Cookie Policy

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. Cookies are widely used by website operators to make their websites work more efficiently, to provide a better browsing experience, and to collect information about how visitors interact with the website.

Cookies can be "persistent" or "session" cookies. Persistent cookies remain on your device for a set period of time or until you manually delete them. Session cookies are temporary and are deleted when you close your browser. Cookies can also be categorized as "first-party" cookies (set by the website you are visiting) or "third-party" cookies (set by a domain other than the website you are visiting).

In addition to cookies, we may use similar technologies such as web beacons (also known as pixel tags or clear GIFs), local storage, and session storage. These technologies serve similar purposes to cookies and are covered by this Cookie Policy. When we refer to "cookies" in this policy, we include these similar technologies unless otherwise specified.

2. How Soarce Uses Cookies

Soarce (soarceusa.org) uses cookies for the following general purposes:

• Essential site functionality: Some cookies are necessary for the Site to function properly. Without these cookies, certain features of the Site would not work.
• Performance and analytics: We use cookies to understand how visitors interact with our Site, which pages are most visited, and how visitors navigate between pages. This helps us improve the Site's content and structure.
• User preferences: We use cookies to remember your preferences, such as your cookie consent choice, so that you do not have to re-enter them each time you visit.

We do not use cookies for behavioral advertising or cross-site tracking. We do not sell cookie data to third parties.

3. Types of Cookies We Use

3.1 Essential Cookies (Strictly Necessary)

These cookies are necessary for the Site to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually set in response to actions you take on the Site, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the Site may not function properly.

Essential cookies we use:

• cookie_consent
  Purpose: Stores your cookie consent preference (accepted or declined).
  Type: First-party, persistent.
  Duration: 365 days.
  Data stored: Consent status (accept/decline) and timestamp.
• session_id
  Purpose: Maintains your session state as you navigate between pages. Required for contact form functionality and CSRF protection.
  Type: First-party, session.
  Duration: Expires when browser is closed.
  Data stored: Randomly generated session identifier.

3.2 Analytics Cookies (Performance)

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our Site. They help us understand which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the Site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not know when you have visited our Site and will not be able to monitor its performance.

Analytics cookies we use:

• _ga
  Purpose: Distinguishes unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. Included in each page request and used to calculate visitor, session, and campaign data for site analytics reports.
  Type: Third-party (Google Analytics), persistent.
  Duration: 2 years.
  Data stored: Randomly generated client ID, timestamp of first visit, timestamp of current visit, session count.
• _ga_[container_id]
  Purpose: Used by Google Analytics 4 to persist session state across page loads.
  Type: Third-party (Google Analytics), persistent.
  Duration: 2 years.
  Data stored: Session identifier and session metadata.
• _gid
  Purpose: Distinguishes users for analytics purposes within a 24-hour period. Used to throttle request rate.
  Type: Third-party (Google Analytics), persistent.
  Duration: 24 hours.
  Data stored: Randomly generated identifier.
• _gat
  Purpose: Used to throttle the request rate to Google Analytics, limiting data collection on high-traffic sites.
  Type: Third-party (Google Analytics), persistent.
  Duration: 1 minute.
  Data stored: No personal data; used only for rate limiting.

3.3 Functional Cookies (Preferences)

These cookies enable the Site to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these services may not function properly.

Functional cookies we use:

• preferred_contact
  Purpose: Remembers your preferred contact method (email or phone) if you have previously submitted a contact form, pre-filling the preference on subsequent visits.
  Type: First-party, persistent.
  Duration: 180 days.
  Data stored: Contact method preference (email/phone). No personal contact information is stored in this cookie.
• theme_preference
  Purpose: Stores your display preference if you toggle between light and dark modes (if available).
  Type: First-party, persistent.
  Duration: 365 days.
  Data stored: Theme selection (light/dark).

4. Cookie Consent

When you first visit our Site, you will see a cookie banner that allows you to accept or decline non-essential cookies. Essential cookies are always active because they are necessary for the Site to function.

If you click "Accept," we will set analytics and functional cookies as described above. If you click "Decline," we will set only essential cookies. Your preference is stored in the cookie_consent cookie for 365 days.

You can change your cookie preferences at any time by:

• Clearing your browser cookies and revisiting the Site (the cookie banner will reappear).
• Adjusting your browser settings to block specific cookies (see Section 6 below).

5. Third-Party Cookies

Some cookies on our Site are set by third-party services that we use. We do not control how these third parties use their cookies. Below is information about the third-party cookies present on our Site and links to their respective privacy policies.

5.1 Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC ("Google"), to help us understand how visitors use our Site. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information about your use of the Site, including your IP address (which is anonymized before storage through IP masking), pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring websites.

Google processes this information on our behalf to compile statistical reports about Site activity. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required by law or where third parties process the information on Google's behalf. Google's use of data is governed by their privacy policy.

We have implemented the following privacy-protective measures with Google Analytics:

• IP anonymization: We use the anonymize_ip feature, which truncates your IP address within EU member states or other EEA countries before transmission to Google. Only in exceptional cases is the full IP address sent to a Google server in the United States and truncated there.
• Data retention: We have set our Google Analytics data retention period to 26 months. After this period, user-level and event-level data is automatically deleted.
• No demographic or interest reports: We do not enable Google Analytics demographic and interest reporting features.
• No User-ID feature: We do not use Google Analytics User-ID feature, which would link sessions across devices.

You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. This add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript from sharing visit information with Google Analytics.

5.2 Content Delivery Networks

Our Site may load resources (fonts, CSS frameworks, JavaScript libraries) from third-party content delivery networks (CDNs). These CDNs may set cookies or collect data through server logs when your browser requests resources from their servers. This data typically includes your IP address, browser type, and the specific resource requested. We minimize the use of external CDNs by hosting most resources locally on our own servers.

6. Managing Cookies Through Browser Settings

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. Below are instructions for managing cookies in common browsers:

6.1 Google Chrome

Open Chrome Settings, scroll to "Privacy and security," click "Cookies and other site data." You can block third-party cookies, block all cookies, or clear cookies when you close the browser. You can also manage exceptions for specific websites. To delete existing cookies: Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data > Cookies and other site data.

6.2 Mozilla Firefox

Open Firefox Settings, click "Privacy & Security." Under "Enhanced Tracking Protection," choose Standard, Strict, or Custom. Custom mode allows you to select which types of cookies to block. To delete existing cookies: Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data > Clear Data.

6.3 Safari (macOS and iOS)

On macOS: Safari > Preferences > Privacy. Check "Prevent cross-site tracking" and optionally "Block all cookies." On iOS: Settings > Safari > toggle "Prevent Cross-Site Tracking" and optionally "Block All Cookies." To clear existing cookies on macOS: Safari > Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data > Remove All.

6.4 Microsoft Edge

Open Edge Settings, click "Cookies and site permissions" > "Manage and delete cookies and site data." You can block third-party cookies, block all cookies, or clear cookies when the browser is closed. To delete existing cookies: Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Clear browsing data.

6.5 Impact of Blocking Cookies

If you block all cookies, some features of our Site may not function properly. Specifically:

• Blocking essential cookies may prevent the contact form from functioning and may cause CSRF protection errors.
• Blocking functional cookies means your preferences (contact method, display theme) will not be remembered between visits.
• Blocking analytics cookies does not affect Site functionality but prevents us from understanding how visitors use the Site.

7. Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that sends a signal to websites requesting that they not track your browsing activity. There is currently no universal standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals. Our Site does not currently respond to DNT signals. However, you can manage tracking through cookie settings as described in this policy and through browser-level controls.

8. Cookie Data and Personal Information

Most of the cookies we use do not directly identify you as an individual. Analytics cookies assign randomly generated identifiers that track browsing behavior without linking it to your name, email address, or other personal contact information.

However, cookie data may constitute personal data under certain privacy laws (such as GDPR) when it can be combined with other information to identify an individual — for example, when an IP address logged alongside a cookie identifier could theoretically be linked to a specific person.

We treat all cookie data with the same privacy protections described in our Privacy Policy. Cookie data is not sold to third parties, not used for behavioral advertising, and retained only for the periods specified in this Cookie Policy.

9. Cookies on Mobile Devices

Cookies function similarly on mobile devices as on desktop computers. When you visit our Site using a mobile browser, the same cookies described in this policy may be set on your device. Mobile operating systems (iOS, Android) also provide controls for managing cookies at the system level, in addition to browser-level controls.

If you use our Site through an in-app browser (for example, by following a link from an email application), the cookie behavior may be governed by the host application's settings rather than your default browser settings.

10. Changes to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, changes in applicable laws, or improvements to our privacy practices. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, reset the cookie consent banner so that you can review and accept the updated policy.

We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies.

11. Contact Information

If you have questions about this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please contact us:

• Email: info@soarceusa.org
• Mail: Soarce, Atlanta, GA, USA
• Attention: Privacy Inquiries

For general privacy inquiries, including data access or deletion requests, please refer to our Privacy Policy.