Cookie Policy

Status: ✅ READY

THANDI AI (PTY) LTD | Registration No: 2025/939429/07 | POPIA Registration: 2025-068149

Effective Date: 21 December 2025

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WHAT ARE COOKIES?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device to improve your experience. We use cookies in compliance with POPIA and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act.

TYPES OF COOKIES WE USE

1. ESSENTIAL COOKIES

Required for basic functionality:

Session management (keeping you logged in)

Assessment progress tracking

Security tokens (reCAPTCHA)

Beta feature access control

You cannot opt out of essential cookies.

2. FUNCTIONALITY COOKIES

Improve user experience:

Language preference (English, isiZulu, Afrikaans)

Accessibility settings

Beta feedback forms

These enhance functionality but are not strictly necessary.

3. ANALYTICS COOKIES

Help us improve (critical for beta):

Google Analytics 4 (anonymized IP, no individual tracking)

Mixpanel (user journey analysis for bug detection)

Hotjar (session recordings - fully anonymized)

Data processing: All analytics data is anonymized and cannot be traced to individual students.

4. MARKETING COOKIES

Currently NONE during beta phase. We do not display ads or share data for marketing.

SPECIFIC COOKIES USED

| Cookie Name | Type | Purpose | Duration |

|-------------|------|---------|----------|

| `thandi_session` | Essential | Session management | 2 hours |

| `thandi_preferences` | Functional | User settings | 1 year |

| `thandi_beta_consent` | Essential | Beta participation consent | Session |

| `_ga` | Analytics | Google Analytics | 2 years |

| `_gid` | Analytics | Google Analytics | 24 hours |

| `_gat` | Analytics | Rate limiting | 1 minute |

THIRD-PARTY COOKIES

Google: Analytics, reCAPTCHA (security)

Vercel: Infrastructure monitoring and performance analytics (hosting provider)

GoDaddy: Domain registration services (no cookies placed on user devices)

All third-party providers are POPIA/GDPR compliant. Data is processed under Standard Contractual Clauses.

MANAGING COOKIES

Browser Settings:

Chrome: Settings > Privacy > Cookies

Firefox: Options > Privacy > Cookies

Safari: Preferences > Privacy

Our Cookie Banner:

Click "Cookie Settings" in footer to:

View all active cookies

Opt out of non-essential cookies

Clear cookie preferences

CONSENT DURATION

Your cookie consent is valid for 12 months, after which we will re-prompt. You can change preferences anytime via the footer link.

POPIA COMPLIANCE

Cookie banner appears on first visit (explicit opt-in)

Granular consent options provided (separate toggles)

Easy withdrawal of consent (one-click reset)

No non-essential cookie set before consent

Consent records maintained for 5 years (auditable)

CROSS-BORDER COOKIES

Some analytics cookies involve EU/US servers. All transfers comply with POPIA Section 72 through Standard Contractual Clauses and vendor data processing agreements.

STUDENT PRIVACY PROTECTION

Under 18: Parental consent required for non-essential cookies

School devices: We detect education networks and minimize tracking

Anonymization: Student IDs are hashed before analytics processing

No profiling: We do not create behavioral profiles for advertising

CONTACT

Questions about cookies: hello@thandi.online

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Last Updated: 21 December 2025

Version: 1.0

Next Review: Upon General Availability

THANDI AI (PTY) LTD

170 Innes Road, Morningside, Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal, 4001

Domain: thandi.online | Hosted on Vercel