Cookie Policy
Understanding how we use tracking technologies to enhance your experience on SoftBridge Chat
Last Updated: March 15, 2025 | Effective Date: March 15, 2025
Look, we get it. Cookie policies can be incredibly boring to read through. But here's the thing: we actually respect your privacy, and we want you to understand what's happening when you visit our site.
This policy breaks down exactly what tracking technologies we use at softbridgechat.com, why we use them, and most importantly, how you can control them. No legal jargon unless absolutely necessary. Just straightforward information about what cookies do on our financial modeling platform.
What Are Cookies Anyway?
Cookies are small text files that get stored on your device when you visit websites. Think of them as digital sticky notes that help websites remember things about you, like your preferences or login status.
They're not programs. They can't carry viruses. They're just simple text files that make websites work better. Some expire when you close your browser (session cookies), while others stick around for months or years (persistent cookies).
Besides traditional cookies, we sometimes use similar technologies like local storage, pixels, and web beacons. Different names, but they all serve similar purposes: helping us understand how people interact with our platform.
Types of Cookies We Use
We've organized our cookies into four main categories based on what they do. Here's the breakdown:
Essential Cookies
These keep the site running. Without them, basic features wouldn't work. They handle things like keeping you logged in, remembering items in your cart, and maintaining security. You can't turn these off without breaking the site.
Functional Cookies
These remember your choices and preferences. Things like your language selection, display settings, or which tutorials you've completed. They make your experience more personalized without tracking you across the web.
Analytics Cookies
These help us understand how people use our platform. Which features get used most? Where do users get stuck? What content is most valuable? All anonymous data that helps us make the platform better.
Marketing Cookies
These track your activity to show you relevant ads and measure campaign effectiveness. They're the ones that make ads follow you around the internet. You can opt out of these without affecting your experience on our site.
How We Actually Use These Technologies
Let me give you some real examples of what happens behind the scenes:
- When you log into your account, a session cookie keeps you authenticated so you don't have to sign in again every time you click to a new page.
- If you start building a financial model and come back the next day, functional cookies remember your progress and settings.
- Analytics cookies tell us that 73% of users access our modeling templates section within their first week, which tells us it's valuable content worth expanding.
- When you browse our learning resources, we track which topics interest you so we can suggest relevant tutorials. This happens locally, not shared with third parties.
- Marketing cookies might remember that you visited our pricing page, so we can show you relevant information about our programs when you're elsewhere online.
Specific Cookies on Our Platform
Here's a detailed list of the actual cookies we use. We believe in transparency, so nothing's hidden:
| Cookie Name | Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| sbc_session | Essential | Maintains your login session and security | Session only |
| sbc_preferences | Functional | Stores your display and language preferences | 12 months |
| sbc_analytics | Analytics | Tracks anonymous usage patterns and feature adoption | 24 months |
| sbc_marketing | Marketing | Measures campaign effectiveness and ad performance | 6 months |
| sbc_tutorial_progress | Functional | Remembers which lessons you've completed | 18 months |
Take Control of Your Cookies
You have complete control over which cookies you accept. Use the button below to reject all non-essential cookies immediately.
Current Status: Cookies Accepted
Note about essential cookies: Some cookies are absolutely necessary for the site to function. These include security cookies, session management, and basic functionality. These cannot be disabled without breaking core features of the platform.
When you reject cookies, we'll remove all tracking, analytics, and marketing cookies immediately. Your rejection preference is saved locally so we remember your choice on future visits.
Browser-Level Cookie Control
Beyond our built-in controls, every modern browser lets you manage cookies directly. Here's how:
- Google Chrome: Go to Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Cookies and other site data. You can block all cookies, block third-party cookies only, or clear cookies from specific sites.
- Mozilla Firefox: Head to Options, then Privacy and Security. Under Enhanced Tracking Protection, you can choose Standard, Strict, or Custom blocking levels.
- Safari: Open Preferences, click Privacy, then manage how Safari handles cookies and website tracking. Safari is actually pretty aggressive about blocking tracking by default.
- Microsoft Edge: Go to Settings, then Cookies and site permissions. You can block all cookies, block third-party cookies, or manage cookies site by site.
Keep in mind that blocking all cookies will break most modern websites. A better approach is blocking third-party cookies, which stops cross-site tracking while keeping sites functional.
Third-Party Services and Their Cookies
We work with a few trusted third-party services that may set their own cookies when you use our platform:
- Google Analytics: Helps us understand aggregate usage patterns. We've configured it to anonymize IP addresses and respect Do Not Track signals.
- Payment Processors: When you purchase access to our programs, payment providers like PayPal or Stripe may set cookies to process transactions securely.
- Video Hosting: Tutorial videos embedded from platforms like Vimeo may set cookies. These are only loaded when you actually watch a video.
- Email Service: If you sign up for our newsletter, our email provider may track open rates and clicks to help us understand what content resonates.
Each of these services has their own privacy policies and cookie practices. We've vetted them to ensure they meet reasonable privacy standards, but you should review their policies if you want complete information.
Data Retention and Deletion
Different cookies stick around for different lengths of time. Session cookies disappear when you close your browser. Persistent cookies have expiration dates ranging from a few months to a couple of years.
Even persistent cookies get deleted eventually. And you can always clear them manually through your browser settings or by using our rejection button above.
The data we collect through cookies is retained according to specific schedules: analytics data for 26 months, functional preferences until you clear them, and marketing data for 6 months maximum. After that, it's deleted from our systems.
Changes to This Policy
We update this policy occasionally as our practices evolve or regulations change. When we make significant changes, we'll update the "Last Updated" date at the top and notify active users through email or a site banner.
Minor clarifications or updates to cookie names might happen without notification. We recommend checking back periodically if you're particularly interested in our data practices.
Questions About Our Cookie Use?
If you have questions about how we use cookies or want more specific information about our tracking practices, reach out to us directly:
Email us at info@softbridgechat.com
Or contact us at: Mijares Bldg., Confessor St., corner Magallon St., Cabatuan, Iloilo, 5033 Iloilo, Philippines | +639669017671