Cookie Policy
Target Stream Media, Inc.
At Target Stream Media Inc., we believe in being clear about how our website works — including how and why we use cookies and similar tracking technologies. This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, which ones we use, what they do, and how you can control them. It applies to our website at www.targetstream.net and any subdomains thereof.
This Cookie Policy is incorporated by reference into and governed alongside our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Accessibility Policy.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device — computer, tablet, or smartphone — when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently, remember your preferences, and provide website owners with information about how visitors interact with their content.
Cookies are not programs and cannot carry viruses or malware. They cannot access other files on your device. A cookie typically contains: the name of the website that set it; the duration it will remain on your device; and a unique identifier used to recognize your browser on return visits.
In addition to cookies, we may also use related technologies including pixel tags (also called web beacons or clear GIFs), local storage objects, session storage, and SDKs in mobile applications. For simplicity, all of these are referred to collectively as "cookies" throughout this Policy.
2. Why We Use Cookies
We use cookies and similar technologies to:
- Ensure our website operates correctly and securely;
- Remember your preferences and settings across visits;
- Understand how visitors use our website so we can improve it;
- Measure the performance and effectiveness of our marketing campaigns;
- Deliver relevant advertising to you on third-party platforms based on your interactions with our website;
- Provide and improve our AI-powered tools and interactive features;
- Prevent fraud and protect the security of our Services.
3. Types of Cookies We Use
We organize the cookies used on our website into four categories:
Category 1 — Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are essential for our website to function. Without them, core features such as secure login, page navigation, and access to certain areas of the website would not work. They do not collect information about you for marketing purposes and cannot be switched off.
Legal basis: Legitimate interest in operating a functional and secure website. These cookies do not require your consent.
Examples include session authentication cookies, security/CSRF protection tokens, load balancing cookies, and cookie consent preference cookies.
Category 2 — Functional / Preference Cookies
These cookies allow our website to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, personalized features — such as language preferences, display settings, and form autofill. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages.
Legal basis: Your consent, where required by applicable law. Where not required, our legitimate interest in providing a better user experience.
Category 3 — Analytics / Performance Cookies
These cookies collect aggregated, anonymized information about how visitors use our website — which pages are visited most often, how visitors navigate between pages, whether they encounter error messages, and how long they spend on different sections. All information collected by analytics cookies is aggregated and does not directly identify you.
Legal basis: Your consent, where required by applicable law. Where not required, our legitimate interest in understanding and improving our website performance.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | Distinguishes unique users via a randomly generated client identifier; calculates visit, session, and campaign data | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Distinguishes users across page visits | 24 hours |
| _gat | Google Analytics | Throttles request rate to Google Analytics servers | 1 minute |
| ga[ID] | Google Analytics 4 | Maintains session state and tracks page views and events in GA4 properties | 2 years |
| hjSessionUser[ID] | Hotjar (if enabled) | Assigns a unique user ID on first visit; persists for subsequent sessions for attribution | 1 year |
| hjSession[ID] | Hotjar (if enabled) | Holds current session data to attribute subsequent requests within the session window | 30 minutes |
Category 4 — Marketing / Advertising Cookies
These cookies track visitors across websites and build a profile of interests so that relevant, personalized advertising can be shown to you — both on our website and on third-party platforms such as Google, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), and LinkedIn. If you do not allow these cookies, you will still see advertising, but it will be less targeted to your interests.
Legal basis: Your explicit consent, where required by applicable law.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| _gcl_au | Google Ads | Stores and tracks conversions for Google Ads campaigns | 90 days |
| _gcl_aw | Google Ads | Captures conversion data when a user arrives from a Google Ad click | 90 days |
| _fbp | Meta (Facebook/Instagram) | Identifies browsers for Meta analytics and advertising purposes | 90 days |
| _fbc | Meta (Facebook/Instagram) | Stores last click attribution from a Facebook ad; used for conversion tracking | 90 days |
| li_fat_id | Member indirect identifier for LinkedIn Ads conversion tracking and retargeting | 30 days | |
| lidc | Facilitates data center selection and routing for LinkedIn services | 24 hours | |
| bcookie | Browser identifier used for LinkedIn security and browser identification | 1 year | |
| UserMatchHistory | Enables LinkedIn ad ID syncing to improve the relevance of ads | 30 days |
4. First-Party vs. Third-Party Cookies
First-party cookies are set directly by Target Stream Media Inc. and can only be read by us. They are used for essential site functionality, user authentication, and remembering your preferences.
Third-party cookies are set by external organizations whose content or tools we embed on our website — such as Google Analytics, Meta, and LinkedIn. These organizations may use data they collect in accordance with their own privacy policies, which we encourage you to review:
- Google Privacy Policy: policies.google.com/privacy
- Meta Privacy Policy: www.facebook.com/policy.php
- LinkedIn Privacy Policy: www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy
We do not control third-party cookies and are not responsible for their use.
5. Cookie Duration
Cookies are either session cookies or persistent cookies:
- Session cookies are temporary and deleted automatically when you close your browser. They enable website functionality during a single browsing session.
- Persistent cookies remain on your device for a defined period after your browser session ends — typically ranging from 24 hours to 2 years, as detailed in the cookie tables in Section 3.
6. How to Manage Your Cookie Preferences
You have several options for managing cookies. Please be aware that restricting or disabling cookies may affect the functionality and personalization of our Services.
Browser Settings. All major browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings:
- Google Chrome: Settings → Privacy and Security → Cookies and other site data
- Mozilla Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
- Apple Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data
- Microsoft Edge: Settings → Cookies and Site Permissions → Cookies and Site Data
For more information, visit www.allaboutcookies.org or www.aboutcookies.org.
Third-Party Opt-Out Tools. You can opt out of interest-based advertising directly through our partners' platforms:
- Google Ads preferences: adssettings.google.com
- Google Analytics opt-out: tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
- Meta (Facebook/Instagram) ad preferences: www.facebook.com/ads/preferences
- LinkedIn ad preferences: www.linkedin.com/psettings/advertising
- Network Advertising Initiative opt-out: optout.networkadvertising.org
- Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out: optout.aboutads.info
Do Not Track. Because there is currently no industry-wide standard for recognizing and honoring DNT browser signals, our website does not respond to DNT signals at this time. We will revisit this position as standards develop.
Mobile Devices.
- iOS: Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking
- Android: Settings → Google → Ads → Reset Advertising ID or opt out of Ads Personalization
7. Cookie Consent
When you first visit our website, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner that allows you to accept, reject, or customize your cookie preferences by category. You may change or withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the "Cookie Preferences" link in the footer of our website, adjusting your browser settings, or contacting us at info@targetstream.net.
Strictly Necessary cookies cannot be disabled, as they are essential for our website to function. All other cookie categories require your affirmative consent where mandated by applicable law, including the GDPR, the UK Data Protection Act 2018, and the CCPA. Consent records — including the date, time, and scope of your consent — are maintained by us and are available upon request.
8. Cookies and Our AI Services
As an AI integration and digital marketing technology company, some of our cookies interact directly with our AI-powered tools and services:
- AI assistant session cookies maintain the continuity of your conversation with our AI tools and chatbots across a single session;
- AI personalization cookies remember your interactions and preferences with our AI platforms to tailor responses and recommendations to your business context over time;
- AI performance cookies collect aggregated, anonymized data about how our AI tools are used so that we can improve their accuracy, relevance, and performance.
We do not use cookies to feed your personal data into third-party AI training datasets without your explicit consent. For more information about how we handle AI data processing, please refer to Section 3 of our Privacy Policy.
9. Cookies and Children
Our website is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly use cookies to collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected cookie-based data from a child under 13, please contact us immediately at info@targetstream.net.
10. International Users and Cookie Law
European Union and United Kingdom. If you are accessing our website from the EU or UK, your rights regarding cookies are governed by the EU GDPR, the UK GDPR / Data Protection Act 2018, and the ePrivacy Directive. We obtain your consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device where required.
California Residents. Under the CCPA and CPRA, you have the right to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of your personal information, which may include certain cookie-based tracking for cross-context behavioral advertising. You may exercise this right using the tools described in this Policy.
11. Updates to This Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, updates to applicable law, or improvements to how we describe our practices. Where changes are material, we will notify you by posting a prominent notice on our website or by updating the cookie consent banner so you can review and re-confirm your preferences.
12. Contact Us
Target Stream Media Inc.
242 Inlet Drive, Wilmington, NC 28411
Phone: +1 (910) 996-2239
Email: info@targetstream.net
Web: www.targetstream.net