Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, smartphone, or other device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site. Cookies are not harmful - they do not contain viruses, malware, or other executable code.

This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how we use them, and your choices regarding their use. By using our website Social Connect (https://socialconnect.itelc.org), you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with this policy.

2. Business Information

Business Name: VASTech Technologies
Website Name: Social Connect
Website URL: https://socialconnect.itelc.org
Business Address: 35-K, LOWER GROUND, COMMERCIAL AREA, PHASE 1, DHA, Lahore, Pakistan
Country: Pakistan

3. How We Use Cookies

We use cookies for the following purposes:

• Essential / Strictly Necessary Cookies: These cookies are required for the operation of our website. They enable you to navigate the site and use its features, such as accessing secure areas, logging into your account, and managing your social media connections.
• Authentication and Session Cookies: When you sign in to Social Connect, we use cookies to maintain your authenticated session, remember your login status, and keep you logged in as you navigate between pages.
• Preference Cookies: These cookies remember your settings and preferences, such as language preferences, layout preferences, and other customizable aspects of the Service.
• Analytics and Performance Cookies: We use analytics tools such as Google Analytics to collect information about how visitors use our website. These cookies help us understand which pages are most frequently visited, how users navigate the site, and where errors may occur.
• Marketing and Remarketing Cookies: These cookies are used to deliver advertisements that are relevant to you and your interests. They also limit the number of times you see an advertisement and help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.

4. Types of Cookies We Use

4.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are essential for the website to function properly. They are typically set in response to actions you take that constitute a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as a result.

Examples include:

• sessionid - Used to maintain your authenticated session after logging in.
• csrftoken - Used for security purposes to prevent cross-site request forgery attacks.

4.2 Preference Cookies

These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, more personal features. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages.

Examples include:

• language_pref - Remembers your preferred language for the interface.
• theme_pref - Remembers your display preferences (e.g., light/dark mode).

4.3 Analytics Cookies

Analytics cookies collect information about how visitors use our website. This information is used to compile reports and help us improve the site. The cookies collect information in a way that does not directly identify anyone, including the number of visitors to the site, where visitors have come from, and the pages they visited.

Examples include:

• _ga (Google Analytics) - Used to distinguish unique users and calculate visitor, session, and campaign data.
• _gid (Google Analytics) - Used to store and update a unique value for each page visited.
• _gat (Google Analytics) - Used to throttle request rates.

4.4 Marketing and Remarketing Cookies

These cookies are used to track visitors across websites. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and thereby more valuable for publishers and third-party advertisers. We use remarketing services to advertise our business to you on other websites after you have visited our site.

Examples include:

• IDE (Google DoubleClick) - Used for targeting, analyzing, and optimization of ad campaigns.
• test_cookie (Google DoubleClick) - Used to check if the user's browser supports cookies.

5. Third-Party Cookies

In addition to our own cookies, we may also use various third-party cookies to report usage statistics of the Service, deliver advertisements on and through the Service, and so on. These third-party service providers may set cookies on your device when you visit our website.

Third-party cookies we use include:

• Google Analytics - For website analytics and performance tracking. Learn more about Google's cookie usage.
• Google Ads / Remarketing - For marketing and advertising purposes. Learn more about Google Ads cookies.
• Cloudflare - For security and performance optimization. Learn more about Cloudflare cookies.

6. How to Control and Delete Cookies

You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. You can exercise your cookie preferences by adjusting your browser settings. Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings preferences.

6.1 Browser Controls

You can set your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you disable cookies, some features of our Service may not function properly. Below are links to cookie management instructions for popular browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Apple Safari
• Microsoft Edge

6.2 Opt-Out of Analytics

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. This add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js, and dc.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visits activity.

6.3 Opt-Out of Remarketing

You can opt out of Google's use of cookies for remarketing by visiting Google's Ads Settings. You can also opt out of other third-party remarketing cookies by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative Opt-Out page or the Digital Advertising Alliance Opt-Out page.

7. Cookie Duration

Cookies can remain on your device for different periods of time:

• Session Cookies: These cookies exist only while your browser is open. They are deleted automatically when you close your browser.
• Persistent Cookies: These cookies survive after your browser is closed. They can be used by websites to recognize your device when you return. The specific duration of persistent cookies varies by cookie and is set by the website or third party that placed the cookie.

8. Cookie Table

Below is a detailed list of the cookies we use on Social Connect:

9. Consent to Use Cookies

When you first visit our website, we will display a cookie banner informing you about our use of cookies and asking for your consent to set non-essential cookies. By clicking "Accept" or continuing to browse the website after the cookie banner appears, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this Cookie Policy.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by:

• Adjusting your browser settings to reject cookies (as described in Section 6), or
• Using the cookie consent management tool on our website (if available), or
• Contacting us using the information in Section 11.

10. Changes 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. When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about our use of cookies.

If we make material changes to this Cookie Policy, we will notify you by:

• Posting a prominent notice on our website, or
• Sending an email to the address associated with your account (if you have one).

11. Contact Information

12. More Information About Cookies

To learn more about cookies and how to manage them, you may find the following resources helpful:

• All About Cookies
• Cookie Choices
• UK Information Commissioner's Office - Cookies