Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You can update your cookie preferences at any time using the button below. Declining non-essential cookies will prevent advertising and analytics cookies from being stored, though the Site will still function fully.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, smartphone, tablet) by websites you visit. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently, to remember your preferences, and to provide information to website owners about how their sites are used. Cookies are not programs and cannot execute code or deliver viruses to your device. They are entirely passive data files.
When you return to a website that has set a cookie, the cookie is sent back to the originating website. This allows the website to recognise your device and, in some cases, remember your preferences or actions over time. Cookies can be set by the website you are visiting ("first-party cookies") or by third-party services that the site uses, such as advertising networks or analytics platforms ("third-party cookies").
It is important to understand that the cookies set by AfriWidget do not contain or use the personal information you enter into our calculators for advertising targeting. Most calculator processing happens in your browser. Finance and Education AI insight requests may send limited calculation context through the secure Groq proxy; cookies are not used to carry that calculator context.
2. How AfriWidget Uses Cookies
AfriWidget uses cookies for three primary purposes: to ensure the basic functionality of the Site, to understand how visitors use the Site in aggregate (analytics), and to display relevant advertising through Google AdSense. We do not use cookies to track your individual browsing behaviour across websites other than as disclosed in this policy in relation to Google AdSense's interest-based advertising functionality.
3. Types of Cookies We Use
Functional Cookies
These cookies are essential for the Site to function correctly. They include cookies that remember your cookie consent choice (so the banner does not re-appear on every page), and any session-level preferences you set while using the Site. Without these cookies, some features of the Site cannot be provided.
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| cookieConsent | Stores your cookie consent preference | 1 year |
Analytics Cookies
These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with AfriWidget in the aggregate — which pages are most popular, how users navigate between pages, and where they come from. This information is used exclusively to improve the Site. All analytics data is anonymised and aggregated; we cannot identify individual users from analytics data.
| Service | Purpose | Privacy Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics | Aggregate usage statistics | policies.google.com |
Advertising Cookies (Google AdSense)
These cookies are set by Google AdSense to serve relevant advertisements on our Site. They may include cookies that measure ad performance, limit ad frequency, and — if you have not opted out of personalised advertising — use your browsing history across websites to serve interest-based ads. We do not control these cookies directly; they are governed by Google's advertising policies and your Google account settings.
| Cookie / Service | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| DSID, FLC, AID | Google advertising identifiers | 1–2 years |
| TAID | Ad targeting across devices | 14 days |
| __gads | Ad frequency limiting | 13 months |
4. How to Manage Cookies
You have multiple options for managing cookies on AfriWidget and across the web:
4.1 Through Our Cookie Banner
When you first visit AfriWidget, a cookie consent banner appears at the bottom of the screen. You can accept all cookies, decline non-essential cookies, or update your preference at any time using the button at the top of this page. Your preference is stored in a first-party cookie (cookieConsent) for one year.
4.2 Through Your Browser Settings
Most browsers allow you to manage cookies through their settings. You can typically find cookie controls under Settings → Privacy (or Privacy & Security). You can choose to block all cookies, block third-party cookies only, clear existing cookies, or be notified each time a cookie is set. Note that blocking all cookies may affect the functionality of AfriWidget and many other websites.
4.3 For Google Advertising Cookies Specifically
To opt out of Google's interest-based advertising, visit adssettings.google.com. To opt out of Google Analytics tracking, you can install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on available at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. To opt out of interest-based advertising from multiple networks, visit the Network Advertising Initiative at optout.networkadvertising.org or the Digital Advertising Alliance at optout.aboutads.info.
5. Do Not Track
Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you do not want your browsing tracked. Because there is no standard interpretation of DNT signals, AfriWidget does not currently respond to DNT browser signals. However, you can use the cookie management options described in Section 4 to limit tracking on our Site. We will update this section if an industry standard for DNT compliance is established.
6. Cookies and Your Calculator Data
We want to be absolutely clear on this point: the cookies described in this policy have no access to and do not interact with the personal data you enter into our calculators. Your weight, height, financial figures, academic grades, and all other calculator inputs exist only in your browser's memory during your session. They are not stored in cookies, not written to local storage (with the sole exception of your cookieConsent preference), and not transmitted to any server. Cookies on AfriWidget are entirely separate from your calculator interactions.
7. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time as we add new features, integrate new services, or in response to changes in law or regulation. We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page when changes are made. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
8. Contact Us
If you have questions or concerns about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us through our contact form or by emailing [email protected]. We are committed to responding to all inquiries within 2 business days.