1. What are cookies?
Cookies and similar technologies (such as localStorage) are small pieces of data a website stores in your browser. They let a site remember things across visits — for example, that you prefer dark mode, or that you've already dismissed an announcement.
This site uses localStorage rather than traditional HTTP cookies for its own preferences. The data stays on your device. We do not transmit it to a server. If you clear your browser storage, the values are reset.
2. What we use
Two categories of identifiers run on this site: a small set of first-party preference values we set ourselves (in localStorage), and a small set of cookies set by Google's analytics and ads tags so we can measure marketing performance.
| Key | Purpose | Set by | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
edusyms.theme |
Remembers whether you chose light, dark, or system theme. | eduSYMS (localStorage) | Until you clear it |
edusyms.lang |
Remembers your selected interface language (EN / AF / ZU). | eduSYMS (localStorage) | Until you clear it |
edusyms.announcement.dismissed |
Remembers a dismissed announcement bar so it doesn't reappear. | eduSYMS (localStorage) | Until a new announcement is published |
_ga |
Distinguishes unique visitors for Google Analytics 4. | Google Analytics | 2 years |
_ga_<container> |
Per-property GA4 session state. | Google Analytics | 2 years |
_gcl_au |
Conversion linker — preserves Google Ads click ID across page navigations. | Google Ads | 90 days |
_gcl_aw |
Stores the Google Ads click ID (gclid) when you arrive from a paid ad. | Google Ads | 90 days |
_gcl_dc |
Stores Display click ID (where applicable). | Google Ads | 90 days |
The first-party edusyms.* values stay on your device and are never transmitted anywhere. The Google cookies are sent to Google so we can see — in aggregate — which marketing channels actually drive demos and brochure requests.
3. Third-party tags & cookies
We use two services from Google as third-party processors on the marketing site:
- Google Analytics 4 — aggregate website measurement (page views, traffic sources, conversion paths). We have not enabled Google Signals or any cross-device personalisation. IP addresses are processed by Google's infrastructure and we use Google's data-deletion controls to bound how long event data is retained.
- Google Ads — conversion tracking (when a Book Demo or Brochure form is submitted) and remarketing eligibility (so you may see eduSYMS ads on other sites in Google's network for up to 90 days after visiting).
Google's own description of these cookies and how they handle the underlying data is at policies.google.com/technologies/cookies.
The site also loads Google Fonts via the public Google Fonts CDN, which may receive your IP address as part of the standard HTTP request — this is unavoidable for any site loading remotely-hosted fonts. No cookies are set by the Fonts CDN.
Inside the eduSYMS customer platform (the apps you sign in to), we may use additional first-party cookies for session management, security, and feature preferences. Those are described in the platform's own privacy notice.
4. How to opt out
You can stop the Google tags from tracking your visits in several ways:
- Google Ads opt-out — visit Google's Ads Settings at adssettings.google.com and toggle off ad personalisation.
- Block Google Analytics — install the official Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. It works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera.
- Block all third-party cookies for this site — in your browser settings, set cookies to "block third-party cookies" or specifically block
edusyms.com. The site will continue to work; we just won't be able to attribute marketing performance. - Browser-level Do Not Track / Global Privacy Control — we honour the GPC signal where browsers send it, suppressing ads cookies for that visit.
5. Manage your eduSYMS preferences
- Theme — toggle the sun / moon button in the site header to switch between light and dark.
- Language — use the globe button in the site header.
- Clear all stored values — clear site data via your browser settings (Privacy & Security → Clear browsing data → Cookies and other site data).
- Block storage entirely — most browsers let you block cookies and storage for specific sites. The site will still function, but your theme, language, and dismissed-announcement choices will reset on every visit.
6. Changes to this policy
If we add new cookies or third-party services that set browser-side values, we will update this page and revise the "Last updated" date at the top.
7. Contact
Questions about cookies or stored preferences? Contact [email protected].