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Cookie Policy

Last updated: 15 November 2024

Essential Star Programming Courses uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on our website study-essentialstar.com. This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how we use them, and how you can manage your preferences.

By continuing to use our website, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this policy, unless you have disabled them in your browser or through our cookie management tools.

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit our website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently and to provide information to website owners.

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 or until you delete them).

First-Party Cookies

Set directly by our website to enhance functionality and user experience.

Third-Party Cookies

Set by external services we use, such as analytics or advertising platforms.

Types of Cookies We Use

Essential Cookies

Purpose: These cookies are necessary for our website to function properly and cannot be switched off.

What they do:

  • Remember your login status and course progress
  • Maintain your session during website navigation
  • Store your cookie preferences and consent
  • Enable secure transactions and form submissions
  • Prevent cross-site request forgery (security)

Examples:

  • sessionId: Maintains your session while browsing
  • cookieConsent: Remembers your cookie preferences
  • csrfToken: Security token for form submissions
  • loginStatus: Maintains authentication state
Duration: Session or up to 1 year Cannot be disabled

Analytics Cookies

Purpose: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website to improve user experience.

What they do:

  • Count website visits and traffic sources
  • Measure page popularity and user navigation patterns
  • Track course page views and engagement
  • Identify technical issues and performance problems
  • Generate anonymous usage statistics

Third-Party Services:

  • Google Analytics: Website traffic and user behaviour analysis
  • Hotjar: User behaviour recording and heatmaps (when enabled)
  • Microsoft Clarity: User session recordings for UX improvement
Duration: Up to 2 years Can be disabled

Marketing Cookies

Purpose: Used to track visitors across websites and deliver relevant advertisements.

What they do:

  • Track your interests based on browsing behaviour
  • Deliver personalised advertisements on other websites
  • Measure advertising campaign effectiveness
  • Prevent showing the same ad repeatedly
  • Enable social media sharing and integration

Third-Party Services:

  • Google Ads: Targeted advertising and remarketing
  • Facebook Pixel: Social media advertising and tracking
  • LinkedIn Insight Tag: Professional network advertising
  • Twitter Ads: Social media marketing campaigns
Duration: Up to 2 years Can be disabled

Preference Cookies

Purpose: Remember your choices and preferences to provide a personalised experience.

What they do:

  • Save your language and region preferences
  • Remember your course interests and favourites
  • Store customisation settings (theme, layout)
  • Maintain your newsletter subscription preferences
  • Remember your contact form details

Examples:

  • language: Your preferred language setting
  • theme: Light or dark mode preference
  • courseInterests: Your selected course categories
  • formData: Saved contact form information
Duration: Up to 1 year Can be disabled

How We Use Cookies

We use cookies for the following specific purposes:

Authentication and Security

  • Verify your identity and maintain login sessions
  • Protect against unauthorised access and fraud
  • Implement security measures and access controls

Performance and Analytics

  • Monitor website performance and loading times
  • Identify and fix technical issues
  • Understand user behaviour and preferences
  • Improve course content and website functionality

Personalisation

  • Customise content based on your interests
  • Remember your course preferences and progress
  • Provide relevant course recommendations
  • Save your settings and preferences

Marketing and Communication

  • Show relevant advertisements about our courses
  • Measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns
  • Provide social media integration features
  • Send targeted email communications (with consent)

Third-Party Cookies

We work with trusted third-party services that may place cookies on your device. These services have their own privacy policies and cookie practices:

Google Services

Services Used: Analytics, Ads, reCAPTCHA, Maps

Purpose: Website analytics, advertising, spam protection, location services

Privacy Policy: policies.google.com/privacy

Meta (Facebook)

Services Used: Facebook Pixel, Instagram integration

Purpose: Social media advertising and engagement tracking

Privacy Policy: facebook.com/privacy/explanation

LinkedIn

Services Used: Insight Tag, social sharing

Purpose: Professional network advertising and content sharing

Privacy Policy: linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy

Hotjar

Services Used: User behaviour analysis, heatmaps

Purpose: Understanding user experience and website optimisation

Privacy Policy: hotjar.com/legal/policies/privacy

Managing Your Cookie Preferences

You have several options for managing cookies on our website:

Cookie Settings Panel

Use our cookie management tool to control which categories of cookies you accept:

  • Accept all cookies for the full website experience
  • Accept only essential cookies for basic functionality
  • Customise your preferences by cookie category
  • Change your preferences at any time

Browser Settings

Configure cookie settings directly in your web browser:

  • Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data
  • Firefox: Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
  • Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data
  • Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Cookies and site data

Opt-Out Links

Directly opt-out from specific third-party services:

  • Google Analytics Opt-out
  • Facebook Ad Preferences
  • LinkedIn Retargeting Opt-out
  • Hotjar Opt-out

Important Note

Disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality and your user experience. Some features may not work properly without essential cookies.

Mobile Devices and Apps

If you access our website through a mobile device or app, you can manage cookies and similar technologies through:

iOS Devices

  • Settings > Safari > Block All Cookies
  • Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking
  • Individual app settings for tracking permissions

Android Devices

  • Chrome Settings > Site Settings > Cookies
  • Settings > Privacy > Ads > Reset advertising ID
  • Individual app privacy settings

Data Protection and Privacy

Cookie data is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws:

Security

  • Encrypted transmission and storage of cookie data
  • Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
  • Access controls and authentication systems

Anonymisation

  • Personal identifiers removed from analytics data
  • IP address anonymisation in Google Analytics
  • Aggregated reporting without individual identification

Retention Limits

  • Automatic deletion of expired cookies
  • Regular purging of old analytics data
  • Clear retention periods for different cookie types

Changes to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect changes in:

  • Our cookie practices and technologies used
  • Legal requirements and regulatory guidance
  • Third-party services and integrations
  • Website functionality and user experience improvements

When we make significant changes:

  • We will notify you through our website and email (if subscribed)
  • The updated policy will take effect 30 days after notification
  • You can review changes and update your preferences
  • Continued use of our website constitutes acceptance of the updated policy

Contact Us About Cookies

If you have questions about our use of cookies or need assistance with your preferences:

Email

[email protected]

Phone

+61 2 9876 5432

Postal Address

Privacy Team
Essential Star Programming Courses
Level 12, 680 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Company: Essential Star Programming Courses Pty Ltd

ABN: 12 345 678 901

Last Updated: 15 November 2024

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