Cookie Policy

Introduction

Where Georgia ADU’s Privacy Notice sets forth its personal data handling practices when using its georgiaadu.com website (the “Website”) or its products or services (“Services”), this Cookie Notice provides further explanation as well as options available to you regarding Cookie use.   

Cookie Notice

Georgia ADU uses cookies and other similar technologies on its Website and Services. Where some of these cookies are strictly necessary (essential) for Georgia ADU to operate its Website and provide its services, others are not. For example, non-essential cookies may provide benefits to us (like helping to improve our Website’s performance) and simultaneously enhance your experience when you visit the Website. 

Except as otherwise stated in this Cookie Notice and our Privacy Notice, we do not sell, trade, rent or otherwise share for marketing purposes your Personal Data with third parties without your consent. 

About cookies

Before we get into the details, it’s important to clarify what we’re talking about. “Cookies” are small data files that are sent to your computer when you browse a website. Cookies are ubiquitous on the internet and as mentioned above, can provide enormous benefits to businesses and users alike. They can also impact your privacy.

Cookie attributes and how we use them 

Cookies come in all different shapes and sizes. What we mean by this is that there are several ways to describe cookies by, as we call them, “cookie attributes.” These attributes include the following and are not limited to just one classification:

By purpose. Cookies can be classified into general categories depending on their purpose (and yes, the broadest cookie classification by purpose is essential and non-essential!)

Essential. These cookies are essential or “strictly necessary” for the Website or service to operate as intended. Examples of this include logging in you on the website, sending a document for an eSignature, inviting users, and enabling access to various features such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms, creating a unique user session, and enabling access to secure areas.  

Functionality. These cookies are used to remember website preferences and choices (like your language preference). This can include log-in details (name and password), region you reside in (Country); and customizable elements on a webpage. We, or our third-party providers whose services we incorporated into our pages, may set these cookies. These cookies do not track browsing on other websites and do not collect data for marketing. Certain website functionality may cease to be available to you by disabling them. 

Performance.* These cookies are used to enhance and improve the performance of our Website and our Services. They collect information that helps us understand how our customers are using the Website and our Services and evaluating the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns. For example, we may utilize Google Analytics, ReadMe or other third-party services to gather Website analytics. These cookies may collect IP addresses and may generate unique identifiers to analyze how frequently you visit our Website and gather other metrics such as page views. These cookies collect aggregated information and are therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not know when you have visited our Website and will not be able to monitor its performance.

Targeting.* Targeting cookies are used by our advertising and marketing partners and work primarily through uniquely identifying your device (e.g., advertising ID, IP address, geolocation), and are used to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant ads on other websites you may visit. These cookies are primarily placed by third parties and may be used to connect to social media platforms. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

NOTE:  Performance and Targeting Cookie Categories above are non-essential.

By party placement. Cookies are also distinguishable by the party setting them in relation to the website. 

First party. These cookies are set (sent to your computer) by the website owner. When you visit our Website, any cookies we set are called first-party cookies. 

Third party. These cookies are set (sent to your computer) by anyone but the website owner. When you visit a website, any cookies set in this manner are called third party cookies. Third party cookies are set specifically to track and record a web surfer’s activity online such as browsing history, online behavior, and demographics. This information is then used to develop a user profile in order to understand user’s activity and website’s performance, and create custom made advertisements.

By duration. Cookies are also distinguishable by the length of time they are operational.

Session. Session Cookies exist temporarily – they operate only during the period when the browser is open. They allow the user to continue to be recognized from page to page within a website. During the session, these cookies remember actions that a user takes and then terminates when the browser is closed out. 

Persistent. Persistent Cookies are set for significantly longer periods than Session Cookies (usually 1 – 2 years).  These cookies terminate on a specific date or after a period of time has elapsed. During the time they are operational, they can provide benefits including helping authenticate a user, keeping a user logged in and remembering how preferences are set such as menu setting, themes, language selection and internal bookmarks. They can also be used to track browsing habits and create a digital dossier during this time, unless disabled.  

Other technologies we use

Cookies are not the only way to track visitors to a website. We, and our third-party partners, may use other similar technologies such as clear GIFs (also known as “tracking pixels” and “web beacons”). Clear GIFs are small graphics files that contain an identifier that recognizes when a user visits our Website. This allows our third-party partners to monitor traffic patterns between websites, communicate with cookies, to understand if you have come from an advertisement displayed on a third party website, to monitor the success of marketing campaigns and to improve site performance. These technologies typically rely on cookies to function, so disabling cookies in your browser will impair their functionality. 

Your options 

Managing use of cookies in your browser. Many internet browsers allow you as a user to change or even delete cookie settings – and this includes strictly necessary cookies. To find out more about how to do this, see the following links to major browsers below, provided for your convenience. If your browser isn’t listed below, go to the help pages of your specific browser for guidance. For further information about cookies and how to modify cookie settings, see http://www.allaboutcookies.org/browsers/index.html and www.allaboutcookies.org. 

For Google Chrome, go to:  Google Chrome Cookie Help

For Microsoft Edge, go to:  MicroSoft Edge Cookie Help 

For Opera, go to: Opera Cookie Help 

For Firefox, go to: FireFox Desktop Tracking Protection

For Apple Safari, go to: Apple Cookie Help

Managing use of cookies through cookie banner and third parties

Cookie Banner. Georgia ADU gives you the option to either accept (opt-in) or decline (opt-out) its use of cookies through a Cookie Banner. By accepting cookies, we will use cookies for the purposes explained in this notice.  By exercising the option to decline, non-essential cookies will not be used. This will not affect our use of strictly necessary cookies as without them, the Website may not function/display properly.

Third Parties. Any cookies that are placed on your browsing device by a third party can be managed through your browser (as described above) or by checking the third party’s website for more information about cookie management and how to “opt-out” of receiving cookies from them. You can learn more at the following third party websites:

• AllAboutCookies: http://www.allaboutcookies.org/ 
• Network Advertising Initiative: http://www.networkadvertising.org/ 
• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie   

Opting-out of interest-based advertising cookies

We do not control interest-based advertising cookies on our Services. However, many advertising companies that collect information for interest-based advertising are members of the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) or the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI), both of which maintain websites where people can opt out of interest-based advertising from their members.

To opt-out of website interest-based advertising provided by each organization’s respective participating companies, visit:

• the DAA’s opt-out portal available at http://optout.aboutads.info/, 
• the DAA of Canada’s opt-out portal available at https://youradchoices.ca/en/tools, or 
• the NAI’s opt-out portal available at http://optout.networkadvertising.org/?c=1.

Residents of the European Union may opt-out of online behavioral advertising served by the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance’s participating member organizations by visiting https://www.youronlinechoices.eu/. 

Contacting us

For questions or complaints regarding our Privacy Cookie Notice, please contact us.