Cookie Policy

📋 1. Introduction

The Unity/Govt. College, Oye Alumni ("UGCOA," "we," "our," or "us") operates the alumni portal at www.ugcoa.com.ng (the "Portal"). This Cookie Policy explains how we use cookies and similar technologies when you visit or interact with the Portal.

This policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which describes more broadly how we collect, use, and protect your personal information, and our Terms & Conditions, which govern your use of the Portal.

By continuing to use the Portal, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this policy. If you do not agree, you may adjust your browser settings to refuse cookies — though please note this may affect your ability to use certain Portal features, as explained in Section 9.

🍪 2. What Are Cookies?

A cookie is a small text file that a website stores on your computer, smartphone, or other device when you visit it. Cookies are widely used to make websites work properly, work more efficiently, and provide useful information to website operators.

Cookies can be classified in two main ways:

By Duration

• Session cookies: Temporary cookies that exist only while your browser is open. They are deleted automatically when you close your browser. The Portal uses session cookies to keep you logged in as you move between pages.
• Persistent cookies: Cookies that remain on your device for a set period (or until you delete them). They are used to remember your preferences across visits.

By Origin

• First-party cookies: Set directly by the Portal (www.ugcoa.com.ng). The vast majority of cookies we use are first-party cookies.
• Third-party cookies: Set by a domain other than the Portal, typically by external services embedded in our pages. See Section 7 for details.

⚙️ 3. How We Use Cookies

The Portal uses cookies for the following purposes:

• Authentication & security: To recognise you when you log in, keep your session active as you navigate the Portal, and protect your account against unauthorised access — including protection against cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks.
• Functionality & preferences: To remember your settings and choices (such as display preferences) so you do not have to re-enter them on every visit.
• Performance & analytics: To understand how visitors use the Portal — which pages are most visited, how members navigate between sections — so we can improve the Portal's design and content.

📂 4. Types of Cookies We Use

The cookies used on the Portal fall into three categories:

Essential cookies do not require your consent because the Portal cannot provide the services you request (such as member login) without them. Functional and analytics cookies may be managed through your browser settings as described in Section 8.

🔎 5. Specific Cookies on the Portal

The table below describes the principal cookies you may encounter when using the Portal:

The exact names and lifetimes of cookies may vary as we update the Portal. This table reflects the principal cookies in use as at the Effective Date above.

🚫 6. What We Do Not Use

To be clear about our practices, the Portal does not use:

• Advertising cookies — we do not display third-party advertisements or use cookies to target you with ads.
• Cross-site tracking cookies — we do not track your browsing activity on other websites.
• Data brokerage — we never sell, rent, or trade cookie data or browsing information to third parties.
• Social media tracking pixels — while the Portal may link to our social media pages, we do not embed tracking pixels that report your Portal activity to social media platforms.

🌐 7. Third-Party Cookies

In limited circumstances, third-party services integrated into the Portal may set their own cookies on your device. These may include:

• Payment gateways: When you make a donation or contribution, our payment processing partners may set cookies necessary to complete and secure your transaction.
• Embedded media: If a page embeds external content (such as a video hosted on a third-party platform), that platform may set its own cookies when the content loads.

These cookies are governed by the privacy and cookie policies of the respective third parties, and we do not control them. We encourage you to review the policies of any external service before interacting with it.

🛠️ 8. Managing & Disabling Cookies

You are in control of cookies on your device. Most web browsers allow you to view, manage, delete, and block cookies through their settings. You can typically find these options under "Privacy," "Security," or "Site Settings" in your browser's menu:

• Google Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data
• Mozilla Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
• Safari (Mac/iOS): Preferences/Settings → Privacy → Manage Website Data
• Microsoft Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Manage and delete cookies
• Opera: Settings → Privacy & security → Cookies and other site data

You can usually choose to:

• Delete all cookies currently stored on your device;
• Block all cookies from being set in the future;
• Block only third-party cookies; or
• Clear cookies automatically each time you close your browser.

For more detailed, browser-specific instructions, consult your browser's official help documentation or visit www.allaboutcookies.org, an independent resource on cookie management.

⚠️ 9. Consequences of Disabling Cookies

While you are free to disable cookies, please be aware that doing so may affect your experience on the Portal:

• Member login will not work. Essential session cookies are required to authenticate you and keep you logged in. With cookies disabled, you will not be able to access the member dashboard, forum, elections, contributions, or any other authenticated feature.
• Forms may fail. Security tokens stored in cookies protect Portal forms; without them, form submissions may be rejected.
• Preferences will not be remembered. Any display or language settings will reset on every visit.

💾 10. Other Similar Technologies

In addition to cookies, the Portal may use related technologies:

• Local storage & session storage: Browser-based storage used to hold small amounts of data (such as interface state) on your device. Unlike cookies, this data is not sent to our server with every request. You can clear it through your browser's site data settings.
• Server logs: Our web server automatically records standard technical information (such as IP address, browser type, and pages requested) for security, troubleshooting, and audit purposes. Retention of this data is described in our Privacy Policy.

📄 11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make material changes:

• The updated policy will be posted on this page with a revised "Effective Date."
• For significant changes, we will notify registered members via email or a prominent notice on the Portal.

We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies.

📬 12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please contact us: