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Cookie Policy

This Cookie Policy explains how Empathy First Media uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website, and your choices regarding them. It is intended to be read in conjunction with our Privacy Policy.

What Are Cookies? Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, smartphone, etc.) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the site owners. Cookies allow a website to recognize your device and remember information about your visit (such as your preferred language, login status, and other settings). There are different types of cookies:

  • Session Cookies: Temporary cookies that remain on your device only while your browser is open and are deleted when you close your browser. These are typically used to remember your actions on a single visit (for example, items in your shopping cart).

  • Persistent Cookies: Cookies that remain on your device after you close your browser (for a set duration or until you delete them). They help the site remember you on subsequent visits, enhancing your experience (for instance, keeping you logged in or remembering preferences).

  • First-Party Cookies: Cookies set by the website you’re visiting (in this case, empathyfirstmedia.com).

  • Third-Party Cookies: Cookies set by domains other than our website, usually when we embed content or scripts from other services (e.g., analytics or social media).

How We Use Cookies: Empathy First Media uses cookies and similar technologies to improve user experience, for analytics, and for advertising/affiliate tracking. The cookies on our Site may include:

  • Strictly Necessary Cookies: These cookies are essential for the operation of our website and enable core functionality. For example, they may be used to remember items you put into a shopping cart, to allow you to log in to secure areas of the site, or to load essential scripts. Without these cookies, certain services or features cannot be provided. According to applicable law, we do not need your consent to place strictly necessary cookies, but we still want you to be aware of them. (We do, however, explain their use and necessity in line with transparency requirements​.)

  • Preferences Cookies (Functionality Cookies): These cookies allow our site to remember the choices you make and provide enhanced, more personal features. For instance, they might remember your language selection, region, or other customizable elements of the site’s appearance (e.g., font size). The information these cookies collect may be anonymized and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites​

  • Analytics/Performance Cookies: These cookies collect information about how visitors use our website, such as which pages are visited most often, and if users get error messages on certain pages. We use this information to improve how our website works and understand the interests of our users. For example, we use Google Analytics (a web analytics service) which sets cookies to help us analyze site traffic and usage. The data collected is aggregated and not intended to identify you personally. These cookies may track things like how long you spend on the site or which pages you interact with, which helps us optimize our content. (Note: We have configured Google Analytics to respect “Do Not Track” or equivalent signals where possible and IP anonymization features when applicable.)

  • Marketing and Advertising Cookies: Our site may use advertising cookies or pixels to deliver relevant ads to users and measure the performance of ad campaigns. These cookies might be set through our site by third-party advertising partners or social media platforms. They remember that you visited our site and may track your browsing activity across other sites to profile your interests. This information is used to show you ads that are more relevant to you, both on our site and on others (a practice known as interest-based advertising). They also limit the number of times you see the same advertisement and help measure the effectiveness of ads. Note: Empathy First Media currently engages in limited third-party advertising. We primarily use cookies for affiliate link tracking (to know if a user purchased a product after clicking an affiliate link on our site). If we do use any marketing cookies, we will obtain your consent where required.

Affiliate Tracking Cookies: If we participate in affiliate programs (for example, recommending third-party tools or products), cookies might be used to track referrals so that we can earn a commission. These typically originate from the affiliate network or merchant site. For instance, when you click an affiliate link on our site, a cookie may be placed on your browser to remember that you clicked through from Empathy First Media. If you subsequently make a purchase, that cookie allows the merchant to recognize us as the referring partner. These cookies usually do not contain personal details beyond an identifier. We disclose the presence of affiliate links in our content (see Affiliate Disclosure) and these cookies are only set if you click an affiliate link.

EU Cookie Consent: If you are visiting our site from the European Union (or where EU/UK privacy laws apply), we will present a cookie consent banner on your first visit. Except for Strictly Necessary Cookies, we will not set cookies (especially Analytics or Marketing cookies) until you have given consent by clicking “Accept” or choosing your cookie preferences​gdpr.eu. We aim to comply with the EU ePrivacy Directive and GDPR, which require that:

  • We receive users’ consent before using any cookies that are not strictly necessary

  • We provide clear and specific information about what each cookie does and why (as we are doing in this policy)​

  • We document and store your consent and allow you to change your mind (withdraw consent) as easily as you gave it​

  • We do not deny service if you refuse non-essential cookies – you will still be able to use our site even if you decline optional cookies(however, some enhanced features might not function as intended without certain cookies).

  • We make it easy to withdraw consent or adjust cookie settings at any time (see “Managing Cookies” below)​gdpr.eu.

Managing and Controlling Cookies: You have the right to choose whether to accept cookies. Here are ways you can manage cookies:

  • Cookie Consent Tool: On our Site, you can adjust your cookie preferences via our cookie banner or settings. When you first visit, you can accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or customize your choices. If at any time you wish to change your preference, you can click the “Cookie Settings” link (or similarly named link) available on our site (usually in the footer or within this policy) to revisit the consent manager. You can then toggle certain categories of cookies on or off. We will honor your updated preferences, and the change will be effective immediately.

  • Browser Settings: Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings preferences. You can set your browser to refuse cookies or delete certain cookies. However, please note that if you disable cookies entirely, our Site (and many other sites) might not function properly. For example, you might not be able to log in or use certain features. Each browser is a bit different, but you can typically find cookie settings in the “Options” or “Preferences” menu. For more information on how to manage cookies in popular browsers:

    • Google Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data

    • Mozilla Firefox: Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data

    • Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Cookies and website data

    • Microsoft Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions.

  • Opt-Out of Analytics: To specifically opt out of Google Analytics, Google provides an opt-out browser add-on which you can download and install (see Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on).

  • Global Privacy Control: If you have enabled the Global Privacy Control (GPC) in your browser, our website will treat it as a signal to opt out of cookies that would be considered a “sale” or “share” of personal information under CCPA (e.g., advertising cookies). We will honor such signals accordingly by not setting those cookies or by disabling them if possible.

Third-Party Cookies and Tracking: We use third-party services that may set cookies or use other tracking technologies. Beyond cookies, this can include pixels or tags embedded in our site (for example, a Facebook Pixel or LinkedIn Insight Tag for ad tracking). Pixels operate similarly to cookies, tracking certain user behaviors (like page views or ad clicks). Where we use such technologies, we will treat them under the same consent and privacy standards as cookies. Third-party providers may have access to the data collected via these trackers to provide services to us (e.g., aggregated analytics) or, in the case of advertising, for their own purposes. We recommend reviewing the privacy policies of any third-party services we use for more information on how they handle data. Key partners include:

  • Google Analytics: (Privacy Policy at Google’s site) – collects usage data and reports site trends without identifying individual visitors. IP addresses may be anonymized.

  • [Any other analytics or marketing service]: (provide info if applicable, or remove this bullet if not).

  • Affiliate Networks: such as [Affiliate Network Name] if applicable – used to track referrals for commissions (these typically set a cookie when you click an affiliate link).

We do not have control over third-party cookies once set, other than the ability for you to opt out via our site or your browser. If you have concerns about particular third-party cookies, you can usually opt out via the third party’s own tools (for instance, Google’s Ads Settings for Google’s advertising cookies, or the Your Online Choices site for EU users to manage many advertising cookies).

Cookie-List: For transparency, here is a list of the main cookies used on our site, their purpose, and their duration:

  • __cfduid (example) – Strictly Necessary (security, used by CDN) – expires in 30 days.

  • session_id – Strictly Necessary (maintains user session state, such as logged-in status) – session cookie.

  • cookie_consent – Strictly Necessary (remembers your cookie consent preferences) – persistent (1 year).

  • _ga, _gid (Google Analytics) – Analytics (Google Analytics tracking IDs) – _ga lasts 2 years, _gid lasts 24 hours.

  • _gat – Analytics (Google Analytics throttle request rate) – lasts 1 minute.

  • affiliate_cookie_name – Marketing/Affiliate (tracks referral from affiliate link) – persists for 7 days.

  • fbp or li_oat (Facebook or LinkedIn) – Marketing (for re-targeting ads) – persists up to 90 days. (Note: The above is an example; actual cookie names and lifetimes may vary. Update this list with real data if available.)

We periodically scan our site for cookies and update this list. There may be additional cookies not listed if they are introduced by new features or third-party integrations; we will endeavor to maintain an accurate list.

Consent and Transparency: By using our site (especially if you click “Accept” on our cookie banner), you consent to the placement of cookies and similar technologies as described in this Policy. Remember, you can always adjust your preferences as described. We aim to make our use of cookies as transparent as possible – if you have any questions or concerns about our cookie practices, please contact us.

Do Not Sell or Share (for California): As noted, we do not sell personal info for monetary gain. Some cookie use, especially third-party advertising cookies, could be considered a “sale” or “share” of personal info under California law. We have mechanisms in place (via cookie consent and GPC signals) to honor opt-outs. California users can also contact us to ensure we have fully processed their opt-out request.

Changes to this Cookie Policy: We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology or law, or changes in our practices. The “Last Updated” date at the bottom will indicate when it was last revised. If the changes are significant, we may provide a notice or obtain consent as required.

Contact Us: If you have any questions about our use of cookies or about your consent choices, please contact us at: [email protected].

By staying on our website and not disabling non-essential cookies, you are agreeing to our use of cookies as described in this policy. However, you always have the option to adjust your preferences as explained above.

Last Updated: April 2025