1. What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are downloaded and stored on the User's device (computer, smartphone or tablet) when they access certain web pages. Their purpose is to allow the THE BALANCE PHONE Platform to recognise the browser or device, remember preferences and settings, and measure and improve the operation of the services offered.

Some cookies constitute personal data. Certain cookies contain identifiers which, alone or combined with other data, allow a device or browser to be singled out and therefore qualify as personal data under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR). For this reason, THE BALANCE PHONE does not describe information obtained through cookies as anonymous information. Where information collected through cookies constitutes personal data, our Privacy Policyapplies, setting out the purposes of processing, the legal bases, the recipients and the rights available to the User.

The User may manage, block or delete cookies at any time through the "Cookie settings" panel available in the Platform footer, or through their browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the operation of some Platform features.

2. Legal basis and consent

In accordance with Article 22.2 of Spanish Law 34/2002 on information society services and electronic commerce (LSSI-CE), and with the GDPR:

  • Strictly necessary cookies: installed without consent, as they are essential to provide a service expressly requested by the User.
  • Functional, analytics and advertising cookies: require the User's prior, express and informed consent, obtained through the cookie settings panel displayed on first access to the Platform.

Consent is requested granularly, by category. The User may accept all, reject all, or select only the categories they wish. Rejecting non-necessary cookies does not prevent access to Platform content.

Withdrawal of consent. The User may withdraw consent at any time, as easily as it was given, through the "Cookie settings" panel. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out beforehand.

THE BALANCE PHONE does not install non-necessary cookies on Users' devices until they have accepted their installation.

3. What does THE BALANCE PHONE use cookies for?

THE BALANCE PHONE uses cookies and other information storage and retrieval technologies for the following purposes:

  • To enable the technical operation of the Platform, session and shopping cart management, and form security.
  • To remember the User's preferences, such as language, browsing country and currency.
  • To measure and analyse the performance and use of the Platform in order to optimise it.
  • To personalise content and commercial communications, and to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, as described in section 7.

4. Cookies used by the Platform

The cookies used are set out below, grouped by category. The Platform is built on Shopify and incorporates third-party tools for analytics, communication with Users, and advertising.

4.1. Strictly necessary cookies

No consent required. Without these cookies the Platform cannot function correctly.

_secure_session_id

  • Purpose: Maintains the User's secure browsing session.
  • Expiry: 24 hours
  • Provider: Shopify

secure_customer_sig

  • Purpose: Maintains the session of registered customers.
  • Expiry: 1 year
  • Provider: Shopify

cart, cart_ts, cart_ver

  • Purpose: Store the contents and state of the shopping cart.
  • Expiry: 2 weeks
  • Provider: Shopify

_tracking_consent

  • Purpose: Stores the User's cookie consent preferences.
  • Expiry: 1 year
  • Provider: Shopify

_cmp_a

  • Purpose: Manages and applies consent preferences.
  • Expiry: 1 day
  • Provider: Shopify

keep_alive

  • Purpose: Determines the browsing region in order to provide the service.
  • Expiry: 30 minutes
  • Provider: Shopify

4.2. Functional cookies

Consent required. These allow the User's preferences to be remembered and enrich the browsing experience.

localization

  • Purpose: Stores the User's preferred country, region and language.
  • Expiry: 1 year
  • Provider: Shopify

_shopify_country

  • Purpose: Determines the browsing country in order to display prices and currency.
  • Expiry: Session
  • Provider: Shopify

4.3. Analytics cookies

Consent required. These collect information about use of the Platform in order to measure its performance and improve it.

_shopify_y

  • Purpose: Identifies the User uniquely for store analytics purposes.
  • Expiry: 1 year
  • Provider: Shopify Analytics

_shopify_s

  • Purpose: Identifies the browsing session for store analytics purposes.
  • Expiry: 30 minutes
  • Provider: Shopify Analytics

_ga

  • Purpose: Identifies unique Users and distinguishes their sessions on the website.
  • Expiry: 2 years
  • Provider: Google Analytics 4

_ga_<MEASUREMENT_ID>

  • Purpose: Maintains session state for the relevant Google Analytics property.
  • Expiry: 2 years
  • Provider: Google Analytics 4

__kla_id

  • Purpose: Identifies the visitor, attributes form submissions and records on-site activity in order to personalise communications.
  • Expiry: 2 years
  • Provider: Klaviyo

4.4. Advertising and marketing cookies

Consent required. These allow the effectiveness of advertising campaigns to be measured and more relevant content and advertisements to be displayed.

_fbp

  • Purpose: Identifies the browser in order to measure conversions and display advertising on Meta platforms.
  • Expiry: 90 days
  • Provider: Meta Platforms (Facebook Pixel)

fr

  • Purpose: Meta advertising cookie, set on the facebook.com domain.
  • Expiry: 90 days
  • Provider: Meta Platforms

_gcl_au

  • Purpose: Measures conversions attributable to Google Ads campaigns.
  • Expiry: 90 days
  • Provider: Google Ads

5. How to disable cookies

Cookies that are not strictly necessary can be configured or disabled in the "Cookie settings" panel available in the Platform footer.

In addition, all browsers allow cookie settings to be adjusted. Links to the instructions for the most widely used browsers are set out below:

Google additionally offers a Google Analytics opt-out add-on available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=es.

Note: disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Platform and the availability of some services.

6. Cookies on mobile devices

The Platform also uses cookies or other storage mechanisms on mobile devices. Cookies that are not strictly necessary can be disabled in the "Cookie settings" panel available in the footer.

As with desktop browsers, mobile browsers allow privacy options to be modified in order to disable or delete cookies. The User should follow the instructions specified by their browser's developer.

7. Profiling and segmentation

THE BALANCE PHONE may build User segments and personalise the content and commercial communications that Users receive. This processing is based on:

  • information collected through analytics and advertising cookies, only where the User has consented; and
  • information the User provides voluntarily through forms, questionnaires, surveys and other Platform tools.

The purpose of this processing is commercial and marketing-related: to group Users into segments in order to send them more relevant content and communications based on their interests and their responses. The applicable purposes, legal bases and retention periods are described in more detail in the Privacy Policy.

Automated decisions. THE BALANCE PHONE does not take decisions based solely on automated processing which produce legal effects concerning the User or similarly significantly affect them, within the meaning of Article 22 GDPR. Any results or recommendations the Platform may offer are purely informative and indicative.

Right to object. The User may object at any time to the processing of their data for direct marketing purposes, including profiling related to those purposes, under Article 21.2 GDPR, and may withdraw consent given for analytics and advertising cookies through the "Cookie settings" panel.

8. Retention period

The retention period for information collected through cookies depends on its type and purpose:

  • Session cookies: information is retained only while the User continues browsing the Platform. Once the session or the browser is closed, these cookies are deleted automatically.
  • Persistent cookies: information is retained for the period indicated for each cookie in section 4, determined according to criteria of necessity and proportionality.
  • Third-party cookies: the retention period is that established by the policies of the relevant providers.

For further information, the User may consult the policies of the external providers:

9. International data transfers

Some of the providers listed in section 4 are established outside the European Economic Area or may process data from third countries, in particular the United States of America. This is the case for Google LLC, Meta Platforms, Inc. and Klaviyo, Inc.

These transfers are carried out on the basis of safeguards provided for in Chapter V GDPR, in particular the adequacy decision relating to the EU–U.S. Data Privacy Framework and/or the Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission, supplemented where appropriate by additional security measures.

The User may obtain further information about these transfers and request a copy of the safeguards applied by contacting rgpd@thebalancephone.com.

10. User rights

The User may at any time exercise their rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, objection and portability, as well as withdraw any consent given, in relation to personal data processed through cookies.

To exercise these rights, the User may contact rgpd@thebalancephone.com, stating the right they wish to exercise and enclosing a copy of an identity document. THE BALANCE PHONE will respond within a maximum of one month from receipt of the request.

The User has the right to lodge a complaint with the Spanish Data Protection Agency (https://www.aepd.es) if they consider that the processing of their data does not comply with applicable law.

11. Changes to this Policy

THE BALANCE PHONE reserves the right to amend this Cookie Policy in order to adapt it to legislative developments, supervisory authority guidance, or changes to the cookies used on the Platform. Users are advised to review it periodically. The date of the last update appears in the heading of this document.

12. Data controller