Cookie Policy

1. What Is a Cookie?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. Some cookies are strictly necessary for the site's basic functions; others run only with your explicit consent. The Cookie Guide of the Personal Data Protection Authority classifies cookies by their function.

2. Cookie Categories

Strictly-necessary (functional) cookies

• The first-party cookie that remembers your consent choice (it carries only your category preferences and a version number; it contains no personal data or tracking).
• The cookie that remembers your language/locale preference.

These cookies are required for the site to work and cannot be turned off; they do not require consent.

Analytics and marketing cookies (non-essential)

• Microsoft Clarity — analytics and session recording to understand site usage (only with consent).
• Google (gtag / Google Ads) — conversion measurement and advertising (only with consent).
• The embedded Calendly booking tool — a third-party embed for scheduling the free demo call (loaded only with consent).

3. The Consent Mechanism

Non-essential cookies run only with your explicit consent. Our consent management is a fully client-side mechanism that gives the visitor full control and applies the following principles:

• Rejecting is as easy as accepting: “Accept all” and “Reject all” are equal-weight, one-click, equally-prominent buttons; the reject option is not de-emphasised.
• Nothing is pre-ticked: in the customise view the analytics and embed categories default to OFF; only “necessary” is always on.
• There is no cookie wall: the banner does not cover the full screen; the site stays fully usable even if you do not consent.
• Before you consent, Calendly, Microsoft Clarity, and Google (Ads/gtag) are NOT loaded; no third-party script runs pre-consent.
• Your preference is stored in a first-party cookie that contains no personal data (there is no server-side storage).

4. Microsoft Clarity & Session Recording

Because Microsoft Clarity can collect page interactions and session recordings (including heatmaps), it is treated as a high-privacy-risk analytics tool. For this reason Clarity is loaded only after you give analytics consent; if consent is not given, no Clarity script runs and no session recording is collected.

5. Managing & Withdrawing Consent

You can change your preferences at any time. The “Manage cookies” control in the footer re-opens the cookie banner, where you can give, withdraw, or update your consent per category. For questions, you can write to info@xcollective360.com.