Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently and 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). They help us recognize your device and store some information about your preferences or past actions.

Similar technologies we may use include:

• Web beacons: Small graphic images (also known as pixel tags or clear GIFs) that may be included on our website and emails
• Local storage: Technologies that allow data to be stored locally on your browser or device
• Session storage: Temporary storage that is cleared when you close your browser
• Software Development Kits (SDKs): Code packages that enable data collection in mobile applications

2. How We Use Cookies

FQ Central uses cookies for the following purposes:

• Essential Website Operations: To enable core functionality such as page navigation, secure login, and access to protected areas of our website
• Authentication: To verify your identity and maintain your logged-in state across our platforms (REVEAL, DMAIC, ETIA)
• Preferences: To remember your settings, such as language preferences, display settings, and customization options
• Analytics: To understand how visitors interact with our website, which pages are most popular, and how users navigate through our site
• Performance Monitoring: To measure website performance and identify areas for improvement
• Marketing: To deliver relevant advertisements and measure the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns
• Security: To detect and prevent fraudulent activity and enhance the security of our services

3. Types of Cookies We Use

3.1 Essential Cookies (Strictly Necessary)

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms.

Legal Basis: These cookies are exempt from consent requirements under the ePrivacy Directive as they are strictly necessary for the provision of services explicitly requested by you.

Examples include:

• Session management cookies that maintain your login state
• Security cookies that authenticate users and prevent fraudulent use
• Load balancing cookies that distribute traffic efficiently across our servers
• User interface customization cookies that remember your display preferences

3.2 Performance & Analytics Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us understand which pages are most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site.

Legal Basis: We process data from these cookies based on your explicit consent (GDPR Article 6(1)(a)).

What we collect:

• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Navigation paths through our website
• Error messages and loading times
• Device and browser information
• Aggregated usage statistics (anonymized when possible)

All information collected by analytics cookies is aggregated and anonymized where technically possible. We use this data to improve our website performance and user experience.

3.3 Functionality Cookies

These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages.

Legal Basis: We process data from these cookies based on your explicit consent (GDPR Article 6(1)(a)).

Functions include:

• Remembering your preferences and settings across sessions
• Storing your dashboard customizations in REVEAL and DMAIC platforms
• Language and region preferences
• Accessibility settings and display preferences
• Previously viewed content and saved filters

3.4 Marketing & Targeting Cookies

These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertisements on other sites.

Legal Basis: We process data from these cookies based on your explicit consent (GDPR Article 6(1)(a)). You can withdraw consent at any time.

Purposes include:

• Delivering targeted advertising based on your interests
• Measuring the effectiveness of advertising campaigns
• Limiting the number of times you see an advertisement
• Understanding advertising campaign performance and ROI
• Building anonymized audience segments for remarketing

We work with trusted third-party advertising partners who are GDPR compliant and have their own privacy policies governing how they use your data.

4. Cookie Details Table

Below is a comprehensive list of cookies used on the FQ Central website and platforms:

5. Third-Party Cookies

In addition to our own cookies, we may also use various third-party cookies to report usage statistics, deliver advertisements, and provide enhanced functionality.

Third-Party Services We Use:

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to analyze how visitors use our website. Google Analytics collects information anonymously and reports website trends without identifying individual visitors. Google Analytics uses its own cookies to track visitor interactions.

Data Collected: Pages visited, time on site, bounce rate, traffic sources, device information, and geographic location (country/city level).

Privacy Policy: Google Privacy Policy
Opt-out: Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on

Google Ads / DoubleClick

We use Google Ads and DoubleClick cookies for advertising and remarketing purposes. These cookies enable us to show you relevant advertisements based on your browsing behavior.

Data Collected: Browsing behavior, ad interactions, conversion tracking data.

Privacy Policy: Google Privacy Policy
Opt-out: Google Ads Settings

Facebook Pixel

We use the Facebook Pixel to measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns on Facebook and Instagram, and to build custom audiences for targeted advertising.

Data Collected: Page views, button clicks, form submissions, purchase events (anonymized).

Privacy Policy: Facebook Privacy Policy
Opt-out: Facebook Ad Settings

Third-Party Cookie Control

Please note that we do not control third-party cookies. Third-party cookies are set by domains that are not operated by FQ Central. We recommend that you review the privacy policies and cookie policies of these third parties to understand how they collect and use your information.

GDPR Compliance: All our third-party partners are selected based on their GDPR compliance. They process data in accordance with applicable privacy laws and provide mechanisms for users to control their data and exercise their rights.

6. Your Cookie Choices

You have several options to manage and control cookies:

Cookie Consent Management

When you first visit our website, you will see a cookie consent banner that allows you to:

• Accept All Cookies: Allow all cookies including analytics, functional, and marketing cookies
• Reject Non-Essential Cookies: Only allow essential cookies necessary for website operation
• Customize Settings: Choose specific categories of cookies to enable or disable

You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the "Cookie Settings" link in our website footer or by visiting your account settings.

Browser Settings

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can set your browser to:

• Block all cookies
• Block third-party cookies only
• Delete cookies when you close your browser
• Notify you when a website tries to set a cookie
• Allow cookies only from websites you trust

Your Rights Under GDPR

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have the following rights regarding cookies and data processing:

• Right to Access: Request information about the data we collect through cookies
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to Restrict Processing: Request limitation of how we process your data
• Right to Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw your consent for cookie usage at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@fqcentral.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days as required by GDPR.

7. Browser-Specific Instructions

Here are step-by-step instructions for managing cookies in the most popular web browsers:

Mobile Browsers

For mobile browsers (Safari on iOS, Chrome on Android), cookie settings are typically found in the browser's settings menu under "Privacy" or "Site Settings." The exact location varies by browser version and device.

Cookie Management Tools

You can also use browser extensions and privacy tools to manage cookies more granularly:

• Privacy Badger: Blocks invisible trackers automatically
• Ghostery: Detects and blocks tracking technologies
• Cookie AutoDelete: Automatically deletes cookies when tabs are closed
• uBlock Origin: Content blocker that can block tracking cookies

8. Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites you visit that you do not want to have your online activity tracked.

Current Status of DNT

As of 2025, the Do Not Track standard has been deprecated, with major browsers including Firefox (as of version 135.0, February 2025) and Safari removing support for the DNT header. There is currently no universal standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals.

FQ Central's Approach

While DNT signals are no longer widely supported, we are committed to respecting user privacy preferences. Instead of relying on deprecated DNT signals, we provide:

• Cookie Consent Banner: Clear, granular controls for managing cookie preferences
• Persistent Settings: Your cookie choices are stored and respected across sessions
• Easy Opt-Out: Simple mechanisms to withdraw consent and delete cookies
• GDPR Compliance: Full compliance with EU privacy regulations including data minimization and purpose limitation

Global Privacy Control (GPC)

We recognize and respect the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal, which is the successor to DNT and is legally recognized under privacy laws including GDPR and CCPA. If your browser sends a GPC signal, we will:

• Treat it as a request to opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information
• Respect it as an objection to processing based on legitimate interests under GDPR Article 21
• Limit the use of cookies to essential cookies only

To enable GPC, you can use browsers or extensions that support this feature, such as:

• DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser
• Brave Browser
• Privacy Badger extension
• OptMeowt extension

9. Changes to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors.

How We Notify You of Changes

When we make material changes to this Cookie Policy, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
• Display a prominent notice on our website for a reasonable period (typically 30 days)
• For significant changes that affect your rights, we may request your renewed consent
• Notify registered users via email if the changes materially affect how we collect or use data

Your Responsibility

We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies and protect your privacy. Your continued use of our website after changes have been posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated Cookie Policy, unless consent is specifically required under GDPR.

Version History

Previous versions of this Cookie Policy are available upon request. If you would like to review a previous version, please contact us at privacy@fqcentral.com.

10. Contact Information