Cookie Policy for CanByFirst

Last Updated: October 26, 2023

Welcome to CanByFirst! This Cookie Policy explains how CanByFirst (“we,” “us,” or “our”) uses cookies and similar technologies on our website, https://canbyfirst.com (the “Website”). This policy aims to provide you with clear and comprehensive information about the types of cookies we use, why we use them, and how you can manage your preferences. We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring compliance with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

By continuing to use our Website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the terms of this Cookie Policy. Where required by law, we will obtain your explicit consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device.

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, tablet, or mobile 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. Essentially, cookies act as a “memory” for the website, allowing it to remember your device on subsequent visits, recall your preferences, and generally improve your user experience.

When you visit a website, the web server sends a cookie to your browser. The browser then stores the cookie. On your next visit, the browser sends the cookie back to the server, which allows the website to recognize your device and retrieve information about your previous activities or preferences. This can include remembering your login details, language preferences, items in a shopping cart, or even tracking your browsing behavior for analytical or advertising purposes.

Cookies can contain various types of information, such as unique identifiers, site preferences, or the date and time of your visit. While some cookies may contain personal data (e.g., if you are logged into an account and the cookie is linked to your user ID), many cookies only contain anonymized or aggregated information that cannot directly identify you. For example, a cookie might track that a user visited a certain page, but not specifically *who* that user is.

The primary purposes of cookies include:

  • Enhancing User Experience: Making navigation more efficient and remembering user settings.
  • Website Functionality: Enabling essential features like secure login areas or shopping carts.
  • Performance and Analytics: Helping website owners understand how their site is used, which pages are most popular, and if any errors occur.
  • Advertising: Delivering more relevant advertisements to users based on their browsing habits.

Understanding what cookies are and how they function is crucial for you to make informed decisions about your privacy settings when interacting with our Website.

2. Types of Cookies We Use

Cookies can be categorized in several ways, based on their duration, origin, and purpose. CanByFirst utilizes various types of cookies to ensure our Website functions effectively, provides a seamless user experience, and helps us understand how to improve our services. Here’s a breakdown of the main categories:

2.1. By Duration:

  • Session Cookies: These are temporary cookies that remain on your device only for the duration of your browsing session. They are typically deleted from your device when you close your web browser. Session cookies are essential for the website to function correctly and remember your actions during a single session, such as keeping you logged in or remembering items you’ve added to a form.
  • Persistent Cookies: These cookies remain on your device for a set period specified in the cookie’s parameters or until you manually delete them. They are activated each time you visit the website that created that particular cookie. Persistent cookies are used to remember your preferences or actions across multiple site visits, such as your language choice or login credentials, eliminating the need to re-enter them every time you return.

2.2. By Origin:

  • First-Party Cookies: These cookies are set by the website you are visiting (i.e., by https://canbyfirst.com). They are directly controlled by us and are generally used for essential website functionality, remembering your preferences, or for our own analytics.
  • Third-Party Cookies: These cookies are set by a domain other than the one you are visiting. They are typically placed by third-party service providers that help us with analytics, advertising, or embedding content (e.g., social media buttons, videos). We do not directly control the information collected by these cookies or how the third parties use it. This will be elaborated further in Section 7.

2.3. By Purpose (as detailed in subsequent sections):

  • Essential Cookies: Absolutely necessary for the website to function.
  • Performance and Analytics Cookies: Collect data on how visitors use the website to improve its performance.
  • Functionality Cookies: Remember choices you make to provide enhanced, more personal features.
  • Marketing and Advertising Cookies: Used to deliver advertisements more relevant to you and your interests.

By understanding these distinctions, you can better manage your cookie preferences and understand their impact on your browsing experience on CanByFirst.

3. Essential Cookies

Essential cookies, also known as “strictly necessary cookies,” are fundamental to the operation of our Website. Without these cookies, our Website would not be able to provide basic functionalities, and certain services you request, such as accessing secure areas, logging in, or making use of essential features, would not be possible. These cookies are crucial for maintaining the security and integrity of our Website and ensuring a consistent user experience.

Why They Are Essential:

  • Website Navigation: They enable you to move around the Website and use its basic features.
  • Security: They help to implement security features, like protecting against cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks, and identifying unauthorized attempts to access your account.
  • Session Management: They allow the Website to link your actions during a browsing session, ensuring that you remain logged in as you navigate different pages or that items added to a form are remembered.
  • Load Balancing: They help distribute website traffic across multiple servers to ensure the site remains responsive and available.
  • Cookie Consent Preference: Ironically, a cookie is often used to remember your cookie consent preferences, so you don’t have to re-select them every time you visit.

Examples of Essential Cookies We May Use:

  • Session ID Cookies: These allow us to identify you as a unique user during a session, remembering your login status and ensuring that you can access authenticated parts of the Website. For example, if you log into a user account on CanByFirst, a session cookie ensures you remain logged in as you browse different sections.
  • Security Cookies: Cookies designed to detect and prevent security risks. These might store information to prevent fraudulent use of login credentials.
  • Load Balancer Cookies: These cookies manage the server load, directing your requests to the most efficient server available to ensure our Website loads quickly and reliably.
  • Cookie Consent Management Cookies: A cookie that records whether you have given consent for non-essential cookies to be placed on your device. This is vital for GDPR compliance.

Under data protection laws like the GDPR, your consent is generally not required for essential cookies because they are strictly necessary for the provision of the service you have requested (i.e., accessing and using our Website). Disabling these cookies would severely impair the functionality of our Website, potentially rendering it unusable for many purposes. Therefore, these cookies are always active when you visit our Website.

4. Performance and Analytics Cookies

Performance and analytics cookies are instrumental in helping us understand how visitors interact with our Website. These cookies collect information about how users navigate the site, which pages they visit most often, and if they encounter any error messages. The data gathered is typically anonymous and aggregated, meaning it does not directly identify individual users but provides insights into overall user behavior patterns.

Purpose of Performance and Analytics Cookies:

  • Website Improvement: By analyzing how users engage with our content, we can identify areas for improvement, optimize page layouts, and enhance the overall user experience. For instance, if analytics show a high bounce rate on a particular page, it signals that the content or design of that page might need adjustment.
  • Traffic Monitoring: These cookies help us track the number of visitors to our Website, the sources of traffic (e.g., from search engines, social media, or direct links), and the specific pages viewed. This information is vital for understanding our audience and the effectiveness of our outreach efforts.
  • Error Detection: They can help us identify technical issues, such as broken links or server errors, by tracking when users encounter problems, allowing us to address them promptly.
  • Content Popularity: We can determine which content is most popular and engaging, guiding our content creation strategy.

Examples of Performance and Analytics Cookies We May Use:

  • Google Analytics: We may use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. Google Analytics uses cookies to help us analyze how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address, which is often anonymized or truncated) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google uses this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators, and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. We implement IP anonymization features where available to further protect your privacy.
  • Other Analytics Tools: Depending on our evolving needs, we might also use other analytics services (e.g., Matomo, Fathom Analytics) that similarly employ cookies to gather data on website usage. These tools adhere to strict privacy standards, often offering on-premise hosting or enhanced anonymization features.

Your Consent:

Because performance and analytics cookies are not strictly necessary for the basic functionality of the Website, we require your explicit consent before placing them on your device. You have the option to accept or decline these cookies through our cookie consent mechanism. While declining these cookies will not affect your ability to use the core functions of our Website, it may limit our ability to understand and improve the user experience for everyone.

5. Functionality Cookies

Functionality cookies are designed to enhance your experience on our Website by remembering the choices you make and providing more personalized features. These cookies allow the Website to recall information you have previously provided, such as your username, language preference, or the region you are in, to deliver a more convenient and tailored browsing experience. They go beyond the strictly necessary functions of essential cookies by adding user-centric conveniences.

Purpose of Functionality Cookies:

  • Personalization: They enable the Website to remember your settings and preferences, so you don’t have to re-enter them every time you visit. This might include your chosen language, currency, or display preferences (e.g., font size, theme).
  • Enhanced Features: They can provide more personal and interactive features. For example, remembering your preferred content categories or allowing you to watch embedded videos without needing to re-accept terms each time.
  • User Recognition: While not strictly for authentication (which is handled by essential cookies), functionality cookies might remember your username or previous interactions to greet you personally or pre-fill forms, making your return visits smoother.
  • Remembering Choices: If you’ve previously dismissed a particular pop-up or notification, a functionality cookie can remember this choice to prevent it from reappearing unnecessarily.

Examples of Functionality Cookies We May Use:

  • Language Preference Cookie: If our Website offers content in multiple languages, this cookie remembers your chosen language so that the site loads in your preferred language on subsequent visits.
  • Region/Location Cookie: If we provide services or content specific to certain geographical regions, this cookie might remember your location preference to show you relevant information.
  • Video Player Preferences: If our Website embeds videos (e.g., from YouTube or Vimeo), functionality cookies might remember your volume settings, playback quality, or whether you prefer subtitles.
  • User Interface Customization: Cookies that remember custom settings you’ve applied to the Website’s interface, such as particular accessibility options or theme choices.
  • “Remember Me” Login Functionality: While the actual login process uses essential cookies, a functionality cookie might be used (with your explicit opt-in) to remember your username for quicker access on return visits, though not typically your password for security reasons.

Your Consent:

As functionality cookies are not strictly necessary for the basic operation of the Website, we will request your consent before placing them on your device. You have the right to accept or decline these cookies. Declining functionality cookies will not prevent you from using the Website, but it may result in a less personalized and convenient experience, as your preferences may not be remembered between sessions or visits.

6. Marketing and Advertising Cookies

Marketing and advertising cookies are used to track your browsing habits across different websites to build a profile of your interests. This profile is then used to deliver advertisements that are more relevant to you and your perceived interests. These cookies play a crucial role in enabling targeted advertising and measuring the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.

Purpose of Marketing and Advertising Cookies:

  • Targeted Advertising: By collecting data on the pages you visit, the links you click, and your general online activity, these cookies help advertisers understand what products, services, or content might appeal to you. This allows them to display ads that are more likely to be of interest.
  • Ad Campaign Performance Measurement: They help us and our advertising partners track the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns. This includes measuring how many times an ad is shown, how many times it is clicked, and whether those clicks lead to conversions (e.g., a sign-up or a purchase).
  • Frequency Capping: These cookies can prevent the same ad from being shown to you repeatedly, improving your browsing experience and optimizing ad spend.
  • Remarketing/Retargeting: If you visit our Website and then leave without completing an action (e.g., signing up for a newsletter), remarketing cookies allow us to display ads for CanByFirst on other websites you visit, reminding you of our services.
  • Social Media Integration: Many social media platforms use cookies to track your activity on our Website if you interact with their social sharing buttons or embedded content. This allows them to serve you more personalized content and ads on their platforms.

Examples of Marketing and Advertising Cookies We May Use:

  • Google Ads Cookies: These cookies are used by Google to make advertising more engaging to users and more valuable to publishers and advertisers. They are used to select advertising based on what’s relevant to a user, improve reporting on ad campaign performance, and avoid showing ads the user has already seen.
  • Social Media Pixels (e.g., Facebook Pixel, X/Twitter Pixel): These are small snippets of code placed on our Website that allow social media platforms to track user actions, such as page views or conversions. This data is used to optimize ad campaigns, create custom audiences, and serve targeted ads to users on those social media platforms.
  • Third-Party Ad Network Cookies: We may partner with various third-party ad networks (e.g., DoubleClick, AdSense) that place cookies on your device to collect information about your browsing activities across different websites. This information is used to build a profile of your interests and deliver personalized advertisements across their network.

Your Explicit Consent is Required:

Due to the privacy implications of tracking user behavior across multiple websites, we are legally required to obtain your explicit, opt-in consent before placing marketing and advertising cookies on your device. You will be presented with a clear choice to accept or decline these cookies through our cookie consent banner. Declining these cookies will not affect your ability to use the core functions of our Website, but it may mean that the advertisements you see on other websites are less relevant to your interests.

7. Third-Party Cookies

As discussed briefly in Section 2, third-party cookies are cookies that are set by a domain other than the one you are currently visiting (https://canbyfirst.com). This occurs when our Website integrates services or content from external providers. While these cookies are placed on your device by a third party, they are activated because you are using our Website, and we have chosen to incorporate their services for various functionalities.

Why We Use Third-Party Cookies:

Third-party cookies enable us to enhance our Website’s functionality and content by leveraging specialized services offered by external providers. Common reasons for their use include:

  • Analytics Services: As detailed in Section 4, services like Google Analytics (a common example of a third-party cookie provider) help us analyze website traffic and user behavior.
  • Embedded Content: When we embed videos from platforms like YouTube or Vimeo, maps from Google Maps, or social media feeds, these third-party services may set their own cookies to remember your preferences (e.g., video playback settings) or track your interaction with their content.
  • Social Media Integration: If our Website includes social media sharing buttons (e.g., Facebook “Like” button, X/Twitter “Share” button), these platforms may place cookies to track your interaction and potentially link it to your social media profile.
  • Advertising and Remarketing: As explained in Section 6, third-party advertising networks and platforms (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook Ads) use cookies to deliver targeted advertisements and measure campaign performance across different websites.

Examples of Third-Party Providers That May Set Cookies Through Our Website:

  • Google (e.g., Google Analytics, Google Ads, YouTube, Google Maps): For analytics, advertising, and embedded content.
  • Social Media Platforms (e.g., Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram): For social sharing, embedded feeds, and targeted advertising.
  • Other Service Providers: Depending on the tools and services we utilize, other third-party providers for functionalities such as live chat, customer support, or content delivery networks (CDNs) might also set cookies.

Our Control and Your Privacy:

It is important to understand that while these third-party cookies are placed through our Website, we do not have direct control over the information they collect or how these third parties use that information. Each third-party provider operates under its own privacy and cookie policies, which we strongly encourage you to review. We select our third-party partners carefully, ensuring they adhere to high standards of data protection and privacy.

For instance, for Google Analytics, we implement IP anonymization and other privacy-enhancing features where available. However, for a comprehensive understanding of how Google processes data, you should refer to Google’s Privacy Policy.

Your Consent for Third-Party Cookies:

In accordance with GDPR, we will obtain your explicit consent before placing any non-essential third-party cookies on your device. Our cookie consent banner will provide you with the option to accept or decline these cookies. You can also manage your preferences for many third-party cookies through your browser settings or dedicated opt-out tools, as detailed in Section 8.

8. How to Manage and Control Cookies

We believe in giving you full control over your privacy. While essential cookies are necessary for our Website to function, you have the right to choose whether to accept or decline non-essential cookies. There are several methods available for you to manage and control cookies on your device.

8.1. Our Cookie Consent Management Platform

When you first visit our Website, or periodically thereafter, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner. This banner allows you to:

  • Accept All Cookies: Consent to all types of cookies (essential, performance, functionality, marketing).
  • Decline All Non-Essential Cookies: Only allow essential cookies to be placed.
  • Customize Preferences: Choose which categories of non-essential cookies you wish to accept (e.g., accept performance, decline marketing).

You can revisit and change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking on a readily available “Cookie Settings” or “Manage Cookies” link, usually found in the footer of our Website. This will re-open the consent banner, allowing you to modify your choices.

8.2. Browser Settings

Most web browsers allow you to manage cookies through their settings. You can configure your browser to:

  • Delete existing cookies: Remove all cookies stored on your device.
  • Block all cookies: Prevent any cookies from being stored.
  • Block third-party cookies: Allow first-party cookies but block those from other domains.
  • Receive a prompt: Be notified when a cookie is being set and choose whether to accept or decline it.

Please note that if you block all cookies, many websites (including ours) may not function correctly, and your user experience could be severely limited. Blocking only third-party cookies can improve privacy without significantly impacting essential website functions.

Here’s how to manage cookies in popular web browsers:

  • Google Chrome:

    Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Site Settings > Cookies and site data. Here you can block third-party cookies, clear cookies, and manage site-specific settings.

  • Mozilla Firefox:

    Go to Options > Privacy & Security. Under “Enhanced Tracking Protection,” you can choose “Standard,” “Strict,” or “Custom” settings to manage trackers and cookies. You can also manage data for specific websites.

  • Microsoft Edge:

    Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services. Under “Tracking prevention,” choose your level of protection. Under “Clear browsing data,” you can clear cookies and other site data.

  • Safari (for macOS and iOS):

    For macOS: Go to Safari > Preferences > Privacy. Select “Prevent cross-site tracking” and “Block all cookies” if desired. For iOS: Go to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security. Enable “Prevent Cross-Site Tracking” and “Block All Cookies.”

For other browsers, please refer to your browser’s official help documentation.

8.3. Incognito or Private Browsing Modes

Most browsers offer an “Incognito” (Chrome), “Private” (Firefox, Edge), or “Private Browsing” (Safari) mode. In these modes, cookies created during your session are typically deleted when you close the private window. While this doesn’t prevent cookies from being set, it ensures they are not persistently stored on your device.

8.4. Industry Opt-Out Tools

Several industry initiatives offer tools to opt-out of targeted advertising from participating companies:

These tools allow you to centrally manage your preferences for advertising cookies from a large number of third-party advertisers. Please note that opting out does not mean you will no longer see advertisements, but rather that the ads you see may be less relevant to your interests.

9. Cookie Consent and Preferences

At CanByFirst, we are committed to upholding your right to privacy, particularly concerning your personal data. This commitment is reflected in our approach to cookie consent, which is designed to be fully compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable privacy laws.

9.1. GDPR Requirements for Cookie Consent

The GDPR mandates that for any cookies that are not strictly necessary for the basic functioning of a website, organizations must obtain explicit, informed, and unambiguous consent from the user. This means:

  • Explicit: Consent must be given through a clear affirmative action (e.g., clicking an “Accept” button for specific cookie categories, rather than implied by simply continuing to browse). Pre-ticked boxes for non-essential cookies are not permissible.
  • Informed: Users must be provided with clear, easy-to-understand information about what cookies are, what types of cookies are used, their purpose, who sets them (first-party or third-party), and how they can be managed. This Cookie Policy serves to provide this detailed information.
  • Unambiguous: There should be no doubt that the user intends to give consent. Silence, pre-ticked boxes, or inactivity do not constitute valid consent.
  • Freely Given: Users must have a genuine choice. They should not be pressured into accepting cookies, and declining non-essential cookies should not result in a significant degradation of service (beyond the loss of the specific function those cookies provide).
  • Easy to Withdraw: Users must be able to withdraw their consent as easily as they gave it, at any time.

9.2. Our Consent Mechanism

To ensure compliance with these requirements, CanByFirst employs a robust cookie consent management platform (CMP). When you visit https://canbyfirst.com for the first time, or after a period during which your consent has expired, you will be presented with a prominent cookie banner or pop-up. This banner will:

  • Clearly state that our Website uses cookies.
  • Provide a brief overview of why cookies are