This Cookie Policy explains how the Laubscher Institute for Research uses cookies and similar technologies when you visit tlir.org.za. It should be read alongside our Privacy Policy. We keep our cookie use minimal and purposeful — we do not use advertising or behavioural tracking cookies.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, tablet, or smartphone) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently and to provide information to the website owner.
Cookies can be session cookies (deleted when you close your browser) or persistent cookies (stored on your device for a set period or until you delete them). They can be set by the website you are visiting ("first-party cookies") or by third-party services used by that website ("third-party cookies").
2. How We Use Cookies
We use cookies for the following purposes:
- Authentication: To keep you logged in to your researcher account securely across pages and sessions.
- Session management: To maintain the state of your session while you navigate the website, such as remembering form inputs.
- Security: To help protect our website and user accounts from unauthorised access and fraudulent activity.
We do not use cookies for advertising, retargeting, or behavioural profiling. We do not share cookie data with advertising networks.
3. Types of Cookies We Use
Strictly necessary cookies
These cookies are essential for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They are typically set in response to actions you take, such as logging in. Without these cookies, services you have requested cannot be provided.
- sb-access-token — Set by Supabase. Stores your authentication token to keep you logged in to your researcher account. Duration: session / up to 1 hour.
- sb-refresh-token — Set by Supabase. Used to refresh your authentication session without requiring you to log in again. Duration: up to 30 days.
Functional cookies
These cookies allow the website to remember choices you have made and provide enhanced features. We currently use these to preserve your preferences within a session.
- tlir-session-prefs — Stores minor UI preferences such as filter selections in the research archive. Duration: session only.
Analytics cookies
We do not currently use third-party analytics services such as Google Analytics. Any future use of analytics cookies will be disclosed in an updated version of this policy.
4. Third-Party Cookies
Some third-party services embedded in our website may set their own cookies. We have limited control over these cookies. The relevant third-party services are:
- Google Maps (embedded on our Contact page): Google may set cookies when you interact with the embedded map. See Google's Privacy Policy for details.
- Google Fonts: Fonts are loaded from Google's CDN, which may set cookies or log requests. See Google Fonts Privacy FAQ.
- Supabase: Our backend infrastructure provider sets authentication-related cookies described above. See Supabase's Privacy Policy.
5. Managing Cookies
You can control and manage cookies in several ways. Please note that removing or blocking cookies may affect the functionality of the website, particularly the researcher login system.
Browser settings
Most browsers allow you to view, delete, and block cookies. Refer to your browser's help documentation for instructions:
Opting out
Because we only use strictly necessary and functional cookies, a cookie consent banner is not currently displayed on our website. If you do not wish to accept cookies, you may disable them in your browser settings; however, this will prevent you from logging into your researcher account.
6. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time, for example if we introduce new features or third-party services. We will update the "Last Updated" date when changes are made. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
7. Contact Us
If you have questions about our use of cookies, please contact us:
- Email: info@tliresearch.org.za
- Phone: +27 83 243 3602
- Website: tlir.org.za