What Are Tracking Technologies?

When you visit websites, small pieces of data get stored on your device. Most people call these "cookies," but there are actually several different types of tracking tools working behind the scenes.

Think of them as digital breadcrumbs. They help websites remember who you are between visits, keep track of items in your cart, or remember that you've already logged in. Without these tools, you'd need to re-enter information every single time you clicked to a new page.

The Technical Side

These technologies work by storing small text files locally on your computer or mobile device. When you return to the same website, it reads those files and retrieves the stored information. Some expire after you close your browser. Others stick around for months or even years.

Here's what typically gets tracked:

• Your browser type and version
• Pages you visit on our site
• How long you spend on each page
• Where you came from before landing here
• Your general geographic location
• Device information like screen size

How Paycor-Eco Uses These Tools

We're in the business of environmental impact assessment and career development. Our use of tracking technologies supports that mission in specific ways.

Detailed Breakdown By Category

Strictly Necessary

These run automatically and can't be disabled in our systems. They include authentication tokens that prove you're logged in, security measures that prevent cross-site attacks, and session identifiers that keep your browsing coherent.

For example, when you log into your student portal to access environmental assessment materials, a session cookie verifies your identity on each page. Without it, you'd be kicked back to the login screen constantly.

Functional Enhancements

These remember your choices. If you've set your timezone to Pacific, chosen dark mode, or indicated you prefer metric measurements in our carbon footprint calculators, functional cookies store those preferences.

They also power features like the "recently viewed courses" widget and the bookmark functionality that lets you save specific lessons for later review.

Performance Monitoring

We track how fast pages load, where errors occur, and which browsers or devices encounter problems. This technical monitoring helps us maintain a reliable platform.

When our server response time spikes or a particular resource fails to load properly, performance cookies help us identify and fix the issue before it affects too many people.

Content Personalization

Based on which courses you've browsed and what content you've engaged with, we might suggest related programs or resources. If you've spent time looking at our water quality assessment materials, you'll probably see recommendations for related environmental topics.

This isn't about following you around the internet. It's about making your experience on our site more relevant to your professional development goals.

Managing Your Preferences

You have control over most of these tracking technologies. Here's how to adjust settings in common browsers.

Third-Party Services

We work with a few external providers who might place their own tracking technologies when you visit our site. These include:

Video hosting platforms that deliver our course content. When you watch an instructional video, the hosting service may track playback statistics and viewing patterns.

Analytics providers that help us understand traffic patterns and user behavior across the site. These services aggregate data to show us trends without identifying individual visitors.

Customer support tools that power our help desk chat. If you interact with our support team, the chat platform tracks conversation history and technical details about your session.

Each of these services operates under its own privacy policy. We've vetted them for security and data protection standards, but they're independent companies with their own practices.

Data Retention and Deletion

Different types of data stick around for different lengths of time. Session cookies expire when you close your browser. Preference cookies might last a year. Analytics data typically gets kept for about two years before automatic deletion.

If you want everything removed immediately, you can clear your browser's cookie storage. That wipes out all locally stored data from our site and every other site you've visited.

For server-side data tied to your account, you can request deletion by contacting us directly. We'll remove your information within 30 days, though we might need to keep certain records for legal or security reasons.

Updates to This Policy

We update this policy occasionally as our practices evolve or regulations change. When we make significant changes, we'll update the date at the top and notify active users through email or an in-platform message.

Minor clarifications or additions might happen without notification, so check back periodically if you want to stay informed about our current practices.

Your Rights

Depending on where you're located, you might have specific legal rights regarding your data. This can include the right to access what we've collected, the right to correct inaccurate information, or the right to request deletion.

In California, residents have additional protections under CCPA. In Europe, GDPR provides comprehensive data protection rights. We respect these regulations regardless of where you're based and will work with you to address any concerns about your information.

You can exercise these rights by reaching out through the contact methods below. We'll respond within the timeframes required by applicable law, usually within 30 days.