This Cookie Policy explains clearly what cookies are, which specific cookies Live Tech Updates uses on livetechupdates.com, exactly why we use them, and — most importantly — how you can manage or disable them. You have the right to know what is happening on your device when you visit our website, and we take that seriously.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that a website stores on your device — computer, smartphone, or tablet — when you visit. They serve as a kind of short-term memory for websites: helping them recognise you between visits, maintain your session as you navigate between pages, remember your preferences, and understand how content is being consumed.
Cookies cannot access other files on your device, cannot run programs, and are not viruses. They are simply data files.
Beyond traditional cookies, Live Tech Updates may also use:
- Local Storage — browser-based data storage for saving preferences without an expiry date
- Session Storage — temporary storage that clears automatically when you close your browser tab
- Pixel Tags — tiny image files used by advertising platforms to track ad impressions and clicks
- Web Beacons — similar to pixel tags, used in our email newsletter to measure open rates
2. Categories of Cookies We Use
Category 1: Strictly Necessary Cookies
These are essential for livetechupdates.com to function. Without them, basic features — page navigation, secure form submissions, and session management — would not work. Because they are strictly necessary, they cannot be switched off.
- Session management cookies — maintain your browsing session between pages
- Security cookies — protect your session and our website from abuse and fraud
- Load balancing cookies — distribute traffic efficiently across our hosting infrastructure
Category 2: Analytics Cookies (Google Analytics 4)
These help us understand how readers interact with our content — which articles perform best, where our audience comes from, how long people spend reading, and which devices they use. All data is anonymised and aggregated.
- _ga — identifies unique users across sessions (expires: 2 years)
- _gid — identifies users within a 24-hour session (expires: 24 hours)
- _ga_[ID] — persists session state for Google Analytics 4 (expires: 2 years)
Analytics data is retained for 14 months in Google Analytics and used solely to improve our content quality and website structure. Raw individual-level data is never shared with third parties.
Category 3: Advertising Cookies (Google AdSense)
Live Tech Updates participates in the Google AdSense advertising programme. Google uses cookies to serve advertisements that are relevant to your browsing history and interests across websites in the Google Display Network.
- NID — stores preferences and other information for Google advertising (expires: 6 months)
- IDE — used by Google’s DoubleClick to register and report ad interactions (expires: 1 year)
- ANID — used for advertising targeting (expires: 13 months)
If you prefer not to receive personalised advertisements, you can opt out at g.co/adsettings. You can also visit the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out tool at optout.aboutads.info.
Category 4: Functional Cookies
These cookies improve your experience by remembering choices you have previously made:
- Language and region preferences
- Your cookie consent choices — so we do not ask you every visit
- Comment form autofill — remembers your name and email for future comments
- Newsletter subscription status
Category 5: Third-Party and Embedded Content Cookies
Some of our articles include embedded content — YouTube videos, Twitter/X posts, financial data widgets, or interactive tools from third-party providers. When you interact with embedded content, those providers may set their own cookies on your device. We do not control these cookies. We recommend reviewing the privacy policies of:
- YouTube / Google — youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/user-settings/privacy/
- Twitter / X — twitter.com/en/privacy
- Any other third-party platform whose content appears in our articles
3. Cookie Lifespan
- Session cookies — automatically deleted when you close your browser
- Persistent cookies — remain on your device for a defined period (30 days to 2 years) unless deleted manually
- Third-party cookies — subject to the expiry policy of the respective third party
4. How to Manage and Control Cookies
Through Your Browser Settings
All major browsers allow you to view, manage, block, and delete cookies:
- Google Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data
- Mozilla Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
- Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data
- Microsoft Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions
- Opera: Settings > Privacy & security > Cookies
Disabling all cookies may affect the functionality of livetechupdates.com and many other websites you visit. We recommend disabling only non-essential categories.
Through Our Cookie Consent Banner
When you first visit livetechupdates.com, a cookie consent banner allows you to accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or customise your preferences by category. You can revisit and update your choices at any time by clicking the ‘Cookie Settings’ link in our website footer.
For Google Analytics
Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout to prevent your data from being processed by Google Analytics across all websites.
For Google Advertising
Visit g.co/adsettings to control whether you see personalised Google ads. This preference is stored in a cookie — if you clear cookies, you will need to reset this preference.
5. Do Not Track
Some browsers send a ‘Do Not Track’ (DNT) signal to websites requesting that they not track browsing behaviour. There is currently no universally accepted standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals. Live Tech Updates does not currently modify its data collection practices in response to DNT signals. We will update this policy if industry standards change.
6. Updates to This Policy
As our website evolves and we add new tools or advertising partners, we may update this Cookie Policy. The ‘Last updated’ date at the top reflects the latest revision. We recommend reviewing this page periodically.
7. Contact Us
Questions about our cookies or this policy? Contact us at contact@livetechupdates.com. We are happy to explain anything further.