Cookie Policy — Sutcel | How We Use Cookies

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile phone) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, enhance user experience, and provide information to website owners.

Cookies alone cannot be used to identify you personally. They are only read by the server that placed them and help us understand how you interact with our platform so we can improve your experience.

2. Types of Cookies We Use

Category	Purpose	Duration	Example
Essential / Strictly Necessary	Required for the platform to function properly. Enable core functionality like authentication, session management, and security.	Session / Persistent	Session tokens, CSRF tokens
Functionality / Preference	Remember your settings, preferences, and choices (e.g., language, currency, theme).	1 year	Language preference, theme selection
Analytics / Performance	Help us understand how visitors interact with our platform by collecting anonymized data about pages visited, time spent, and error reports.	Up to 2 years	Page views, feature usage, error logs
Security	Help detect and prevent fraudulent activity, protect your account, and ensure the security of our platform.	Session / Persistent	Rate limiting counters, device fingerprint hashes

3. Third-Party Cookies

We also use cookies from trusted third-party service providers to improve our services. These include:

Stripe — Payment processing cookies (PCI compliant, never store card details)
Paystack — Payment processing cookies for African markets
Google Analytics — Anonymous usage analytics (you can opt out via Google Analytics Opt-out)
Firebase Cloud Messaging — Push notification delivery cookies

These third parties have their own privacy and cookie policies governing the use of your information. We encourage you to review their policies.

4. How We Use Cookies

We use cookies for the following specific purposes:

Authentication: Keep you logged in securely across sessions and protect against unauthorized access.
Session Management: Maintain your session state as you navigate our platform.
Security: Detect and prevent fraudulent transactions, account takeovers, and other malicious activities.
Analytics: Understand usage patterns to improve our platform's functionality and user experience.
Performance: Monitor platform performance, identify errors, and optimize load times.
Preferences: Remember your settings and choices for a personalized experience.

5. Your Cookie Choices

You have control over cookies in several ways:

Browser Settings: Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically find these settings in the "Privacy" or "Security" section of your browser. You can choose to block all cookies, accept all cookies, or delete specific cookies.
Opt-Out Tools: You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Do Not Track: Some browsers support a "Do Not Track" (DNT) signal. We respect DNT signals and do not track users who have enabled this setting.

Please note: Disabling essential cookies may affect the functionality of our platform and may prevent you from using certain features, including the ability to send money or access your account.

6. How to Manage Cookies in Your Browser

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Below are links to instructions for common browsers:

7. Cookies We Set Specifically

Cookie Name	Category	Duration	Description
sutcel_session	Essential	Session	Maintains your login session and authentication state.
sutcel_csrf	Essential	Session	Cross-Site Request Forgery protection token.
sutcel_pref_lang	Preference	1 year	Remembers your selected language preference.
sutcel_pref_theme	Preference	1 year	Remembers your theme preference (light/dark mode).
sutcel_analytics_id	Analytics	2 years	Anonymized identifier for usage analytics.
sutcel_device_id	Security	1 year	Anonymized device identifier for fraud detection.

8. Updates to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or the cookies we use. When we make material changes, we will notify you by:

Posting the updated Cookie Policy on our platform.
Displaying a cookie consent banner on your next visit if we make significant changes.
Sending an email notification for major policy changes.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of our platform after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the updated Cookie Policy.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please contact us:

Email: privacy@sutcel.com
Address: Sutcel HQ, Nairobi, Kenya
Data Protection Officer: dpo@sutcel.com

We will respond to your inquiry within a reasonable timeframe, typically within 30 days.