2. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work, improve their efficiency, remember user preferences, and provide information about how a website is used. Similar technologies such as pixels, tags, SDKs, local storage, and device identifiers can serve similar purposes. 

For simplicity, this Cookie Policy refers to all such technologies as “cookies”.

3. Why We Use Cookies

We use cookies for the following purposes:

a. Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are required for the operation, security, and core functionality of our Services. They may include cookies used for login authentication, session handling, security protection, fraud prevention, network management, and saving your cookie preferences. Strictly necessary cookies may be used without prior consent where they are essential to provide the service requested by the user. 

b. Preference Cookies

These cookies remember your choices, such as language, region, or interface settings, in order to improve your experience.

c. Analytics Cookies

These cookies help us understand how visitors use our Services, such as which pages are visited, how long users stay, and how users navigate the website. This helps us improve usability, performance, and content. Under EU rules, analytics cookies generally require prior consent unless they qualify for a narrow exemption under applicable national law. 

d. Marketing and Advertising Cookies

These cookies may be used to deliver relevant advertising, measure campaign effectiveness, build remarketing audiences, and limit repetitive advertising. These cookies are only used where you have given your prior consent. 

e. Third-Party Content Cookies

If we integrate third-party services such as videos, maps, social media features, or embedded tools, those providers may place cookies on your device. These cookies are subject to the relevant third party’s policies and, where legally required, your prior consent. The European Commission notes that third-party services may involve cookies outside the direct control of the site operator. 

4. Legal Basis

For cookies that are strictly necessary for the functioning of the website or for providing a service expressly requested by you, the legal basis is our legitimate operational need to provide the requested digital service in compliance with applicable ePrivacy rules.

For all other cookies, including analytics, functionality beyond what is strictly necessary, and marketing cookies, the legal basis is your consent. Under EU rules, cookies requiring consent must not be set before that consent has been obtained. 

5. Types of Cookies We Use

We may use the following types of cookies:

Session Cookies

These are temporary cookies that expire when you close your browser.

Persistent Cookies

These remain on your device for a defined period or until deleted.

First-Party Cookies

These are cookies set directly by Home X.

Third-Party Cookies

These are cookies set by third-party services or providers integrated into our website.

6. Cookie Categories Used by Home X

The exact cookies used on our Services may change over time depending on the features, tools, and providers we use. The categories below describe the general purposes.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These may include cookies that:

• keep users logged in,

• maintain secure sessions,

• protect forms and transactions,

• store cookie consent choices,

• detect abuse or malicious traffic.

Functional / Preference Cookies

These may include cookies that:

• remember language and region settings,

• save interface preferences,

• improve accessibility and user experience settings.

Analytics Cookies

These may include cookies that:

• count visits and traffic sources,

• measure usage and interaction,

• identify popular pages and features,

• detect technical issues and performance bottlenecks.

Marketing Cookies

These may include cookies that:

• measure ad performance,

• personalise campaign delivery,

• create advertising audiences,

• support remarketing and conversion tracking.

7. Third-Party Providers

Depending on the actual setup of our website and Services, we may use third-party providers for hosting, analytics, advertising, embedded content, payments, communications, CRM, customer support, fraud prevention, or other business operations.

Where such providers place or access cookies on our Services, they may process information in accordance with their own privacy and cookie policies. Where required by law, such cookies are only activated after you provide consent.

8. Consent Management

When you first visit our website, you will be presented with a cookie banner or consent management interface that allows you to:

• accept all cookies,

• reject all non-essential cookies,

• manage cookie categories individually.

Non-essential cookies will not be set unless and until you provide valid consent. EU guidance states that cookies requiring consent cannot be placed when the webpage first opens before the user has made that choice. 

You can withdraw or change your consent at any time through the Cookie Settings link available on our website.

9. How to Manage Cookies

You can manage cookies in the following ways:

Through our Cookie Settings tool

You can review and change your preferences at any time.

Through your browser settings

Most web browsers allow you to block or delete cookies. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality or availability of parts of our Services. EU institutions also note that deleting cookies may remove saved preferences and settings. 

10. Data Collected Through Cookies

Depending on the type of cookie, we may collect information such as:

• IP address,

• device and browser information,

• operating system,

• referral URLs,

• pages viewed,

• session duration,

• timestamps,

• interactions with content or forms,

• approximate geolocation,

• consent preferences.

Where this information relates to an identified or identifiable individual, it is treated as personal data in accordance with applicable data protection law and our Privacy Policy. The EDPB notes that information stored in cookies can include personal data such as IP addresses or unique identifiers. 

11. Retention

Cookie retention periods vary depending on their purpose. Some cookies expire when you close your browser, while others remain on your device for a predefined period unless deleted earlier.

Where required, more detailed information on cookie duration and provider-specific retention should be made available in our cookie banner, cookie settings panel, or cookie table.

12. International Data Transfers

Some third-party providers we use may process cookie-related data outside the European Economic Area. Where this occurs, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are applied in accordance with applicable data protection law, such as adequacy decisions or approved contractual safeguards.

13. Your Rights

Where cookie-related data constitutes personal data, you may have rights under applicable data protection law, including the right to:

• access your personal data,

• request correction,

• request deletion,

• restrict processing,

• object to certain processing,

• withdraw consent at any time,

• lodge a complaint with a competent supervisory authority.

Further information is available in our Privacy Policy.

14. Changes to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, technologies, or our Services. When we do, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this Cookie Policy.

15. Contact

If you have questions about this Cookie Policy or our data protection practices, please contact:

RL Holding 2023 GmbH

Fritschestraße 79

10585 Berlin

Germany

Commercial Register: HRB 279572 B

Register Court: Amtsgericht Charlottenburg

Commercial Register Department: Abteilung B

Email: info@home-x.com

A few important points for EU compliance: non-essential cookies generally require prior consent, and those cookies should not be placed before the user has chosen. Consent must also meet GDPR standards for being informed and unambiguous. 

For the final live version, you should also have a real cookie table listing each cookie name, provider, purpose, category, and duration, and the cookie banner should actually block non-essential cookies until consent.