Cookie Policy

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device (computer, smartphone, or tablet) when you visit a website. They are created by your web browser and contain a small amount of data, often a unique identifier, that allows a website to remember information about your visit. Cookies are a fundamental part of how the modern web works and have been used for decades to make browsing experiences faster, safer, and more personalised.

When you visit www.appther.com, our server may send one or more cookies to your browser. Your browser stores these cookies and sends them back to our server on subsequent visits. This allows us to recognise your browser and remember your preferences and settings, among other things.

How cookies work:

• Your browser sends a request to our web server.
• Our server responds with the webpage content and may include a Set-Cookie header.
• Your browser stores the cookie locally on your device.
• On every subsequent request to the same domain, your browser automatically includes the cookie in the Cookie header.

First-party vs third-party cookies: A first-party cookie is set directly by the website you are visiting (in this case, appther.com). A third-party cookie is set by a domain other than the one you are visiting, for example an analytics or advertising service embedded on our pages. Third-party cookies can track your browsing behaviour across multiple websites.

Session vs persistent cookies: A session cookie is temporary and is erased when you close your browser. A persistent cookie remains on your device for a defined period, which could be a few minutes or several years, even after you close your browser. We use both types, as described below.

Appther Technologies uses cookies and similar tracking technologies for a number of legitimate purposes. We believe in being transparent about our practices, so here is an honest explanation of each reason:

• Website performance and reliability: Some cookies are essential for our website to function correctly. Without them, key features such as contact forms, navigation menus, and page routing would not work as expected.
• Remembering your preferences: Functional cookies allow us to remember choices you make, such as your preferred language, region or form data, so you don't have to re-enter information on every visit.
• Analytics and performance monitoring: We use analytics cookies to understand how visitors interact with our website: which pages are most visited, how long users stay, which links they click, and where they come from. This data helps us continuously improve our content and user experience.
• Security and fraud prevention: Certain cookies help us detect malicious activity, prevent spam form submissions, and protect both our website and our users from abuse.
• Marketing and remarketing: Where you have given consent, we use targeting cookies to show you relevant Appther advertisements on other websites and platforms. This helps us reach people who have already expressed interest in our services.
• Measuring marketing effectiveness: Marketing cookies help us understand which campaigns drive traffic and conversions, allowing us to allocate our marketing budget more efficiently.

We categorise the cookies used on appther.com into four types, in line with guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Each category has a different legal basis and a different level of user control.

The table below lists the specific cookies that may be set when you visit appther.com, along with their purpose, provider, duration, and category. This list is reviewed and updated periodically.

You have several options for controlling or limiting how cookies are used on your device. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website and the quality of your experience.

Browser Settings

All modern browsers allow you to view, manage, and delete cookies through their settings menus. Here's how to do it in the most popular browsers:

Opt-Out Tools

In addition to browser controls, you can use the following official opt-out tools:

• Google Analytics: Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on to prevent your data from being used by Google Analytics across all websites.
• Google Advertising: Manage your Google ad preferences and opt out of personalised advertising at adssettings.google.com.
• Meta (Facebook) Ads: Control your ad preferences on Facebook Ad Preferences and opt out of off-Facebook activity tracking.
• LinkedIn Ads: Opt out of LinkedIn's interest-based advertising in your LinkedIn account settings.
• Industry opt-out: Use the Your Online Choices (EU) or AboutAds (US/global) tools to opt out of interest-based advertising from participating companies.
• Hotjar: Opt out of Hotjar analytics tracking at hotjar.com/legal/compliance/opt-out.

In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR, and the EU ePrivacy Directive (Cookie Law), we are required to obtain your informed consent before setting any non-essential cookies on your device.

When you first visit appther.com, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner that explains the categories of cookies we use and allows you to make a granular choice: you can accept all cookies, accept only strictly necessary cookies, or customise your preferences by category.

How we obtain consent:

• We present a clear, prominent cookie banner on your first visit.
• We do not pre-tick consent checkboxes. Consent must be an active, affirmative action.
• We record your consent choice (date, time, and selection) securely.
• We honour your consent decision immediately and do not load non-consented cookies before you make a choice.
• You can withdraw or change your consent at any time. See the "Cookie Preferences" widget below, or contact us at privacy@appther.com.

What happens if you decline non-essential cookies: If you decline analytics, functional, or marketing cookies, we will not set those cookies during your session. Strictly necessary cookies will still be set as they are required for our website to operate. You can still browse our website and contact us; however, some personalised features may not be available, and our analytics data will not include your visit.

Our website integrates with a number of third-party services that may set their own cookies or tracking technologies on your device. We do not control how these third parties use cookies, and their privacy policies govern their data practices. We have listed them below for your transparency.

"Do Not Track" (DNT) is a browser setting that sends a signal to websites requesting that they do not track your browsing behaviour. Some browsers enable DNT by default; others allow you to enable it manually.

Our response to DNT signals: Appther Technologies honours Do Not Track signals where technically feasible. When we detect a valid DNT:1 header from your browser, we will not load analytics or marketing cookies during your session, and we will not pass your browsing data to third-party analytics or advertising platforms.

Please note the following limitations:

• Strictly necessary cookies (such as PHPSESSID and Cloudflare security cookies) will still be set, as they are essential for site functionality and cannot be disabled in response to DNT.
• Some third-party services embedded on our pages (e.g., social media buttons, embedded maps) may not honour DNT signals, as this is outside our direct control.
• DNT support varies across browsers and is not universally standardised. Not all browsers implement it the same way.

If you are concerned about tracking, we recommend using browser-level cookie controls or ad-blocker extensions in addition to (or instead of) DNT, as these offer more reliable and granular protection.

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our technology stack, third-party service providers, legal obligations, or regulatory guidance. All changes will be published on this page with an updated "Last updated" date at the top of the policy.

How we will notify you of changes:

• For material changes: If we make significant changes, such as adding new cookie categories or third-party providers, we will notify you via a prominent banner on our website and, where we hold your contact details, by email.
• For minor changes: Minor clarifications or formatting updates will be published on this page without individual notification. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
• Re-obtaining consent: If a material change requires fresh consent under GDPR, we will re-present our cookie consent banner so you can make an updated choice.

We recommend bookmarking this page or checking it whenever you visit our website, particularly if you have specific concerns about data privacy. Continued use of our website after changes to this policy constitutes acceptance of the updated terms, except where fresh consent is legally required.

The history of changes to this policy is available on request. Contact us at privacy@appther.com and we will provide a summary of what changed and when.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Cookie Policy or our data practices in general, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries within 5 business days.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection authority. If you are based in the EU, you can contact your local supervisory authority. If you are based in India, you may contact the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) regarding data protection concerns.