AddisToday Cookie Policy

Last Updated: December 28, 2025

This Cookie Policy explains how AddisToday uses cookies and similar tracking technologies when you visit our website at addistoday.com or use our services.

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device (computer, smartphone, tablet) when you visit a website. They help websites remember information about your visit, making your next visit easier and the site more useful to you.

Types of Cookies

1. Session Cookies: Temporary cookies that expire when you close your browser
2. Persistent Cookies: Cookies that remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them
3. First-Party Cookies: Set by AddisToday directly
4. Third-Party Cookies: Set by external services we use (e.g., Google Analytics, Facebook)

How We Use Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies for several purposes:

1. Essential Functions: To keep you logged in and secure
2. Performance and Analytics: To understand how you use our site
3. Personalization: To remember your preferences and improve your experience
4. Advertising: To measure advertising effectiveness (only with your consent)

Cookies We Use

1. Essential Cookies (Always Active)

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They're usually only set in response to actions you take, like logging in or filling out forms.

Why we can't turn these off: Without these cookies, you wouldn't be able to log in, create events, or use core features of AddisToday.

Legal basis: Strictly necessary for the service you've requested.

2. Analytics and Performance Cookies (Consent Required for EU Users)

These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously. This helps us improve the user experience.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

What we track with GA4:
- Page views and navigation patterns
- Time spent on pages
- Events you interact with (viewing events, searching, liking)
- Device and browser information
- Approximate location (country/city level)
- Custom events: sign-ups, event creations, searches, reviews

GDPR Consent Mode: For EU users, we use Google's Consent Mode v2:
- Default state: Analytics denied
- After consent: Analytics granted
- We only activate GA4 after you accept analytics cookies

Privacy controls:
- IP address anonymization enabled
- Demographics and interest tracking: Optional (can be disabled)
- User-ID tracking: Anonymous identifiers only

Learn more: Google Analytics Privacy Policy

Microsoft Clarity

What Clarity does:
- Session recordings (how you navigate and interact with pages)
- Heatmaps (where users click, scroll, and move their mouse)
- User behavior analytics
- Performance metrics

Privacy note: Clarity is classified as an analytics tool (not advertising) and currently loads without explicit consent. Session recordings are anonymized and don't capture sensitive input fields (passwords, credit cards).

Learn more: Microsoft Privacy Policy

3. Marketing and Advertising Cookies (Consent Required)

These cookies are used to measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns. They only load if you grant marketing consent.

Meta Pixel (Facebook/Instagram)

What Meta Pixel tracks:
- Page views
- Events you view or interact with
- Sign-ups and account actions
- Conversions from Facebook/Instagram ads

When it loads: Only after you click "Accept All" or grant marketing consent in our consent banner.

Purpose: Allows us to:
- Measure effectiveness of Facebook/Instagram advertising
- Create remarketing audiences
- Optimize ad delivery to people interested in Addis Ababa events

Learn more: Meta Privacy Policy

TikTok Pixel

What TikTok Pixel tracks:
- Page views
- Event interactions
- Conversions from TikTok ads

When it loads: Only after you grant marketing consent.

Purpose: Measure effectiveness of TikTok advertising campaigns.

Learn more: TikTok Privacy Policy

4. Preference and Functionality Cookies

These cookies enable enhanced functionality and personalization, such as remembering your preferences and settings.

Browser Local Storage (Not technically cookies, but similar)

Why we use localStorage:
- Faster than cookies (no network transmission)
- Larger storage capacity
- Better for storing non-sensitive preference data
- Respects your privacy (never sent to our servers)

What's stored:
- Your consent choice ('all', 'analytics', or 'none')
- Your country code (e.g., 'ET' for Ethiopia, 'DE' for Germany)
- Timestamp to know when to refresh the location cache

How We Determine Your Location (GDPR Compliance)

To comply with GDPR, we need to know if you're in the EU so we can show you our consent banner. Here's how we detect your location:

Detection Methods (In Order of Priority)

1. Cloudflare CF-IPCountry Header (Primary)
   - Free geolocation from Cloudflare's CDN
   - No external API calls needed
   - Most reliable and fastest method

2. localStorage Cache (Secondary)
   - Checks if we've already detected your country in the past 7 days
   - Avoids unnecessary API calls
   - Respects your privacy

3. ipapi.co API (Fallback)
   - Free geolocation service (1000 requests/day limit)
   - Only called if Cloudflare data unavailable and cache expired
   - Single API call, then cached for 7 days

4. Timezone Heuristic (Final Fallback)
   - Detects EU countries by timezone patterns
   - Assumes European timezones = EU visitor
   - Shows consent banner if timezone suggests EU location

EU/EEA Countries

We show the consent banner to visitors from these countries:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, United Kingdom

Non-EU Visitors

If you're not in the EU/EEA:
- Consent is automatically granted for analytics cookies
- You can still opt out of marketing cookies
- Our Privacy Policy still applies to you

Your Cookie Choices

For EU/EEA Visitors

When you first visit AddisToday from an EU country, you'll see a consent banner with these options:

1. Reject All: Only essential cookies (no analytics or marketing)
2. Accept Analytics: Essential + analytics cookies (no marketing)
3. Accept All: All cookies (essential, analytics, and marketing)

Your choice is remembered and respected across all future visits until you change it.

For Non-EU Visitors

You won't see a consent banner by default, but you can still manage your preferences:

1. Browser Settings: Configure cookie preferences in your browser
2. Opt-Out Links: Use opt-out tools from analytics providers
3. Contact Us: Request to disable specific tracking

How to Change Your Cookie Preferences

Update Your Consent Choice

Easy Method (Recommended):

Click the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer of any page on AddisToday. This will open the consent banner and allow you to make a new choice.

Alternative Method:

1. Clear your browser's localStorage for addistoday.com
2. Reload the page
3. Make a new selection in the consent banner

Or use your browser's developer tools:

// In browser console (F12)
localStorage.removeItem('addis_consent_choice');
localStorage.removeItem('addis_user_location');
localStorage.removeItem('addis_location_timestamp');
location.reload();

Browser-Level Cookie Controls

Google Chrome:
1. Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data
2. Choose "Block third-party cookies" or "Block all cookies"
3. Manage exceptions for specific sites

Mozilla Firefox:
1. Settings → Privacy & Security
2. Choose "Custom" under Enhanced Tracking Protection
3. Check "Cookies" and select level of blocking

Safari (macOS/iOS):
1. Preferences → Privacy
2. Manage cookies and website data
3. Block all cookies or only cross-site tracking

Microsoft Edge:
1. Settings → Cookies and site permissions
2. Manage and delete cookies
3. Block third-party cookies

Third-Party Opt-Out Tools

Google Analytics Opt-Out:
- Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on

Facebook Pixel Opt-Out:
- Visit Facebook Ad Preferences
- Manage ad settings and opt out of interest-based ads

TikTok Pixel Opt-Out:
- Visit TikTok Privacy Settings
- Disable personalized ads

What Happens When You Reject Cookies?

If You Reject All Cookies

Still Works:
- Browsing events and content
- Searching and filtering
- Viewing event details

Won't Work:
- Staying logged in (session cookies are essential)
- Creating events or reviews (requires authentication)
- Saving preferences

Not Tracked:
- Analytics cookies won't load
- Marketing pixels won't load
- We won't track your behavior

If You Accept Analytics Only

What's Enabled:
- Google Analytics 4 (anonymized tracking)
- Microsoft Clarity (session recordings)
- Performance monitoring

What's Disabled:
- Meta Pixel (no Facebook ad tracking)
- TikTok Pixel (no TikTok ad tracking)

If You Accept All

All cookies and tracking technologies are enabled as described above.

Cookies and Your Privacy

What Cookies DON'T Contain

• Your password (never stored in cookies)
• Full credit card numbers (we don't process payments yet)
• Personal identification documents
• Private messages or inquiry content
• Sensitive personal information

What Cookies DO Contain

• Random identifiers (like _ga or session IDs)
• Timestamps and expiration dates
• Preferences and settings
• Analytics data (page views, clicks)
• Ad campaign identifiers (if you clicked an ad to reach us)

Security Measures

Production Environment (addistoday.com):
- All cookies set with Secure flag (HTTPS only)
- Session cookies set with HttpOnly flag (not accessible via JavaScript)
- SameSite attribute set to Lax or None (CSRF protection)

Development Environment (localhost):
- Secure flags not enforced (local development uses HTTP)

Do Not Track (DNT)

Some browsers offer a "Do Not Track" (DNT) setting. While we respect user privacy, there's no industry standard for how to respond to DNT signals.

Our approach:
- EU users see our consent banner regardless of DNT setting
- Non-EU users with DNT enabled: We still use analytics cookies but respect your browser's privacy settings where possible
- We don't sell data to third parties (DNT or not)

If you want to opt out of tracking:
- Use our consent banner (EU users)
- Block third-party cookies in your browser
- Use opt-out tools from analytics providers

Cookies from Third-Party Services

Some cookies are set by third-party services we don't control. These include:

Social Media Embeds

If we embed social media content (YouTube videos, Twitter feeds, etc.), those platforms may set their own cookies. We don't have control over these cookies.

External Links

When you click links to external websites (event ticketing platforms, organizer websites), those sites may set their own cookies governed by their privacy policies.

Advertising Networks

If we run display advertising in the future, advertising networks may set cookies to track conversions and retarget users.

Updates to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect:
- Changes in our cookie usage
- New tracking technologies
- Legal or regulatory requirements
- Feedback from users

When we update this policy:
- We'll update the "Last Updated" date at the top
- We'll notify you if changes are significant
- Your continued use constitutes acceptance of updates

More Information

Related Policies

• Privacy Policy - Complete privacy practices
• Terms of Service - How you can use AddisToday
• Acceptable Use Policy - Content and behavior guidelines

Contact Us

Questions about our cookie practices?

Privacy Team: privacy@addistoday.com
GDPR Inquiries: gdpr@addistoday.com
General Support: support@addistoday.com

Regulatory Resources

GDPR (EU):
- European Commission - Data Protection
- Your Rights Under GDPR

Cookie Regulations:
- EU Cookie Directive
- ICO Cookie Guidance (UK)

Summary Table

Thank you for taking the time to understand how we use cookies. We're committed to transparency and giving you control over your data.

This Cookie Policy is based on our actual implementation as of December 28, 2025, following a comprehensive code audit. It was adapted from Basecamp's open-source policies under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and customized specifically for AddisToday's tracking and analytics practices.