01 What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that a website may place on your device to remember information about your visit. Similar technologies include local storage, session storage, and tracking pixels. Cookies can be "strictly necessary" (required for the site to function), or used for preferences, analytics, or advertising.
In terms of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECT Act) and the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), you are entitled to know what data is collected from your device. This Policy fulfils that obligation.
02 Our Approach to Cookies
We take a deliberately minimal, privacy-first approach. This Website does not use advertising, retargeting, or cross-site tracking cookies, and our analytics are gathered without cookies at all.
No Consent Banner — Here's Why
Under POPIA and the ECT Act, consent pop-ups are primarily required for cookies and trackers that process personal information or track you across sites. Because we use only strictly necessary cookies plus a cookieless analytics tool that collects no personal information, no consent banner is legally required — and we would rather not interrupt your visit with one.
03 Cookies We Use
We use only strictly necessary cookies, and only when needed for a specific function:
| Cookie | Purpose | Type & Duration |
|---|---|---|
| PHPSESSID | Maintains your session so that security features such as the contact form's CSRF protection work correctly. Set only when needed. | Strictly necessary · session (deleted when you close your browser) |
| Security tokens | Anti-forgery (CSRF) tokens used to protect the contact form against automated abuse. They do not identify you or track you across sites. | Strictly necessary · session |
Strictly necessary cookies do not require consent under POPIA or the ECT Act because they are essential to providing the service you request.
04 Analytics — Umami (Cookieless)
To understand how the Website is used and to improve it, we use Umami, a privacy-focused analytics tool. Umami is designed to be a respectful alternative to services such as Google Analytics.
How Umami Protects Your Privacy
- No cookies: Umami does not set any cookies and stores nothing on your device.
- No personal data: It does not collect names, email addresses, or any information that identifies you.
- No cross-site tracking: It cannot follow you to other websites or build an advertising profile.
- Aggregate only: It records anonymised, aggregate metrics such as page views, referring websites, approximate country, browser, and device type.
Because Umami collects only anonymous, aggregate statistics and sets no cookies, it does not process your personal information within the meaning of POPIA. You can learn more about Umami's privacy design at umami.is.
05 What We Don't Use
To be explicit, this Website does not use:
- Advertising or retargeting cookies
- Cookie-based analytics services (e.g. Google Analytics)
- Social media tracking cookies or "like" / share pixels that track you
- Any third-party cookies that track your behaviour across other websites
- Fingerprinting or profiling for marketing purposes
06 Managing Cookies
You remain in full control of cookies through your browser settings. You can configure your browser to block or delete cookies, or to alert you when a cookie is being set. Because we use only strictly necessary cookies, blocking them may affect functionality such as the contact form.
Most browsers provide these controls under their privacy or security settings — for example, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge all allow you to view and clear stored cookies and site data at any time.
07 Changes & Contact
We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect changes in the tools we use or in legal requirements. The "Last reviewed" date at the top of this page will be updated accordingly. If we ever introduce cookies that require your consent, we will present an appropriate consent mechanism before they are set.
This Cookie Policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy. For any questions about cookies or your privacy, please contact us at info@architelligence.co.za.
Governing Law
This Cookie Policy is governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, including POPIA (Act 4 of 2013) and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECT Act).