1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your computer, tablet, or smartphone when you visit a website. They allow the portal server to recognize your device, maintain active authenticated logins across page navigation, secure payment checkout flows, and optimize page load speeds through caching.

2. Cookies Deployed on the EDCI Portal

EDCI utilizes only necessary, functional, and performance cookies:

Cookie Name	Purpose & Functional Role	Category	Duration
wordpress_logged_in_*	Identifies authenticated member session to provide secure dashboard access.	Strictly Essential	Session / 14 Days
wordpress_sec_*	Enforces cryptographic security checks across HTTPS administrative sessions.	Security	Session
woocommerce_cart_hash	Tracks annual membership package (Product ID 60) in WooCommerce checkout.	Functional / Billing	Session
wp_woocommerce_session_*	Preserves checkout state and order pay capture for pending transactions.	Functional / Billing	48 Hours
_lscache_vary	LiteSpeed Cache header ensuring guests see fast static caches while members receive dynamic UI.	Performance	2 Days

3. Zero Advertising & Third-Party Trackers

Unlike commercial media portals, EDCI does NOT deploy third-party advertising cookies, retargeting pixels, or behavioral profiling trackers. All CSS, JavaScript, and SVG assets are bundled locally in edci-portal-core/assets/ with zero external CDN dependencies (ADR-007).

4. Controlling Cookies Through Your Browser

You can choose to disable or block cookies through your browser settings (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge). However, please note that blocking essential session cookies will prevent login authentication, dashboard access, and membership checkout functionality.