Cookie Policy

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1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device — computer, smartphone, or tablet — when you visit a website. They are widely used across the internet to make websites work properly, improve performance, remember user preferences, and provide information to site owners about how their content is used.

Cookies are not programs. They cannot execute code, carry viruses, or install software on your device. They are simply data files that store information about your interaction with a website.

1.1 How Cookies Work

1.2 Similar Tracking Technologies

In addition to traditional cookies, ReviewsAZ and the third-party services we use may employ similar tracking technologies, including:

• Web Beacons (Pixel Tags) — Tiny, invisible image files embedded in web pages or emails that detect when a page has been viewed or an email has been opened.
• Local Storage — A browser feature that allows websites to store data locally on your device, similar to cookies but with a larger storage capacity and no expiry date unless cleared manually.
• Session Storage — Temporary storage that persists only for the duration of your browser session and is automatically cleared when you close the tab or browser.
• Fingerprinting — A technique that identifies devices based on their unique combination of technical characteristics, without using stored cookies.
• SDKs & Tracking Pixels — Code snippets from advertising and analytics platforms embedded in our Site that collect behavioral data for measurement and targeting purposes.

All references to “cookies” in this policy apply equally to these similar technologies unless stated otherwise.

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2. How We Use Cookies

ReviewsAZ uses cookies and similar technologies for the following broad purposes. Each purpose is explained in greater detail in Section 3.

• Site Operation — Essential cookies ensure that core Site functions work correctly, including page loading, navigation, security, and access to protected features.
• Performance Measurement — Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors interact with the Site, which pages are most popular, where users drop off, and how we can improve the overall experience.
• User Preference Memory — Functionality cookies remember your settings and choices — such as display preferences — so you don’t have to reset them each time you visit.
• Advertising Relevance — Advertising cookies enable us and our ad partners to deliver more relevant advertisements based on your browsing behavior and inferred interests.
• Affiliate Attribution — Affiliate tracking cookies record referrals from our links to third-party retailers so we can receive credit for qualifying purchases — at no cost to you.
• Security & Fraud Prevention — Some cookies help us detect and prevent malicious activity, bot traffic, and abuse of our platform.
• Content Personalization — Certain cookies enable us to tailor the content you see based on your reading history and interests on the Site.

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3. Types of Cookies We Use

We categorize the cookies used on ReviewsAZ into five distinct types based on their function. Understanding these categories will help you make informed decisions about your cookie preferences.

3.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are essential for the Site to function and cannot be disabled without breaking core features. They do not store any personally identifiable information and are always active regardless of your cookie consent choices.

• Enabling navigation between pages without losing previously entered information.
• Supporting security features that protect the Site from unauthorized access and attacks.
• Remembering items in any interactive features or forms.
• Ensuring the Site loads correctly and serves the right content to your device.
• Storing your cookie consent preferences once you have made a choice.

🔒 Legal Basis: Strictly necessary cookies are used on the basis of our legitimate interest in operating the Site and, where applicable, as necessary to perform our contract with you as a user. No consent is required for these cookies under applicable law.

3.2 Analytics & Performance Cookies

Analytics cookies collect information about how visitors use our Site. All data collected by analytics cookies is aggregated and anonymized — it does not identify you as an individual.

The data we collect through analytics cookies includes:

• Pages visited and the order in which they were visited.
• Time spent on each page and overall session duration.
• The source that brought you to the Site (search engine, social media, direct, referral).
• Device type, operating system, and browser used.
• Geographic region (country or city level — not precise location).
• Bounce rate and exit pages.
• Clicks on internal links and interactions with on-page elements.

We use this information solely to understand and improve the performance and content quality of ReviewsAZ.

📊 Legal Basis: Analytics cookies are set on the basis of your consent (where required by applicable law) or our legitimate interest in understanding and improving the Site’s performance.

3.3 Functionality Cookies

Functionality cookies allow the Site to remember choices you have made during a previous visit and provide enhanced, personalized features. These cookies are not essential to the Site’s operation but improve your user experience.

Functionality cookies may remember:

• Display preferences such as font size, color scheme, or layout choices.
• Language or regional settings you have selected.
• Whether you have dismissed a notification, banner, or announcement.
• Your reading progress or bookmarked content within the Site.

⚙️ Legal Basis: Functionality cookies are set on the basis of your consent or our legitimate interest in providing an improved user experience.

3.4 Advertising & Targeting Cookies

Advertising cookies are used to deliver advertisements that are more relevant to your interests. These cookies track your browsing behavior across our Site and, via third-party networks, across other websites you visit.

Advertising cookies enable:

• Interest-Based Advertising — Showing you ads related to topics, products, and categories you have previously shown interest in on ReviewsAZ or across the web.
• Frequency Capping — Limiting the number of times you see the same advertisement to prevent overexposure.
• Ad Performance Measurement — Tracking whether an ad was seen, clicked, and whether it led to a conversion — helping advertisers and us understand which ads are effective.
• Retargeting / Remarketing — Showing you ads for products or content you viewed on ReviewsAZ when you subsequently visit other websites in the same advertising network.
• Audience Segmentation — Grouping users into anonymized segments based on interests and behavior to deliver more relevant advertising at the audience level.

📢 Legal Basis: Advertising cookies are set only with your explicit consent where required by applicable law (including GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive). You can withdraw your consent at any time. See Section 8 for how to manage your preferences.

3.5 Affiliate Tracking Cookies

When you click on a product link or affiliate link on ReviewsAZ, an affiliate tracking cookie may be placed on your device. This cookie records the referral so that if you subsequently make a qualifying purchase from the linked retailer, ReviewsAZ receives a commission.

Key facts about affiliate tracking cookies:

• They do not increase the price you pay — commissions are paid by the retailer, not by you.
• They typically have a defined attribution window (commonly 24–90 days depending on the affiliate program).
• They record the click event and referral source but do not collect your personal payment or financial information.
• They may be overwritten if you subsequently click an affiliate link from a different source before making a purchase.

🔗 Legal Basis: Affiliate tracking cookies are set on the basis of our legitimate interest in generating revenue to fund the free content we provide, combined with full disclosure of this practice in our Disclaimer.

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4. Third-Party Cookies

In addition to cookies set directly by ReviewsAZ (“first-party cookies”), some cookies on our Site are set by third-party services that we use to operate, analyze, and monetize the Site. These are called “third-party cookies.”

Third-party cookies are governed by the privacy and cookie policies of the respective third parties — not by this Cookie Policy. We encourage you to review the policies of each third party whose cookies appear on the Site.

4.1 Categories of Third-Party Services That Set Cookies

4.2 Your Control Over Third-Party Cookies

Third-party cookies can be managed through our cookie consent tool, through your browser settings, or through the opt-out mechanisms provided by each third party. See Sections 8, 9, and 10 for detailed instructions on managing all types of cookies.

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5. Full Cookie Reference List

The table below provides a reference overview of the primary cookies you may encounter when using ReviewsAZ. Note that the specific cookies present on any given page may vary, and third-party cookies may change as our service providers update their systems.

Cookie Name / Provider	Type	Purpose	Duration
_ga (Google Analytics)	Analytics	Distinguishes unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier	2 years
_gid (Google Analytics)	Analytics	Stores and updates a unique value for each page visited	24 hours
_gat (Google Analytics)	Analytics	Used to throttle request rate to Google Analytics	1 minute
_gcl_au (Google AdSense)	Advertising	Used by Google AdSense for experimenting with advertisement efficiency across websites	90 days
IDE (Google DoubleClick)	Advertising	Used to show Google ads based on past visits to the Site and other sites	13 months
amazon-session (Amazon Associates)	Affiliate	Tracks referral clicks from our affiliate links to Amazon for commission attribution	24 hours
cookie_consent (ReviewsAZ)	Necessary	Stores your cookie consent preferences so we don’t ask again on every visit	12 months
PHPSESSID (ReviewsAZ)	Necessary	Session identifier cookie used by PHP to maintain session state across page requests	Session
__cf_bm (Cloudflare)	Necessary	Used by Cloudflare to distinguish between humans and automated bot traffic	30 minutes
fr (Facebook/Meta)	Advertising	Used by Facebook to deliver advertisements when you visit sites in the Meta advertising network	90 days
YSC (YouTube)	Functionality	Registers a unique ID to keep statistics of videos from YouTube seen by the user	Session
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE (YouTube)	Functionality	Estimates user bandwidth on pages with integrated YouTube video	6 months

This list is representative and not exhaustive. The actual cookies present on the Site may vary depending on your location, device, browser, and which features or third-party services are active at the time of your visit. We update this table periodically as our cookie usage evolves.

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6. Cookie Duration: Session vs. Persistent

Cookies can be classified not only by their function but also by how long they remain on your device. Understanding this distinction helps you predict how your data is stored over time.

The specific duration of each cookie we use is listed in the Cookie Reference Table in Section 5. You can view and delete cookies stored on your device at any time through your browser settings — see Section 9 for instructions.

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7. Cookie Consent

7.1 How We Obtain Your Consent

When you first visit ReviewsAZ, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner that explains the types of cookies we use and gives you the ability to accept, decline, or customize your preferences. We do not set any non-essential cookies before you have provided your consent, in accordance with GDPR, the ePrivacy Directive, and applicable national implementations.

7.2 What Counts as Consent

Your consent must be:

• Freely Given — Declining non-essential cookies must be as easy as accepting them. We do not use dark patterns or misleading design to steer you toward accepting cookies.
• Specific — You can accept or decline each category of cookies independently — you are not required to accept all cookies to use the Site.
• Informed — This Cookie Policy provides clear, plain-language information about what each cookie type does before you make your choice.
• Unambiguous — Consent is obtained through a clear affirmative action — such as clicking “Accept All” or selecting specific categories. Continuing to browse does not constitute consent to non-essential cookies.
• Withdrawable — You can withdraw your consent at any time, as easily as you gave it. See Section 8 for how to update your preferences.

7.3 Strictly Necessary Cookies Are Exempt

Strictly necessary cookies (Category 1 in Section 3) are not subject to consent requirements under applicable law. They are required for the Site to function and are always active. All other cookie categories require your consent before being activated.

7.4 Consent Records

We maintain a record of the consent choices you make, including the date, time, and version of the cookie policy in effect at the time of consent. This record is stored in a strictly necessary cookie on your device and is used solely to honor your preferences and demonstrate compliance — not for any other purpose.

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8. Managing Your Cookie Preferences

You have full control over your cookie preferences at ReviewsAZ. You can change your choices at any time using any of the following methods:

8.1 Cookie Consent Tool

Our cookie consent banner — accessible on your first visit or by clicking the “Cookie Settings” link in the footer of any page — allows you to:

• Accept all cookie categories with a single click.
• Decline all non-essential cookies with a single click.
• Customize your preferences by enabling or disabling individual cookie categories.
• Review a summary of which cookies are active under each category.
• Update or withdraw your preferences at any time.

8.2 Effect of Changing Your Preferences

Action	Immediate Effect	On Future Visits
Accept All	All cookie categories activated immediately	Preferences remembered via consent cookie
Decline Non-Essential	Only strictly necessary cookies remain active	Preference stored; non-essential cookies blocked
Custom Selection	Only selected categories activated	Custom preferences stored and honored
Withdraw Consent	Non-essential cookies deactivated going forward	Does not affect cookies already set prior to withdrawal
Clear Browser Cookies	All cookies deleted from device	Consent banner reappears on next visit

Please Note: Withdrawing consent prevents new non-essential cookies from being set but does not retroactively delete cookies that were set while consent was active. To remove previously set cookies, you must clear them manually through your browser settings — see Section 9.

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9. Browser-Level Cookie Controls

Every major web browser allows you to view, manage, and delete cookies stored on your device. Browser-level controls give you the most granular control over cookies — including the ability to delete specific cookies, block cookies from specific domains, or block all third-party cookies globally.

9.1 Instructions for Major Browsers

9.2 Important Caveats of Browser-Level Controls

• Blocking all cookies may prevent some parts of ReviewsAZ and other websites from functioning correctly.
• Clearing cookies will remove your stored cookie consent preference — our consent banner will reappear on your next visit.
• Browser settings apply globally to all sites you visit — not just ReviewsAZ. Consider using browser extensions for site-specific cookie management.
• In private or incognito browsing mode, cookies are typically deleted automatically when the private session ends, but may still be set during the session.

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10. Opt-Out Tools & Resources

In addition to browser controls and our cookie consent tool, the following industry opt-out mechanisms give you additional control over specific types of tracking and advertising cookies:

• Google Analytics Opt-Out Add-On — Install the official Google Analytics browser add-on (tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout) to prevent Google Analytics from collecting data about your visits across all websites that use it, including ReviewsAZ.
• Google Ads Settings — Manage Google’s interest-based advertising and opt out of personalized ads via google.com/settings/ads or adssettings.google.com.
• Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) — US — Use the opt-out tool at aboutads.info/choices to opt out of interest-based advertising from participating DAA member companies.
• European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA) — EEA users can opt out of targeted advertising from participating networks via youronlinechoices.eu.
• Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) — Use the NAI opt-out tool at optout.networkadvertising.org to opt out from member ad networks simultaneously.
• Facebook Ad Preferences — Manage Facebook’s use of data for advertising via facebook.com/ads/preferences or your Facebook account’s Ad Settings.
• Amazon Advertising Preferences — Opt out of interest-based ads from Amazon via amazon.com/adprefs or your Amazon account’s Advertising Preferences.

ℹ️ Please Note: Using these opt-out tools does not remove all cookies from your device — it specifically opts you out of interest-based advertising from participating networks. You may still see generic, non-targeted advertisements. For full cookie removal, use your browser’s cookie deletion tools (Section 9).

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11. Do Not Track (DNT) Signals

The Do Not Track (DNT) feature is a browser setting that sends a signal to websites you visit requesting that your browsing not be tracked. However, there is currently no universally accepted technical standard for how websites should interpret and respond to DNT signals.

At this time, ReviewsAZ does not alter its cookie or data collection practices in response to browser DNT signals, because there is no consistent industry standard to follow. We do, however, provide robust alternative mechanisms for controlling your privacy preferences:

• Our cookie consent tool (Section 7 & 8) allows granular control over non-essential cookies.
• Browser-level cookie controls (Section 9) let you block or delete cookies at the device level.
• Industry opt-out tools (Section 10) provide specific controls for advertising and analytics tracking.

We will revisit this position if a binding DNT standard is established and widely adopted. California residents are advised that this disclosure is made in compliance with the California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA).

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12. Cookies on Mobile Devices

When you access ReviewsAZ on a mobile device — smartphone or tablet — cookies function similarly to how they do on desktop browsers. However, mobile devices have some additional tracking mechanisms and controls worth understanding.

12.1 Mobile Browser Cookies

Mobile browsers (such as Chrome for Android, Safari for iOS, Firefox for Android, and others) support cookies in the same way as desktop browsers. You can manage cookie settings through your mobile browser’s settings menu. Refer to Section 9 and your browser’s documentation for specific instructions.

12.2 Mobile Advertising Identifiers

Mobile operating systems provide a resettable advertising identifier that ad networks may use in place of or in addition to cookies:

• Apple IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) — Used on iOS devices. Since iOS 14.5, apps must request explicit permission before accessing the IDFA via Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework. You can reset or disable your IDFA in Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.
• Google GAID (Google Advertising ID) — Used on Android devices. You can reset or opt out of ad personalization in Settings → Google → Ads (or equivalent depending on your Android version).

12.3 Mobile App Cookies

ReviewsAZ does not currently operate a dedicated mobile application. If a ReviewsAZ app is released in the future, a separate cookie and tracking disclosure will be provided within that app in compliance with applicable platform policies (Apple App Store, Google Play Store).

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13. Updates to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our cookie usage, the services we use, regulatory requirements, or industry best practices. When we make changes, we will:

• Update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page to clearly indicate when the policy was last revised.
• Display a notice on the Site for material changes that significantly affect how we use cookies or your rights regarding those cookies.
• Re-display the cookie consent banner if we introduce new cookie categories or materially change how existing cookie categories are used — giving you the opportunity to review and reconfirm your preferences.
• Maintain an accurate Cookie Reference List (Section 5) that reflects the current cookies in use on the Site, updated as our third-party services evolve.

Your continued use of the Site after any updates to this policy constitutes acknowledgment of the revised Cookie Policy. If you disagree with how we use cookies, you can decline non-essential cookies via our consent tool or discontinue use of the Site.

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