Cookies Policy
This Cookies Policy explains how DAO ADVERTISING LLP (“DAO.AD”, “we”, “us” or “our”) uses cookies and similar technologies when you visit dao.ad and use the services available through the Website. It should be read together with our Privacy Policy.
1. What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your computer, smartphone or other device when you visit a website. They allow a website to recognise a browser or device, maintain a session, remember information between page requests and support functions such as security, analytics, advertising measurement and customer support.
Session cookies are normally removed when the browser session ends. Persistent cookies remain on the device for a defined period or until they are deleted. We also use browser storage technologies, such as local storage and session storage, where a service requires them to provide its functionality.
2. How we use cookies and similar technologies
DAO.AD uses these technologies for the following purposes: to operate the Website and secure user sessions; to protect forms and account actions; to provide live-chat functionality; to understand how visitors use the Website; and to measure the effectiveness and attribution of advertising campaigns.
3. Categories of cookies
Necessary: These technologies are required for core Website functions, security, session management or a service explicitly requested by the user.
Functional: These technologies support additional Website functions, such as the live-chat service and continuity of a visitor's chat session.
Analytics: These technologies help us understand how visitors interact with the Website, including users, sessions and Website usage.
Marketing: These technologies are used for advertising measurement, conversion attribution and, where applicable, advertising personalisation or remarketing.
4. Cookies and similar technologies used by DAO.AD
| Name | Provider | Cookies Used | Lifespan | Purpose | Category | Further Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHPSESSID | dao.ad | First Party | Session | Maintains the server-side user session while a visitor browses DAO.AD. It supports session continuity and core account functionality. | Necessary | DAO.AD Privacy Policy |
| _csrf | dao.ad | First Party | Session | Security cookie used to protect forms and authenticated actions against cross-site request forgery (CSRF). | Necessary | DAO.AD Privacy Policy |
| _ga | Google Analytics / dao.ad | First Party | 2 years (default) | Used by Google Analytics 4 to distinguish individual users for Website measurement and reporting. | Analytics | Google Analytics cookie usage |
| _ga_<container-id> | Google Analytics / dao.ad | First Party | 2 years (default) | Used by Google Analytics 4 to persist session state. The suffix corresponds to the relevant Google Analytics container or measurement identifier. | Analytics | Google Analytics cookie usage |
| _gcl_au | Google Ads / dao.ad | First Party | Up to 90 days | Used for Google advertising conversion measurement and attribution. It helps associate advertising interactions with subsequent actions on the Website. | Marketing | Google cookie / advertising documentation |
| _gcl_aw | Google Ads / dao.ad | First Party | Up to 90 days | May be set following a Google Ads interaction and is used to retain Google Ads click information for conversion attribution. | Marketing | Google cookie / advertising documentation |
| _gcl_dc | Google Ads / dao.ad | First Party | Up to 90 days | May be used for advertising conversion attribution where a DoubleClick click identifier is involved. | Marketing | Google cookie / advertising documentation |
| IDE | doubleclick.net / Google | Third Party | Up to 13 months | May be used by Google's advertising services for advertising delivery, measurement and attribution, depending on the Google tag configuration, browser restrictions and the visitor's consent choices. | Marketing | Google Privacy & Terms |
| _fbp | Meta Platforms / dao.ad | First Party | 3 months | Used by Meta Pixel for advertising measurement and attribution, including identifying browsers and measuring the effectiveness of Meta advertising campaigns. | Marketing | Meta cookie/privacy information |
| _fbc | Meta Platforms / dao.ad | First Party | 3 months | May be created when a visitor reaches DAO.AD through a Meta advertising click containing an fbclid parameter. It is used for click and conversion attribution. | Marketing | Meta cookie/privacy information |
| fr | facebook.com / Meta | Third Party | Up to 3 months | May be set by Meta where browser and consent conditions permit third-party cookies. It can support advertising delivery, measurement and relevance. | Marketing | Meta cookie/privacy information |
| tawk_uuid_* | tawk.to / dao.ad | First Party | Service-defined | HTTP cookie used by the tawk.to live-chat widget as part of its visitor identification and chat functionality. The name is dynamic. | Necessary | tawk.to cookie documentation |
| tawk_uuid_propertyId | tawk.to / dao.ad | First Party | 6 months | Assigns a unique visitor identifier so the tawk.to chat widget can recognise returning visitors. The property ID portion is specific to the DAO.AD tawk.to property. | Necessary | tawk.to cookie documentation |
| twk_idm_key | tawk.to / dao.ad | First Party | Session | Prevents duplicate connection requests when the same visitor opens different DAO.AD pages and helps maintain a stable chat connection. | Necessary | tawk.to cookie documentation |
| TawkConnectionTime | tawk.to / dao.ad | First Party | Session | Manages visitor connections when DAO.AD is open in multiple browser tabs and keeps the chat widget synchronised. | Functional | tawk.to cookie documentation |
| twk_token_* | tawk.to / dao.ad | Local Storage | Service-defined | Stores a token used by the tawk.to widget to support the visitor's chat session. This item is browser local storage rather than an HTTP cookie. | Necessary | tawk.to cookie documentation |
| token | tawk.to / dao.ad | Local Storage | Service-defined | Local-storage item used by the tawk.to widget as part of its essential session and connection functionality. | Necessary | tawk.to cookie documentation |
| $navigator.locks-requestQueueMap | tawk.to / dao.ad | Local Storage | Temporary | Used by the browser locking mechanism supporting tawk.to when multiple tabs are open. It helps coordinate connection priority. | Necessary | tawk.to cookie documentation |
| $navigator.locks-clientIds | tawk.to / dao.ad | Local Storage | Temporary | Used by the browser locking mechanism supporting tawk.to to coordinate clients across multiple tabs. | Necessary | tawk.to cookie documentation |
| $navigator.locks-heldLockSet | tawk.to / dao.ad | Local Storage | Temporary | Used by the browser locking mechanism supporting tawk.to to record lock state when multiple tabs are open. | Necessary | tawk.to cookie documentation |
| PreviousNav | tawk.to / dao.ad | Session Storage | Session / tab | Temporarily remembers the page previously viewed by the visitor for tawk.to widget navigation context. It is cleared when the browser tab is closed. | Functional | tawk.to cookie documentation |
5. Conditional cookies
Not every cookie listed above will necessarily be stored during every visit. Some advertising cookies are created only after a particular advertising interaction, such as a Google Ads click or a Meta ad click. Third-party cookies can also be restricted by the visitor's browser. Their availability may additionally depend on the consent choices communicated to the relevant advertising or analytics service.
6. Google Analytics
DAO.AD uses Google Analytics 4 to understand Website usage. Google states that GA4 uses first-party cookies to distinguish unique users and sessions. Its documented default expiration for _ga and _ga_<container-id> is two years. Browser privacy controls may impose shorter effective lifetimes. When analytics storage is disabled through Google's Consent Mode, Google Analytics does not store the client ID in the _ga cookie.
7. Google Ads
DAO.AD uses Google advertising technologies to measure advertising performance and conversions. Cookies beginning with _gcl_ are primarily used to determine whether users who interacted with an advertisement subsequently completed an action on the Website. Google states that _gcl_ cookies last for up to 90 days. Depending on configuration and consent, Google advertising tags may also access third-party advertising cookies previously set on google.com or doubleclick.net.
8. Meta (Facebook) advertising
DAO.AD uses Meta advertising technology, including Meta Pixel, for advertising measurement and attribution. _fbp can be used to identify a browser for advertising measurement. _fbc is conditional and may be created when the visitor arrives through a Meta advertising click containing the fbclid parameter. Meta may process information received through its business tools, including Meta Pixel, in accordance with its privacy terms.
9. tawk.to live chat
DAO.AD uses tawk.to to provide live-chat support. tawk.to states that its widget uses cookies, local storage and session storage to maintain chat connections, recognise returning visitors, synchronise multiple browser tabs and support the operation of the chat widget.
tawk.to further states that, when its own consent form is enabled, widget cookies and local-storage data are not set until the visitor submits the consent form. If that consent form is not enabled, the widget stores its cookies when it loads. DAO.AD may instead control the loading of the widget through its own consent-management implementation.
10. Managing and disabling cookies
You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to view stored cookies, delete individual or all cookies, block cookies from particular websites, block third-party cookies or configure other privacy controls. Blocking Necessary cookies may prevent login, account functions, security mechanisms or other parts of the Website from operating correctly.
- Google Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647
- Mozilla Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/clear-cookies-and-site-data-firefox
- Apple Safari: https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/manage-cookies-sfri11471/mac
- Microsoft Edge: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/delete-cookies-in-microsoft-edge
11. Changes to this Cookies Policy
The technologies used on DAO.AD may change as we update the Website, analytics configuration, advertising tags, customer-support tools or other services. We may therefore update this Cookies Policy from time to time. The date at the top of this Policy indicates when it was last updated.
12. Contact us
If you have questions about this Cookies Policy or our processing of personal data, please contact DAO ADVERTISING LLP using the contact details provided in the DAO.AD Privacy Policy.
Official references
- DAO.AD Privacy Policy — https://dao.ad/en/manage/page/policy
- Google Analytics cookie usage — https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/11397207
- Google Privacy & Terms: How Google uses cookies — https://policies.google.com/technologies/cookies
- Google Consent Mode — https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13802165
- Meta Privacy Center — https://www.facebook.com/privacy/
- tawk.to cookie documentation — https://help.tawk.to/article/what-are-tawkto-cookies-and-what-do-they-do
