Cookie Policy

Understanding Cookies and Similar Technologies

Cookies are small text files that websites place on your device when you visit them. They help websites remember your preferences, understand how you use the site, and improve your overall experience. Cookies typically contain a unique identifier and information about your visit, but they cannot access other data on your device or carry viruses.

At Sao Tome CBI, we use cookies and similar tracking technologies to ensure our website functions properly and to enhance your browsing experience. This policy explains what cookies we use, why we use them, and how you can control them.

Categories of Cookies We Deploy

We use several types of cookies on our website, each serving a specific purpose. Below, we've outlined the main categories and what they do.

Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for our website to function correctly. They enable core features like security, network management, and accessibility. Without these cookies, services you've requested—such as navigating between pages or accessing secure areas—cannot be provided. Because these cookies are essential, they cannot be disabled through our cookie management tools, though you can block them through your browser settings (see below for instructions).

Examples of essential cookies include:

• Session cookies that keep you logged in as you move through the site
• Security cookies that protect against fraudulent activity
• Load balancing cookies that distribute traffic efficiently

Performance and Analytics Cookies

These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting anonymous information about which pages are visited most often, how long people stay on each page, and any error messages encountered. This data helps us identify areas for improvement and optimize the user experience.

We use this information to:

• Analyze traffic patterns and visitor behavior
• Identify and fix technical issues
• Measure the effectiveness of our content
• Improve website navigation and structure

All information collected by performance cookies is aggregated and anonymous. We cannot identify individual users from this data.

Functionality Cookies

Functionality cookies allow our website to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, personalized features. For instance, these cookies can remember your language preference, region, or text size settings. They may also be used to provide services you've requested, such as watching a video or commenting on content.

These cookies enhance your experience by:

• Remembering your preferences and settings
• Recognizing when you return to our site
• Providing customized content based on your interests
• Enabling interactive features and tools

The information these cookies collect may be anonymized, and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.

Targeting and Advertising Cookies

These cookies are used to deliver advertisements that are relevant to you and your interests. They also help us measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns and limit the number of times you see the same advertisement. These cookies are typically placed by advertising networks with our permission.

Targeting cookies help us:

• Show you relevant advertisements based on your interests
• Prevent the same ad from appearing too frequently
• Measure how effective our marketing campaigns are
• Understand your browsing habits across different websites

These cookies may share information with third-party advertisers, though this information does not directly identify you personally.

Third-Party Cookies and Services

In addition to our own cookies, we work with trusted third-party service providers who may also set cookies on your device when you visit our website. These partners help us with analytics, advertising, social media integration, and other services that enhance our website's functionality.

Third-party cookies we use may include:

• Google Analytics for website traffic analysis and reporting
• Social media platforms (such as Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter) for content sharing and social features
• Advertising networks that help us deliver targeted advertisements
• Video hosting services for embedded content

These third parties have their own privacy policies governing how they collect and use your information. We recommend reviewing their policies to understand how your data is handled. While we carefully select our partners, we do not control the cookies they set or how they use the information collected.

Managing Your Cookie Preferences

You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. When you first visit our website, you'll see a cookie banner that allows you to choose which categories of cookies you're comfortable with. You can accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or customize your preferences by category.

You can change your cookie preferences at any time by:

• Clicking the cookie settings link in our website footer
• Adjusting your browser settings (see instructions below)
• Opting out of specific third-party cookies through their respective websites

Please note that if you choose to disable certain cookies, some features of our website may not function as intended, and your user experience may be limited.

Disabling Cookies Through Your Browser

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically set your browser to refuse all cookies, accept only certain cookies, or notify you when a cookie is being set. The method for managing cookies varies by browser, but you can usually find these options in your browser's "Settings," "Options," or "Preferences" menu.

Here are links to cookie management instructions for common browsers:

• Google Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data
• Mozilla Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
• Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Cookies and website data
• Microsoft Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Cookies and site data
• Opera: Settings > Privacy & security > Cookies

For mobile devices, please consult your device's help documentation or the browser's support website for specific instructions.

Keep in mind that disabling cookies may affect your ability to use certain features on our website and other sites you visit. Some pages may not display correctly, and you may need to manually adjust preferences each time you visit.

Updates to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or other operational needs. When we make significant changes, we'll update the "last updated" date at the top of this policy and may notify you through a prominent notice on our website or via email.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies and protect your information. Your continued use of our website after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated policy.

Questions and Contact Information

If you have questions about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, we're here to help. You can reach out to us through the following channels:

• Email us at: [email protected]
• Review our full Privacy Policy for more information about how we handle your personal data

We take your privacy seriously and will respond to your inquiries as promptly as possible. If you have concerns about how your data is being used or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please don't hesitate to contact us.