Cookie Policy

Last Updated: January 2024

This Cookie Policy explains how usearistang (usearistang) ("we", "us", "our", or the "Company") uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website located at usearistang.cfd (the "Website"). We are committed to transparency regarding our use of cookies and comply with the requirements of the Austrian Data Protection Act (Datenschutzgesetz 2018 – DSG), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the ePrivacy Directive (Directive 2002/58/EC as amended by 2009/136/EC).

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile phone) when you visit a website. They are created by the website server and sent to your browser, which stores them locally. Cookies allow websites to remember information about your visit, such as your language preferences, login status, and browsing behavior.

Cookies serve several purposes: they enable essential website functionality, improve user experience, measure website performance, and deliver personalized content. When you return to a website, your browser sends the stored cookies back to the server, allowing the website to recognize you and recall your preferences.

It is important to note that cookies themselves do not contain personal data in the strict sense, though they may be linked to personal information if you have registered an account or provided personal details to the Website.

2. Legal Framework and Compliance

We operate under strict compliance with Austrian and European data protection laws. Our cookie practices are governed by:

• Austrian Data Protection Act (DSG 2018): Implementing national requirements for data protection in Austria.
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): EU Regulation 2016/679 providing comprehensive data protection rules applicable across the European Union.
• ePrivacy Directive: Directive 2002/58/EC (as amended by 2009/136/EC), which requires explicit prior consent for non-essential cookies and similar tracking technologies.

Under these regulations, we are required to obtain your explicit, informed consent before deploying cookies that are not strictly necessary for the technical functioning of the Website. We provide granular cookie choices, allowing you to accept or reject specific categories of cookies independently.

3. Types of Cookies We Use

We use cookies in different categories, each serving distinct purposes:

3.1 Essential (Strictly Necessary) Cookies

Legal Basis: Article 7(3) of the ePrivacy Directive permits essential cookies without prior consent because they are necessary for the technical functioning of the website.

Essential cookies are required for basic website operations. Without these cookies, the Website cannot function properly. They are used for:

• Maintaining your session and keeping you logged in
• Remembering your language preference
• Security purposes (e.g., detecting and preventing fraudulent activity)
• Load balancing across our servers
• Implementing your privacy and cookie preferences
• Protecting against cross-site request forgery (CSRF)

These cookies do not require consent and will be set regardless of your preferences. You may disable them through your browser settings, but this may result in reduced functionality or inability to access certain features of the Website.

3.2 Functional Cookies

Legal Basis: Your explicit consent as required under Article 7(3) of the ePrivacy Directive.

Functional cookies enhance your user experience by remembering choices you have made. These cookies:

• Store your content preferences and customization settings
• Remember your user interface preferences (e.g., sidebar state, theme selection)
• Enable form auto-completion for convenience
• Track your cookie consent preferences across sessions
• Remember accessibility settings you have configured

Functional cookies are not essential but significantly improve usability. We require your explicit consent before deploying these cookies.

3.3 Analytics Cookies

Legal Basis: Your explicit consent as required under Article 7(3) of the ePrivacy Directive.

Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors use the Website. They collect aggregated, anonymized data about:

• Number of visitors and visit frequency
• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• User flow and navigation patterns
• Device types and operating systems used
• Referral sources and entry/exit pages
• Geographic location (at country/region level only)
• Search terms used to find the Website

This information helps us optimize Website content, identify technical issues, and enhance overall user experience. Analytics data is processed in anonymized form and is not used to identify individual users without additional personal data.

3.4 Marketing and Advertising Cookies

Legal Basis: Your explicit consent as required under Article 7(3) of the ePrivacy Directive.

Currently, the Website does not deploy direct marketing or advertising cookies. However, if we introduce such functionality in the future, we will obtain your prior consent and provide updated information about these cookies.

4. Detailed Cookie Table

The following table provides comprehensive information about cookies used on the Website:

5. Third-Party Cookies and External Resources

Our Website may include resources and services from third-party providers, which may set their own cookies:

5.1 Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics (Google LLC, a company incorporated in the United States and operating under the legal name of Google Inc. for EU purposes) to analyze Website traffic and user behavior. Google Analytics uses cookies to:

• Identify unique visitors
• Track sessions and user interactions
• Measure conversion and goal completion
• Generate reports on Website performance and user demographics

Google Analytics data is processed in anonymized form. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. We have implemented IP anonymization ("anonymizeIp" = true) to ensure that the last octet of your IP address is masked.

For more information about Google Analytics cookies and privacy practices, please visit: https://policies.google.com/privacy and https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245

5.2 Google Fonts

The Website uses Google Fonts to optimize typography. When you load pages using custom fonts, your browser connects to Google's servers. While this does not set cookies by default, it involves data transfer to Google. We have implemented measures to minimize this impact by caching fonts locally where possible.

5.3 Content Delivery Networks (CDN)

We may use Content Delivery Networks to optimize delivery of static resources (images, stylesheets, scripts). CDN providers may set cookies for traffic management and security purposes. These are technical, session-based cookies necessary for Website functionality.

6. Cookie Consent Mechanism

In compliance with the ePrivacy Directive and GDPR requirements, we provide a transparent cookie consent management system:

6.1 Consent Banner

Upon your first visit to the Website, you will see a clear, prominent cookie consent banner. This banner:

• Informs you that cookies are used on the Website
• Explains the purposes of cookie categories (essential, functional, analytics)
• Provides links to this complete Cookie Policy and our Privacy Policy
• Offers granular choice options to accept or reject specific cookie categories
• Includes an "Accept All" button for convenience (if you choose)
• Includes "Reject All" option for non-essential cookies
• Provides a Settings button to customize your cookie preferences

6.2 Granular Consent

You have the right to make independent choices about each cookie category:

• Essential Cookies: Automatically enabled (cannot be disabled without compromising Website functionality)
• Functional Cookies: You may choose to accept or reject
• Analytics Cookies: You may choose to accept or reject
• Marketing Cookies: You may choose to accept or reject (if/when implemented)

Your consent preferences are saved in the "cookie_consent" cookie for 12 months. You may withdraw your consent at any time by accessing the cookie settings through the Website's footer or by contacting us directly.

6.3 Consent Documentation

When you grant consent, we maintain records of:

• The date and time of your consent
• The specific cookie categories you consented to
• Your IP address (for fraud prevention purposes)

7. How to Manage and Disable Cookies

You have full control over cookies in your browser. Instructions for managing cookies vary by browser:

7.1 Google Chrome

1. Click the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner
2. Select "Settings"
3. Click "Privacy and security" in the left sidebar
4. Click "Cookies and other site data"
5. Choose your preferred cookie settings:
   • "Allow all cookies" – Accept all cookies
   • "Block all cookies" – Reject all cookies
   • "Block third-party cookies" – Allow first-party cookies only
6. Alternatively, click "Manage exceptions" to configure settings for specific websites
7. To clear existing cookies, select "Clear browsing data," check "Cookies and other site data," and click "Clear data"

7.2 Mozilla Firefox

1. Click the hamburger menu icon in the top-right corner
2. Select "Settings"
3. Click "Privacy & Security" in the left sidebar
4. Under "Cookies and Site Data," configure your preferences:
   • "Accept cookies and site data from websites" – Accept cookies (with exceptions option below)
   • "Reject all cookies" – Reject all cookies
   • "Reject trackers" – Reject tracking cookies only
5. Click "Manage Exceptions" to set specific site preferences
6. To clear cookies, select "Clear Data" in the same section

7.3 Apple Safari

1. Click "Safari" in the top menu bar
2. Select "Preferences" (or "Settings" in newer versions)
3. Click the "Privacy" tab
4. Under "Cookies and website data," choose:
   • "Always allow" – Accept all cookies
   • "Allow from websites I visit" – Accept cookies from visited websites only
   • "Never allow" – Reject all cookies
5. Click "Manage Website Data" to view and remove specific cookies

7.4 Microsoft Edge

1. Click the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner
2. Select "Settings"
3. Click "Privacy, search, and services" in the left sidebar
4. Under "Cookies and other site data," choose:
   • "Allow all cookies" – Accept all cookies
   • "Block all cookies" – Reject all cookies
   • "Block third-party cookies" – Allow first-party cookies only
5. Click "Manage exceptions" for site-specific settings
6. To clear cookies, click "Clear browsing data" and select "Cookies and other site data"

7.5 Do Not Track (DNT) Settings

Most modern browsers support "Do Not Track" (DNT) settings. When enabled, your browser sends a signal to websites requesting that you not be tracked. While we respect DNT signals, their implementation varies by website provider. Please refer to your browser's help documentation for instructions on enabling DNT.

8. Impact of Disabling Cookies

Disabling cookies may affect your experience on the Website:

8.1 Disabling Essential Cookies

If you disable essential cookies, you may experience:

• Inability to log in to your account (if applicable)
• Session termination upon page refresh
• Loss of language and preference settings
• Reduced website functionality and possible errors
• Increased load times due to lack of load balancing

We strongly recommend leaving essential cookies enabled for optimal Website functionality.

8.2 Disabling Functional Cookies

If you disable functional cookies, you may need to:

• Re-enter your preferences and customization settings on each visit
• Manually select your language preference each time
• Lose auto-completion of forms

8.3 Disabling Analytics Cookies

Disabling analytics cookies does not affect Website functionality but prevents us from collecting data about your usage. This helps protect your privacy but means you will not benefit from optimizations we make based on aggregate analytics data.

9. Austria and EU Legal Requirements

This Cookie Policy reflects our commitment to compliance with Austrian and European privacy regulations:

9.1 Datenschutzgesetz 2018 (DSG)

The Austrian Data Protection Act implements GDPR requirements at the national level. We comply with all obligations under Austrian law, including:

• Transparency in data processing (fair processing notice)
• Lawful basis for processing (explicit consent for cookies)
• Rights of data subjects (access, rectification, erasure)
• Data breach notification obligations

9.2 GDPR Compliance

Under GDPR Articles 4, 7, and 13, we provide:

• Transparent information: Clear explanation of cookies and their purposes in this policy
• Explicit consent: Affirmative action required (cookie banner with clear choices)
• Granular options: Ability to consent to specific categories independently
• Withdrawal right: Easy method to withdraw consent at any time
• Legal basis documentation: Article 6(1)(a) GDPR (consent) and Article 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interests for essential cookies)

9.3 ePrivacy Directive Compliance

The ePrivacy Directive (2002/58/EC as amended by 2009/136/EC) requires prior informed consent for cookies (except essential cookies). We comply by:

• Displaying a clear, informed consent banner before deploying non-essential cookies
• Providing detailed information about cookie purposes and duration
• Allowing rejection of non-essential cookies without penalty
• Respecting user preferences across sessions
• Providing easy access to cookie management tools

10. Your Privacy Rights

Under GDPR and Austrian law, you have the following rights regarding cookies and personal data:

• Right of Access: Request information about cookies and data collected
• Right of Rectification: Correct inaccurate cookie-related data
• Right of Erasure: Request deletion of cookies and associated data (except where required by law)
• Right to Restrict Processing: Limit how your cookie data is processed
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in machine-readable format
• Right to Object: Object to specific types of processing
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw cookie consent at any time without penalty

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in Section 12.

11. Updates to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy periodically to reflect:

• Changes in our cookie practices
• Introduction of new cookies or removal of outdated ones
• Updates to legal requirements or regulations
• Improvements to our privacy and security practices

Changes will be effective immediately upon posting to the Website. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically. Continued use of the Website after changes have been posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Information

If you have questions about this Cookie Policy, wish to withdraw your cookie consent, or want to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us:

We will respond to all inquiries within 30 days in accordance with GDPR Article 12 requirements.

13. Additional Resources

For more information about online privacy and cookies, you may find the following resources helpful:

• European Data Protection Board (EDPB) – Official EU data protection authority guidance
• Austrian Data Protection Authority (Datenschutzbehörde) – Austrian regulatory guidance
• European Commission Privacy Information
• All About Cookies – Independent educational resource

Disclaimer: This Cookie Policy is provided for informational purposes. While we have made efforts to ensure accuracy and completeness, it does not constitute legal advice. For specific legal guidance regarding your privacy rights, please consult with a qualified data protection attorney in Austria or your jurisdiction.