Cookie Policy

This Cookie Policy explains the cookies and similar storage that Francton Limited, operating as Garisea (“Garisea”, “we”), uses on garisea.com and in the Garisea app for iOS and Android. It says what each one does, how long it lasts, and how you can control it.

The dealer console at dealer.garisea.com and the partner console at partner.garisea.com have their own Cookie Policies. For how we handle personal data in general, see our Privacy Policy.

A cookie is a small text file that a website stores in your browser. Websites can also keep data in your browser's local storage (kept until you clear it) and session storage (cleared when you close the tab). The app keeps similar data on your device (Section 7). This policy calls all of these “cookies” and treats them the same way.

We use four kinds:

• Essential — sign you in and keep the site secure. Always on (Section 3).
• Preferences and features — remember your choices and make features such as Compare and Recently viewed work (Section 4).
• Analytics — show us how Garisea is used. On by default; you can switch it off at any time (Section 5).
• Advertising — measure Garisea's own ads on Facebook and Instagram. On by default; you can switch it off at any time (Section 6).

These are strictly necessary. Without them you can't sign in, send an enquiry, or stay signed in from one page to the next, so you can't switch them off here. Blocking them in your browser breaks sign-in.

When you sign in or create an account, our bot-protection provider checks that you are a person. The check runs on the provider's own domain and may set its own cookies there.

These remember choices you have made and keep features working on this device. Clearing them resets Garisea to its defaults; nothing breaks.

Analytics tells us which cars and features people find useful, where pages break, and how to improve search and recommendations. We collect it under our legitimate interest in running and improving Garisea, so it is on by default. You can switch it off at any time, and we honour that choice.

5.1 Garisea usage analytics

This is our own analytics. While analytics is on, we store a random device identifier, garisea_client_uuid, in local storage and record events such as the pages and vehicles you view, the searches you run, and the ads shown to you and clicked. If you are signed in, the events are also linked to your account. We keep detailed events for 30 to 90 days, depending on the type, and after that keep only daily totals. We don't sell this data or use it to show you ads.

5.2 Google Analytics

We also use Google Analytics 4. Google sets cookies named _ga and _ga_<ID> (up to 2 years) to count visits and sessions. After you sign in, we send Google your Garisea account ID, never your name, email or phone number, so your visits on different devices count once. We don't use Google Analytics to advertise to you.

5.3 Switching analytics off

• On the website — open Cookie settings from the footer and turn off Analytics, or turn off “Share anonymous usage data” in Profile → Settings.
• Global Privacy Control — if your browser sends a GPC signal, we treat it as switching analytics and advertising off (Section 9).
• In the app — turn off “Share usage data” in Profile → Privacy & Data.

Switching off stops new analytics from that browser or device, including Google Analytics, and we stop using the device identifier for analytics. (The Garisea Assistant still uses it to keep chats you started without signing in on this browser, Section 4.) One thing continues: we still count that an ad was shown or clicked, so advertisers are charged for what they actually received. Those counts carry no device identifier, no session and nothing about you — only which ad, where on the page, and when. Switching off doesn't delete events we have already collected; to ask for that, see Section 9 of our Privacy Policy.

5.4 Ad and campaign attribution

Two short-lived records let us credit an enquiry to the ad or campaign that led to it. Both stay in the browser tab and are cleared when you close it:

• garisea:last-ad-click — the last ad on Garisea you clicked. If you then send that advertiser an enquiry within 24 hours, we record that it came from their ad. We also keep each device's last ad click on our servers for 24 hours for the same purpose.
• garisea:marketing-attribution — how you arrived at Garisea: campaign tags (such as utm_source), Google or Meta click IDs, the referring website and the page you landed on. It is saved with an enquiry you send, so we can tell which campaigns bring buyers.

These records don't follow you to other websites. If you switch analytics off, we stop keeping the last ad you clicked, both on your device and on our servers. The campaign record stays either way, because it ties an enquiry to the campaign that brought you.

Some features rely on other companies that set their own cookies. We don't control those cookies; each company's own policy applies to them.

• Meta Pixel (advertising) — loads by default, and you can switch it off at any time by turning Advertising off in Cookie settings. Meta sets cookies named _fbp and _fbc. The pixel tells Meta about page views, the vehicles you view, your searches (including what you typed), vehicles you save, and sign-ups. We use this to measure Garisea's own ads on Facebook and Instagram and to show those ads to people who have visited Garisea. It doesn't let other companies advertise to you through us. If you switch Advertising off, we stop the pixel and delete its cookies. See Section 6.5 of our Privacy Policy.
• Bot protection — runs when you sign in or sign up (Section 3).
• Maps — the viewing-location map on a vehicle page comes from Google Maps, which may set its own cookies when the map loads.
• Images and video — our media delivery network serves vehicle photos and videos. Like any website, it sees your IP address; we don't send it your account details.
• Sign in with Google or Apple — if you use them, Google or Apple may set their own cookies during sign-in.

The Garisea app serves buyers and dealers. It doesn't use browser cookies; it keeps similar data on your device. This section applies to both sides of the app.

On iPhone, the app asks whether it may track you (App Tracking Transparency). We collect the device's Advertising Identifier only if you allow it. If you do, we share it and your app activity with Meta and Google to attribute installs and measure Garisea's own ads. On Android, your advertising-ID settings apply. See Section 6.5 of our Privacy Policy.

Clearing the app's data in your phone's settings removes everything except the push-provider installation ID, which is recreated at the next launch. Uninstalling the app removes everything, including your sign-in.

• Cookie settings — the Cookie settings link in the website footer reopens your choices, so you can turn Analytics or Advertising on or off at any time.
• Account settings — Profile → Settings → “Share anonymous usage data” on the website; Profile → Privacy & Data → “Share usage data” in the app.
• Your browser — every major browser lets you see, block and delete cookies for each site. Look for “manage cookies” in your browser's help. Blocking essential cookies breaks sign-in.
• Your phone — manage notifications in Profile → Notification Preferences or your phone's settings. On iPhone, manage tracking in Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.

Switching analytics or advertising off doesn't change how Garisea works for you.

If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal, we treat it as switching off analytics and advertising for that browser. As in Section 5.3, we still count that an ad was shown or clicked, with no device identifier, no session and nothing about you. We don't act on the older “Do Not Track” signal, because GPC and the controls in Section 8 cover the same choice.

We update this policy when we add or remove a cookie or a provider. For a material change we show a notice on the website and email you if you have an account. The “Last updated” date at the top shows the latest version.

Questions about cookies: [email protected], our data protection contact. You can also complain to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (Kenya).