (e.g., HTTPS), access controls, and regular security audits. However, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Your Rights Under GDPR

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regarding the data we collect through cookies. These rights include:

  • Right to Access: You have the right to request access to the personal data we hold about you, including data collected through cookies.
  • Right to Rectification: You have the right to request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Right to Erasure: You have the right to request deletion of your personal data, subject to certain exceptions.
  • Right to Restrict Processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your data in certain circumstances.
  • Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
  • Right to Object: You have the right to object to the processing of your data for direct marketing purposes or based on legitimate interests.
  • Right to Withdraw Consent: If we rely on your consent for certain cookies, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 14 below. We will respond to your request within 30 days, unless the request is complex or you have made multiple requests, in which case we may extend this period by up to 60 days. We may ask you for additional information to verify your identity before processing your request.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. In Slovakia, this is the Úrad na ochranu osobných údajov Slovenskej republiky (Office for Personal Data Protection of the Slovak Republic).

12. Updates to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, legal requirements, or our business practices. When we make material changes, we will notify you by posting the updated policy on our Site with a revised "Last Updated" date. We may also provide additional notice via email or a prominent notice on our Site. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies.

If we make any changes that require your consent under applicable law, we will seek your consent before implementing those changes.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please contact us at:

  • Email: [Insert email address, e.g., privacy@digitalnapomoc.live]
  • Postal Address: Digitálna Pomoc, [Insert physical address, if applicable]
  • Phone: [Insert phone number, if applicable]

We will make every effort to address your concerns promptly. If you have a complaint, please contact us first so that we can try to resolve it. You also have the right to contact your local data protection authority as described in Section 11.

For any cookie-related issues, you can also use our Cookie Settings tool to manage your preferences at any time.

14. Additional Information for Slovakia (SK)

This section provides specific details for users in Slovakia, in accordance with local regulations and the GDPR.

14.1. Language

This Cookie Policy is available in English and Slovak. In case of any discrepancies between the two versions, the Slovak version shall prevail for users in Slovakia. You can access the Slovak version on our Site.

14.2. Consent for Non-Essential Cookies

Under Slovak law and the GDPR, we require your explicit consent for the use of any non-essential cookies (e.g., analytics, advertising, functional cookies) before they are placed on your device. Our cookie banner and consent tool ensure that no non-essential cookies are loaded until you provide your consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time.

14.3. Data Protection Authority

The competent data protection authority in Slovakia is:

  • Úrad na ochranu osobných údajov Slovenskej republiky
  • Address: Hraničná 12, 820 07 Bratislava 27, Slovakia
  • Website: dataprotection.gov.sk
  • Phone: +421 2 3231 3214

14.4. Cookies for Essential Functions

We use the following strictly necessary cookies for our Site's operation:

  • PHPSESSID: Session cookie for maintaining user session state. Duration: Session.
  • XSRF-TOKEN: Security token to prevent cross-site request forgery. Duration: Session.
  • cookie_consent: Stores your cookie consent preferences. Duration: 12 months.

These cookies do not require your consent, but you may block them in your browser settings, which may affect the Site's functionality.

14.5. Complaints

If you believe that we have violated your data protection rights, you have the right to file a complaint with the Slovak Data Protection Authority (details above). We recommend that you contact us first to resolve the issue.

15. Final Disclaimer

This Cookie Policy is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. We encourage you to consult with a legal professional if you have specific questions about your rights or obligations. While we strive to keep this policy accurate and up to date, we make no warranties or representations as to its completeness or accuracy.

Thank you for taking the time to read our Cookie Policy. Your privacy is important to us.