1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently and provide information to website owners.
Cookies allow websites to recognize your device and remember information about your visit, such as your preferences and login status. This helps provide you with a better, more personalized experience.
2. How We Use Cookies
Hatch Beacon uses cookies and similar technologies to provide, protect, and improve our services. We use cookies for various purposes, including:
- Keeping you signed in to your account
- Understanding how you use our services
- Personalizing your experience
- Improving our platform performance
- Analyzing usage patterns and trends
- Preventing fraud and enhancing security
- Delivering relevant content and features
3. Types of Cookies We Use
3.1 Essential Cookies
These cookies are necessary for our website to function properly. They enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. Without these cookies, services you have requested cannot be provided.
Examples:
- Authentication cookies (keeping you logged in)
- Security cookies (protecting against fraud)
- Session cookies (maintaining your session state)
- Load balancing cookies (distributing traffic)
3.2 Functional Cookies
These cookies enable enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we use on our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these services may not function properly.
Examples:
- Remembering your preferences and settings
- Storing your language preference
- Remembering your region or country
- Customizing content based on your usage
3.3 Analytics Cookies
These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously. This helps us improve our services and user experience.
Examples:
- Google Analytics (tracking page visits and user behavior)
- Performance monitoring (measuring page load times)
- Error tracking (identifying technical issues)
- Usage statistics (understanding feature adoption)
3.4 Marketing Cookies
These cookies track your online activity to help us deliver more relevant advertising or to limit how many times you see an advertisement. We may share this information with other organizations, such as advertisers.
Examples:
- Advertising cookies (delivering targeted ads)
- Social media cookies (enabling social sharing)
- Retargeting cookies (showing relevant ads on other sites)
- Conversion tracking (measuring campaign effectiveness)
4. Third-Party Cookies
Some cookies on our website are placed by third-party services that appear on our pages. We do not control these cookies, and you should check the third-party websites for more information about how they use cookies.
Third-Party Services We Use
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand how users interact with our website. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information about website usage.
Google Privacy Policy →Social Media Platforms
We may use social media plugins that allow you to share content. These platforms may set cookies when you interact with their features.
Content Delivery Networks (CDN)
We use CDNs to deliver content efficiently. These services may use cookies to optimize content delivery.
5. Cookie Duration
Session Cookies
These temporary cookies are deleted when you close your browser. They are used to maintain your session state while you navigate our website.
Persistent Cookies
These cookies remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them. They help us remember your preferences and provide a better experience on repeat visits.
Note: Most persistent cookies on our site expire within 12 months, though some may last longer depending on their purpose.
6. Managing Your Cookie Preferences
Browser Settings
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can set your browser to refuse cookies or delete certain cookies. However, please note that if you block or delete cookies, some features of our website may not work properly.
How to manage cookies in popular browsers:
- Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data
- Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
- Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data
- Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Manage and delete cookies
Opt-Out Tools
You can opt out of certain types of cookies using these tools:
- Google Analytics: Use the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on
- Advertising cookies: Visit Your Online Choices or Digital Advertising Alliance
Mobile Devices
On mobile devices, you can manage cookies and tracking through your device settings. You can also use the "Limit Ad Tracking" (iOS) or "Opt out of Ads Personalization" (Android) features.
7. Do Not Track Signals
Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you do not want to be tracked. Currently, there is no industry standard for how to respond to DNT signals. We do not currently respond to DNT signals, but we provide you with choices about cookie usage as described in this policy.
8. Cookies and Personal Data
Some cookies may collect personal data, such as your IP address or unique identifiers. The use of this data is governed by our Privacy Policy. We process this data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
For more information about how we handle your personal data, please review our Privacy Policy.
9. Updates to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when this policy was last revised.
10. Contact Us
If you have questions about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us:
Cookie Quick Reference
| Cookie Type | Purpose | Can Be Disabled? |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Required for site functionality | No |
| Functional | Enhanced features and personalization | Yes |
| Analytics | Understanding usage and improving services | Yes |
| Marketing | Targeted advertising and tracking | Yes |