1. Introduction
This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how TechStartsPR (“we,” “us,” or “our”) uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website at https://techstartspr.com (the “Site”), and how you can manage or opt out of them.
This Policy should be read alongside our Privacy Policy (https://techstartspr.com/privacy-policy/) and our Terms & Conditions (https://techstartspr.com/terms-and-conditions/), which together govern your use of the Site.
We are committed to being transparent about the technologies we use. By continuing to use our Site after being presented with our cookie consent notice, and where required by law, by actively accepting non-essential cookies, you agree to the use of cookies as described in this Policy.
2. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, smartphone, tablet, or other internet-enabled device) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently, to improve user experience, and to provide information to the website operator.
Cookies are not programs and cannot carry viruses or install malware. They cannot access or read other files on your device.
2.1 First-Party vs. Third-Party Cookies
First-party cookies are set directly by TechStartsPR and are used to operate the Site. Third-party cookies are set by external services that we integrate into our Site (such as analytics providers, advertising networks, or social media platforms). Third parties set their own cookies according to their own privacy policies.
2.2 Session vs. Persistent Cookies
Session cookies are temporary and are deleted from your device when you close your browser. They keep track of your actions during a single browsing session. Persistent cookies remain on your device for a set period of time (defined by their expiry date) or until you delete them manually. They are activated each time you visit the website that created them.
2.3 Similar Technologies
In addition to cookies, we and our partners may use other similar tracking technologies, including:
- Web beacons (also known as pixel tags or clear GIFs): tiny invisible images embedded in web pages or emails that track whether a page has been viewed or an email has been opened
- Local Storage (HTML5): a web storage mechanism that allows websites to store data in a user’s browser — similar to cookies but with greater storage capacity
- JavaScript tags: code snippets that collect information about how users interact with the Site
- Device fingerprinting: a method of identifying a device based on its configuration, browser settings, and other characteristics — used in limited contexts for fraud prevention
All references to “cookies” in this Policy also apply to these similar technologies unless stated otherwise.
3. Legal Basis for Using Cookies
Our use of cookies is governed by the following legal frameworks:
- EU ePrivacy Directive (“Cookie Law”) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — applicable to users in the European Economic Area
- UK GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) — applicable to users in the United Kingdom
- The Ukrainian Law on Personal Data Protection — applicable to users in Ukraine
- The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA) — applicable to California residents
Under these frameworks, we distinguish between cookies that are strictly necessary to operate the Site (which do not require your consent) and all other cookies (which require your prior, informed, freely given, specific, and unambiguous consent before being placed on your device).
Where consent is required, we will ask for it via our cookie consent banner when you first visit the Site. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time — see Section 8 for how to do this.
4. Categories of Cookies We Use
We classify the cookies used on the Site into five categories. Detailed tables of individual cookies follow in Section 5.
4.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies
Legal basis: Not required (legitimate interest / contractual necessity). These cookies are essential for the Site to function and cannot be switched off. They are typically set in response to your actions such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms. Without these cookies, the Site cannot be provided.
These cookies do not collect personally identifiable information and are not used for marketing.
4.2 Performance & Analytics Cookies
Legal basis: Consent. These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our Site. They help us understand which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the Site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not know when you have visited our Site, and we will not be able to monitor its performance.
4.3 Functional Cookies
Legal basis: Consent. These cookies enable the Site to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these features may not function correctly.
4.4 Targeting & Advertising Cookies
Legal basis: Consent. These cookies may be set through our Site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertisements on other sites. They do not store directly personal information but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
4.5 Social Media Cookies
Legal basis: Consent. These cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the Site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies, you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
5. Detailed Cookie Register
The following tables list the specific cookies used on TechStartsPR. This register is reviewed and updated regularly. Last reviewed: May 5, 2026.
5.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Type | Duration |
| wordpress_logged_in_* | TechStartsPR | Indicates whether a user is logged in to WordPress. Used to maintain authenticated session state. | Session | Session |
| wordpress_sec_* | TechStartsPR | Security cookie used by WordPress to verify user identity and prevent unauthorised access. | Session | Session |
| wp-settings-* | TechStartsPR | Stores personalised WordPress admin interface settings for the logged-in user. | Persistent | 1 year |
| PHPSESSID | TechStartsPR | Preserves user session state across page requests using a session identifier. | Session | Session |
| cookielawinfo-consent | TechStartsPR | Stores your cookie consent preferences. Required to remember your choices and not show the banner on every page. | Persistent | 1 year |
| cookielawinfo-* | TechStartsPR | Records your acceptance or rejection of specific cookie categories. | Persistent | 1 year |
| viewed_cookie_policy | TechStartsPR | Registers whether the cookie consent banner has been displayed to the user. | Persistent | 1 year |
| woocommerce_cart_hash | TechStartsPR | Helps WooCommerce determine when the cart contents have changed (if e-commerce is enabled). | Session | Session |
5.2 Performance & Analytics Cookies
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Type | Duration |
| _ga | Google Analytics | Registers a unique ID used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website. Distinguishes unique users. | Persistent | 2 years |
| _ga_* | Google Analytics | Used by Google Analytics 4 to persist session state and identify the measurement ID. | Persistent | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Registers a unique ID used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website. Expires after 24 hours. | Persistent | 24 hours |
| _gat / _gat_gtag_* | Google Analytics | Used by Google Tag Manager to throttle request rate and limit data collection on high-traffic sites. | Persistent | 1 minute |
| _gac_* | Google Analytics | Contains campaign-related information. If you have linked your Google Analytics and Google Ads accounts, this cookie is read. | Persistent | 90 days |
| collect | Google Analytics | Used to send data to Google Analytics about the visitor’s device and behaviour. A pixel tracker — not a cookie. | Session | Session |
| _hjSessionUser_* | Hotjar (if enabled) | Identifies a unique user session. Set the first time a user visits a page with Hotjar. Persists across sessions. | Persistent | 365 days |
| _hjSession_* | Hotjar (if enabled) | Holds current session data, ensuring that subsequent requests in the session window are attributed to the same session. | Session | 30 minutes |
| _hjAbsoluteSessionInProgress | Hotjar (if enabled) | Detects the first pageview session of a user. | Session | 30 minutes |
5.3 Functional Cookies
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Type | Duration |
| wp-dark-mode-* | TechStartsPR | Stores the user’s selected display mode preference (dark or light mode) between visits. | Persistent | 30 days |
| CONSENT | Stores user consent state for YouTube or other embedded Google services. | Persistent | 2 years | |
| VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE | YouTube (Google) | Estimates user bandwidth for YouTube videos embedded on the Site. Set only if a YouTube video is embedded. | Persistent | 180 days |
| YSC | YouTube (Google) | Registers a unique ID to keep statistics of embedded YouTube videos. | Session | Session |
| yt-remote-device-id | YouTube (Google) | Stores user preferences for embedded YouTube video player across sessions. | Persistent | Permanent |
| yt-remote-connected-devices | YouTube (Google) | Stores user preferences for embedded YouTube video player. | Persistent | Permanent |
| locale | TechStartsPR | Saves the user’s preferred language or locale setting for the Site. | Persistent | 1 year |
| subscribe-popup | TechStartsPR | Records whether the newsletter subscription popup has been shown to the user. | Persistent | 30 days |
5.4 Targeting & Advertising Cookies
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Type | Duration |
| IDE | Google DoubleClick | Used by Google DoubleClick to register and report the website user’s actions after viewing or clicking one of the advertiser’s ads, for measuring the efficacy of an ad. | Persistent | 13 months |
| test_cookie | Google DoubleClick | Used to check if the user’s browser supports cookies. | Session | 15 minutes |
| _gcl_au | Google AdSense | Used by Google AdSense to experiment with advertisement efficiency across websites using its services. | Persistent | 90 days |
| pagead/1p-user-list/* | Google Ads | Tracks whether a user has shown interest in specific products or events across multiple websites and detects how the user navigates between sites. Used for remarketing. | Session | Session |
| NID | Registers a unique ID that identifies a returning user’s device. Used for targeted advertising. | Persistent | 6 months | |
| 1P_JAR | Collects website statistics and tracks conversion rates in Google Ads. | Persistent | 30 days | |
| fr | Facebook (Meta) | Used by Facebook to deliver a series of advertisement products such as real-time bidding from third-party advertisers. | Persistent | 90 days |
| _fbp | Facebook (Meta) | Used by Facebook to deliver and measure advertising. Collects browser and device identifiers. | Persistent | 90 days |
| datr | Facebook (Meta) | Identifies the browser and helps Facebook detect and prevent security incidents. | Persistent | 2 years |
5.5 Social Media Cookies
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Type | Duration |
| _twitter_sess | Twitter / X | Maintains session state for authenticated Twitter/X users interacting with embedded content. | Session | Session |
| gt | Twitter / X | Used when Twitter embed scripts load on the Site. | Persistent | 2 years |
| lang | Twitter / X | Stores the user’s preferred language for embedded Twitter content. | Session | Session |
| lidc | Facilitates data centre selection for LinkedIn embedded content and tracking. | Persistent | 24 hours | |
| bcookie | Browser ID cookie for LinkedIn share buttons and embedded content. | Persistent | 1 year | |
| ln_or | Used by LinkedIn to track visits to pages that include the LinkedIn Insight Tag. | Persistent | 1 day | |
| ajs_anonymous_id | Segment (if used) | Anonymously identifies visitors for analytics platforms powered by Segment. | Persistent | 1 year |
6. Google Analytics in Detail
We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC (“Google”). Google Analytics uses cookies to help us analyse how users use the Site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the Site (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States.
We have enabled IP anonymisation, which means Google will truncate your IP address within EU/EEA member states or other parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be sent to and shortened by Google servers in the USA.
Google will use this information on our behalf for the purpose of evaluating your use of the Site, compiling reports on website activity, and providing us with other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google.
You can opt out of Google Analytics by:
- Installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
- Adjusting your cookie preferences through our cookie consent tool
- Using your browser settings to block or delete analytics cookies
For more information about Google’s privacy practices, visit: https://policies.google.com/privacy
7. Advertising and Behavioural Targeting
We may work with advertising partners, including Google AdSense and other ad networks, to display advertisements on our Site. These partners may use cookies and similar technologies to:
- Serve you advertisements based on your previous visits to our Site and other websites
- Measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns
- Build anonymous audience segments for interest-based advertising
- Prevent the same ad from being shown to you too many times (frequency capping)
We do not share your name, email address, or other directly identifying personal information with our advertising partners. However, these partners may independently be able to identify you through cookies, device identifiers, and other tracking signals.
You can opt out of interest-based advertising from Google by visiting: https://adssettings.google.com. You can also opt out of interest-based advertising from many participating companies through the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) at https://optout.networkadvertising.org/ or the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) at https://optout.aboutads.info/. Note that opting out does not mean you will stop seeing ads — you will still see ads, but they will be less targeted.
8. How to Manage and Control Cookies
8.1 Our Cookie Consent Tool
When you first visit our Site, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner that allows you to:
- Accept all cookies
- Reject all non-essential cookies
- Customise your preferences by cookie category
You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the “Cookie Settings” link in the footer of our Site or by contacting us at hello@techstartspr.com. Please note that withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before withdrawal.
8.2 Browser Settings
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can set your browser to:
- Block all cookies
- Block third-party cookies only
- Accept all cookies
- Delete cookies when you close your browser
- Notify you before cookies are placed
Below are links to cookie management instructions for the most popular browsers:
- Google Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647
- Mozilla Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enable-and-disable-cookies-website-preferences
- Apple Safari: https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/manage-cookies-sfri11471/mac
- Microsoft Edge: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/delete-cookies-in-microsoft-edge-63947406-40ac-c3b8-57b9-2a946a29ae09
- Opera: https://help.opera.com/en/latest/web-preferences/#cookies
- Samsung Internet (mobile): https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/mobile-devices/what-are-cookies-and-how-do-i-enable-or-disable-them-on-my-samsung-galaxy-device/
Please note that if you block all cookies, some features of the Site may not function correctly. In particular, you may not be able to log in to your account, maintain preferences, or access certain areas of the Site.
8.3 Mobile Device Controls
On mobile devices, you can manage advertising identifiers through your device settings:
- iOS (Apple): Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking — toggle “Allow Apps to Request to Track” and use “Limit Ad Tracking” or “Reset Advertising Identifier”
- Android (Google): Settings > Google > Ads — toggle “Opt out of Ads Personalisation” or reset your advertising ID
8.4 Do Not Track (DNT)
Some browsers have a “Do Not Track” (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you do not want your online activity tracked. Currently, there is no universally accepted standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals. Our Site does not currently respond to DNT browser signals. However, you can use the cookie management tools described above to control tracking on our Site.
9. Your Rights by Jurisdiction
9.1 European Economic Area (EEA) and UK — GDPR / UK GDPR / PECR
You have the right to:
- Withdraw your cookie consent at any time, without this affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before withdrawal
- Object to processing based on legitimate interests
- Access information about the cookies used and the data they collect
- Lodge a complaint with your national data protection supervisory authority if you believe your rights have been violated
Under PECR (UK) and the ePrivacy Directive (EU), we are required to obtain your prior informed consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device. We fulfil this obligation through our cookie consent banner.
9.2 California (USA) — CCPA/CPRA
California residents have specific rights regarding personal information collected via cookies, including:
- Right to Know: the right to know what personal information is collected, used, shared, or sold via cookies
- Right to Delete: the right to request deletion of personal information collected via cookies, subject to certain exceptions
- Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing: while we do not sell personal information, we may share data with advertising partners for cross-context behavioural advertising. California residents may opt out of this sharing by adjusting their cookie preferences or contacting us
- Right to Non-Discrimination: we will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights
To exercise your California rights, email us at hello@techstartspr.com with the subject line “California Cookie Rights Request.”
9.3 Ukraine
Under the Ukrainian Law on Personal Data Protection, you have the right to access, correct, and request deletion of personal data collected via cookies. Contact us at hello@techstartspr.com to exercise these rights.
10. International Data Transfers via Cookies
Some of the cookies used on our Site are set by third parties whose servers may be located outside the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Ukraine — including in the United States. When data collected by cookies is transferred internationally, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place (such as Standard Contractual Clauses), or that transfers are to countries recognised as providing an adequate level of data protection.
Key international transfers include:
- Google LLC (USA) — Google Analytics and advertising cookies. Google participates in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and relies on Standard Contractual Clauses for transfers from the UK
- Meta Platforms Inc. (USA) — Facebook social and advertising cookies. Meta relies on Standard Contractual Clauses
- Twitter/X Corp. (USA) — Twitter embedded content cookies
- LinkedIn Corporation (USA) — LinkedIn social cookies
11. Cookie Retention Periods
The retention period for each cookie is set out in the tables in Section 5. As a general guide:
- Session cookies expire when you close your browser
- Persistent cookies remain on your device until their expiry date or until you delete them
- Our cookie consent preferences cookie is stored for 1 year so that you are not asked to consent again on every visit
You can delete cookies at any time through your browser settings. Deleting cookies may require you to re-enter your cookie consent preferences the next time you visit the Site.
12. Updates to This Cookie Policy
We review and update this Cookie Policy periodically to reflect changes in the cookies we use, changes in applicable law, or other operational reasons. The “Last Updated” date at the top of this Policy indicates when it was most recently revised.
When we make material changes to this Policy, we will notify you by:
- Displaying a prominent notice on the Site
- Resetting the cookie consent banner so you are asked to review your preferences again
- Sending an email notification to newsletter subscribers, where required by law
We encourage you to review this Policy each time you visit the Site to stay informed about how we use cookies.
13. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy, our use of cookies, or how to exercise your rights, please contact us:
TechStartsPR
Email: hello@techstartspr.com
Website: https://techstartspr.com
Contact Page: https://techstartspr.com/contact/
We aim to respond to all legitimate cookie-related enquiries within 30 days.