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 to make websites work more efficiently, to remember your preferences, and to provide information to the owners of the site.
Cookies can be "session cookies" (which are deleted when you close your browser) or "persistent cookies" (which remain on your device for a set period of time or until you delete them). They can be set by the website you are visiting ("first-party cookies") or by third-party services operating on that website ("third-party cookies").
2. How We Use Cookies
Plankton Tech uses cookies and similar technologies to:
- Ensure the Website functions correctly and reliably;
- Remember your cookie consent preference so we do not ask you repeatedly;
- Understand how visitors interact with our Website so we can improve it;
- Serve relevant advertisements and content recommendations through our advertising partners.
We do not use cookies to collect sensitive personal information, track users across unrelated websites without consent, or build detailed personal profiles for purposes beyond those described in this policy.
3. Types of Cookies We Use
3.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are essential for the Website to function and cannot be switched off. They do not store personally identifiable information. They are typically set in response to actions you take, such as setting your privacy preferences.
| Cookie Name |
Purpose |
Duration |
pt_cookie_consent |
Stores your cookie consent preference (accepted or declined) |
12 months |
3.2 Analytics Cookies
These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our Website by collecting and reporting information anonymously. This helps us improve the Website's performance and content.
| Cookie Name |
Provider |
Purpose |
Duration |
_ga |
Google Analytics |
Distinguishes unique users by assigning a randomly generated number |
2 years |
_ga_* |
Google Analytics |
Persists session state for Google Analytics 4 |
2 years |
_gid |
Google Analytics |
Distinguishes users; stores and updates a unique value for each page visited |
24 hours |
_gat |
Google Analytics |
Throttles request rate |
1 minute |
3.3 Advertising and Content Recommendation Cookies
These cookies are set by our advertising partners. They may be used to build a profile of your interests and display relevant advertisements or content recommendations on our site and other sites. They do not directly store personal information but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and device.
| Cookie Name |
Provider |
Purpose |
Duration |
obuid |
Outbrain |
Assigns a unique user ID to serve personalised content recommendations |
3 months |
adrl |
Outbrain |
Tracks ad engagement for frequency capping and measurement |
Session |
If you decline cookies via our consent banner, advertising cookies will not be set. You may also opt out of Outbrain interest-based content at my.outbrain.com/recommendations-settings.
4. Third-Party Cookies
In addition to our own cookies, we may also use cookies from the following third-party services when they are embedded in or linked from our pages:
- Google Fonts: Fonts served by Google may result in a request to Google's servers, which may set cookies. For Google's data practices, see policies.google.com/privacy.
- Social sharing services: If you click a social sharing button on an article page, you may be redirected to a third-party platform (such as X/Twitter or LinkedIn) that may set its own cookies. We do not embed persistent social widgets that set cookies without user interaction.
We do not control the cookies set by third parties. Please refer to the respective third parties' cookie and privacy policies for details.
5. Managing Your Cookie Preferences
5.1 Our Consent Banner
When you first visit our Website, a cookie consent banner is displayed. You may choose to accept or decline non-essential cookies. You may change your preference at any time by clearing your browser's cookies and revisiting our Website, which will re-display the consent banner.
5.2 Browser Settings
Most browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically:
- View cookies that have been set;
- Delete individual cookies or all cookies;
- Block cookies from specific websites;
- Block all third-party cookies;
- Block all cookies (note: this may affect Website functionality).
For instructions on managing cookies in common browsers, please visit:
5.3 Opt-Out Tools
You may also use the following industry opt-out tools to control interest-based advertising:
6. Do Not Track
Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you do not want to be tracked. There is currently no universally accepted standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals. We do not currently alter our data collection practices in response to DNT signals, but we will revisit this position if a consensus standard emerges.
7. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, regulation, or our use of cookies. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically.