What Are Cookies and Tracking Technologies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit websites. They're pretty standard across the internet. We also use similar technologies like web beacons and local storage.

Think of them as digital Post-it notes. Some remember that you're logged in. Others track which articles you read so we can recommend similar content. And some help us count how many people visited our budgeting guide versus our investing basics page.

How These Technologies Work

When you visit kalethyrosun.org, our server sends these small data files to your browser. Your browser stores them and sends them back with each subsequent request. This lets us recognize you across different pages and visits.

Some tracking methods work differently. Web beacons are tiny invisible images embedded in pages or emails. When they load, they notify our servers. Local storage keeps data in your browser without expiration dates, unlike cookies that can have time limits.

Types of Tracking We Use

Specific Tracking Technologies We Deploy

Here's what we actually use on kalethyrosun.org. No surprises, no hidden trackers.

• Session Cookies: Temporary cookies that disappear when you close your browser. Essential for keeping you logged in as you move between pages.
• Persistent Cookies: Stay on your device until they expire or you delete them. These remember your preferences across visits.
• First-Party Cookies: Set by kalethyrosun.org directly. We control these entirely.
• Third-Party Cookies: Set by external services we partner with, like analytics providers or content delivery networks.
• Web Beacons: Tiny transparent images that track email opens and page section views.
• Local Storage: Stores larger amounts of data than cookies, with no automatic expiration.
• Fingerprinting: We don't use device fingerprinting. Just mentioning this because some sites do, and we think you should know we don't.

How Tracking Enhances Your Experience

Look, we get that tracking sounds invasive. But there are legitimate reasons we use it beyond just collecting data.

Personalized Learning Paths

When we know you've completed the budgeting basics module, we can suggest the next logical step in your financial education journey. Without tracking, you'd need to manually navigate through everything or start from scratch each visit.

Content Improvement

Analytics show us which articles people actually finish reading versus which ones they abandon halfway through. If everyone drops off at the same point in our investment guide, that tells us we need to rewrite that section. This data directly improves the quality of our educational content.

Technical Performance

Tracking helps us identify slow-loading pages, broken links, and browser compatibility issues. When we see users on older mobile devices struggling with a particular calculator, we can optimize it.

Security and Fraud Prevention

Monitoring patterns helps us detect suspicious activity. Unusual login attempts, rapid-fire form submissions, and other red flags get caught through tracking technologies.

Data Retention and Your Control

We don't keep tracking data forever. Different types have different retention periods based on their purpose:

• Analytics Data: Typically retained for 18 to 24 months, then aggregated or deleted.
• Marketing Data: Kept for 24 months or until you opt out of tracking.
• Functional Preferences: Stored until you clear them or change your settings.
• Security Logs: Retained for 90 days to 12 months depending on the type of security event.

Your Rights Regarding Tracking Data

You have several options for managing your data:

• Decline non-essential cookies using the button above
• Clear existing cookies through your browser settings
• Request a copy of data we've collected about your visits
• Ask us to delete your tracking data (doesn't affect your account data)
• Opt out of marketing tracking while keeping functional cookies

Third-Party Services and Their Tracking

We work with external providers who set their own cookies when you use kalethyrosun.org. Here's who and why:

Analytics Providers

We use analytics services to understand site usage. These providers have their own privacy policies and cookie practices. They collect information about your browsing patterns across multiple websites, not just ours.

Content Delivery Networks

CDNs help us serve content faster by caching it on servers closer to you. They use cookies to optimize delivery and may collect performance data.

Educational Platform Partners

Some of our interactive tools and calculators are provided by third-party educational technology companies. They may use cookies to enhance functionality.

We don't control third-party cookies. If you want to opt out of their tracking, you'll need to visit their websites directly or use browser-level blocking.

Updates to This Policy

We review this policy every six months and update it when we change our tracking practices. If we make significant changes, we'll notify you through a banner on kalethyrosun.org.

The last update was in February 2025. We added clarification about local storage usage and updated our list of third-party services.

Past versions of this policy are available on request. Just email us at the address below if you want to see how our practices have evolved.