Cookie Policy

Last updated: 26 September 2026

Cookie Policy

Last updated: September 26, 2026

This Cookie Policy informs users of the Laureats.cm platform regarding the nature, purpose, and management of cookies and related tracking mechanisms placed on their devices during navigation.

The platform is published and operated by Essono Group SARL, registered with the Trade Registry under number CM-NSI-01-2026-B12-0728, headquartered in Yaoundé, Cameroon (contact: [email protected]).

1. Commitment to Technical Restraint and No Ad Trackers

Essono Group SARL adheres to a strict principle of data minimization:

  • We use no third-party advertising cookies, no conversion pixels (such as Meta Pixel, TikTok, or Google Ads), and no intrusive behavioral trackers.
  • We do not sell, license, or transfer your browsing activity to advertising exchanges or data brokers.

The cookies and local storage items deployed on Laureats.cm serve exclusively technical requirements: platform security, session management, and interface preference retention.

2. What Is a Cookie?

A cookie is a small text file stored on your device (computer, tablet, or smartphone) by the web server hosting the visited website. It enables the platform to recognize your browser across successive requests or subsequent visits to ensure proper, secure software operation.

3. Categories of Cookies Used on Laureats.cm

3.1. Essential Security and Infrastructure Cookies

These cookies are mandatory for site integrity and cybersecurity mitigation. They cannot be disabled without breaking access to the service:

  • Security and DDoS Mitigation (Cloudflare): Security tokens (including __cf_bm or cf_clearance) designed to identify malicious traffic patterns, deflect distributed denial-of-service attacks, and distinguish human visitors from automated bots.
  • CSRF Protection and Form Integrity: Ephemeral cryptographic tokens protecting payment and voting forms from unauthorized cross-site request forgery.

3.2. Authentication and Session Cookies

These secure tokens maintain user state across encrypted HTTPS connections:

  • Organizer and Admin Sessions: Encrypted cookies (HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite=Lax) maintaining your authenticated state within the organizer console following credential validation.
  • Authenticated Voter Sessions: Session cookies preserving your Google or Apple sign-in status for campaigns that require user authentication prior to casting a vote.

These session cookies are automatically invalidated upon logout or when your browsing session closes.

3.3. Interface Preferences (Browser Local Storage)

The platform uses your browser’s local storage to preserve display settings locally without polling our servers on every click:

  • Theme Selection: Preserves your preference between light mode, dark mode, or system default.
  • Language Selection: Remembers your preferred locale (French or English).

3.4. Card Checkout and 3-D Secure Authentication

When paying by credit or debit card, the checkout flow runs in the secure environment of our payment aggregator (Campay) and your card-issuing bank. These institutions set their own session cookies strictly required for 3-D Secure cardholder verification and fraud detection.

4. Retention Periods

In accordance with data protection best practices:

  • Session and security cookies expire upon closing the browser or within a maximum of 24 hours.
  • Display preferences (language, theme) remain in your local browser storage for up to 12 months, or until you clear your browser site data.

5. Controlling Cookies in Your Browser

You can configure your browser at any time to block or delete cookies.

Please note that blocking essential operational cookies (specifically Cloudflare security tokens and session cookies) will prevent you from accessing the organizer console and completing secure voting checkouts.

Instructions for common browsers:

  • Google Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Third-Party Cookies.
  • Mozilla Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data.
  • Apple Safari (iOS & macOS): Settings > Safari > Advanced > Block All Cookies.
  • Microsoft Edge: Settings > Cookies and Site Permissions > Manage and delete cookies.

6. Contact

For any questions concerning cookie handling on Laureats.cm, contact Essono Group SARL at: [email protected].