Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device (computer, tablet, smartphone) when you visit a website. They help websites remember your preferences, improve user experience, and provide analytics data.

Types of cookies by duration:

• Session Cookies: Temporary cookies that expire when you close your browser
• Persistent Cookies: Remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them

Types of cookies by source:

• First-Party Cookies: Set by BidReady directly
• Third-Party Cookies: Set by external services we use (e.g., analytics providers)

2. How We Use Cookies

BidReady uses cookies for the following purposes:

2.1 Essential Cookies (Strictly Necessary)

These cookies are required for the Service to function and cannot be disabled:

Legal Basis: Essential for contract performance (POPIA Section 11(1)(b))

2.2 Functional Cookies

These cookies remember your preferences and choices:

• theme_preference - Remembers dark/light mode selection (Session)
• language_preference - Stores language choice (30 days)
• sidebar_collapsed - Remembers sidebar state (Session)

Legal Basis: Legitimate interest and user convenience (POPIA Section 11(1)(f))

2.3 Analytics Cookies

These cookies help us understand how users interact with our Service:

• _ga - Google Analytics unique user identifier (2 years)
• _gid - Google Analytics session identifier (24 hours)
• _gat - Google Analytics request throttling (1 minute)

Legal Basis: Consent (you can opt-out) (POPIA Section 11(1)(a))
Privacy-Friendly: We use anonymized analytics - IP addresses are masked, and no personal identification occurs.

2.4 Performance Cookies

These cookies monitor system performance and user experience:

• performance_metrics - Page load times and error tracking (Session)
• api_response_time - API performance monitoring (Session)

3. Third-Party Cookies

Some cookies are set by third-party services we integrate with:

3.1 Google Analytics

• Purpose: Website analytics and usage statistics
• Privacy: IP anonymization enabled, data retention set to 14 months
• Opt-Out: Use Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on
• Policy: Google Privacy Policy

3.2 Paystack (Payment Processing)

• Purpose: Secure payment processing and fraud prevention
• Cookies: Set only during payment flow
• Policy: Paystack Privacy Policy

4. How to Control Cookies

4.1 Browser Settings

Most browsers allow you to control cookies through settings. You can:

• Block all cookies
• Block third-party cookies only
• Delete cookies after each session
• Be notified when cookies are set

Browser-specific instructions:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Safari
• Microsoft Edge

4.2 Opt-Out Tools

• Google Analytics: Opt-out Browser Add-on
• Do Not Track: Enable DNT in your browser (we honor DNT signals)

4.3 Mobile Device Settings

On mobile devices, you can limit tracking through:

• iOS: Settings → Privacy → Tracking → Turn off "Allow Apps to Request to Track"
• Android: Settings → Google → Ads → Opt out of Ads Personalization

5. Impact of Disabling Cookies

Disabling cookies may affect your experience:

• Essential Cookies: The Service will not function properly (you won't be able to log in or use key features)
• Functional Cookies: Your preferences will not be saved (theme, language)
• Analytics Cookies: No impact on functionality, but we can't improve the Service based on usage data

6. Other Tracking Technologies

6.1 Local Storage

We use browser local storage to:

• Cache data for faster performance
• Store non-sensitive user preferences
• Enable offline functionality (where supported)

6.2 Web Beacons (Pixels)

We may use web beacons in emails to track:

• Email open rates (only for transactional emails)
• Click-through rates on links
• Whether emails are delivered successfully

Note: You can disable image loading in your email client to prevent web beacons.

6.3 Server Logs

Our servers automatically log:

• IP addresses (for security and fraud prevention)
• Browser type and version
• Referring URLs
• Access times and dates

Server logs are retained for 90 days for security monitoring and are not used for marketing.

7. Cookie Consent and POPIA Compliance

In accordance with POPIA and ECTA:

• We obtain consent before setting non-essential cookies
• You can withdraw consent at any time through browser settings
• Essential cookies do not require consent as they are necessary for service delivery
• We provide clear information about what cookies we use and why
• We honor Do Not Track (DNT) signals from browsers

8. Children's Privacy

BidReady is not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect cookies or other tracking data from children. If you are under 18, please do not use our Service.

9. Updates to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect:

• Changes in our cookie usage
• New features or functionality
• Legal or regulatory requirements
• User feedback and best practices

We will notify you of material changes via email or prominent notice on the website. The "Last updated" date at the top indicates when changes were made.

10. Questions and Contact Information

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

For more information about our data processing practices, please review our Privacy Policy and POPIA Compliance Statement.