Cookie Policy
This privacy statement is effective as of May, 2026
Last Updated: May 14, 2026
1. Introduction
Softude Infotech Pvt. Ltd. (“Softude,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of all individuals who visit our website at www.softude.com and all associated subdomains (collectively, the “Website”). As the data controller of this Website, we are responsible for the personal data collected through cookies and similar tracking technologies deployed here.
This Cookie Policy explains what cookies and similar technologies are, which ones we use, why we use them, and the choices available to you. Please read this policy alongside our Privacy Policy, which provides broader context on how we process your personal data.
If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy, please contact us at the details provided in Section 11.
2. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your computer, tablet, or mobile device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites function properly, work more efficiently, and to provide useful reporting information to website owners.
Cookies are either set by us directly (first-party cookies) or by third-party providers whose services we have integrated into our Website (third-party cookies).
Cookies are also classified by how long they remain on your device. Session cookies are temporary and deleted from your device as soon as you close your browser. Persistent cookies remain on your device after your browser is closed, for a period defined within each cookie, and are activated each time you return to the website.
In addition to cookies, we also use related technologies including web beacons (tracking pixels), local storage objects, and session recording and heatmap scripts. Where we refer to “cookies” in this policy, we include all such technologies unless otherwise stated.
3. How We Use Cookies
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
To ensure our Website functions correctly and securely. To protect our Website from malicious bot traffic via Cloudflare infrastructure. To understand how visitors use our Website so we can improve it. To analyse user behaviour, session recordings, and heatmaps for UX improvement. To enable embedded video content from YouTube. To remember your preferences and settings. To deliver relevant content and targeted advertising. To measure the effectiveness of our marketing and advertising campaigns. To support our lead generation and business development activities.
4. Categories of Cookies We Use
We classify the cookies on our Website into four categories. The tables below detail each category, the specific cookies involved, their purpose, and retention duration.
4.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are essential for our Website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are set in response to actions you take such as filling in a contact form, setting your privacy preferences, or navigating between pages. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
| wpEmojiSettingsSupports | WordPress | Determines whether the user’s browser can display emojis properly | Session |
| __cf_bm | Cloudflare | Supports Cloudflare Bot Management to protect the Website from malicious traffic | 1 hour |
| VISITOR_PRIVACY_METADATA | YouTube | Stores the user’s cookie consent state for the current domain | 6 months |
| cookieyes-consent | CookieYes | Stores your cookie consent preferences so they are respected on subsequent visits | 1 year |
4.2 Analytics and Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits, understand how visitors interact with our Website, record sessions, and generate heatmaps. All data is used solely to improve Website performance and user experience. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not be able to monitor site performance or analyse user behaviour.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
| _ga | Google Analytics (G-JXKQMPK5VT) | Calculates visitor, session, and campaign data; assigns a randomly generated number to recognise unique visitors | 1 year 1 month 4 days |
| _ga_JXKQMPK5VT | Google Analytics (G-JXKQMPK5VT) | Stores and counts page views for the GA4 property | 1 year 1 month 4 days |
| _gid | Google Analytics (G-JXKQMPK5VT) | Stores information on how visitors use the website and creates an analytics report of performance | 1 day |
| gat_gtag* | Google Analytics (G-JXKQMPK5VT) | Throttles request rate to prevent overloading | 1 minute |
| _clck | Microsoft Clarity (j23zi39dt5) | Retains the browser’s Clarity User ID and settings exclusive to the website | 1 year |
| _clsk | Microsoft Clarity (j23zi39dt5) | Stores and consolidates a user’s pageviews into a single session recording | 1 day |
| _hjSessionUser_3327321 | Hotjar (3327321) | Ensures data from subsequent visits to the same site is attributed to the same user ID | 1 year |
| _hjSession_3327321 | Hotjar (3327321) | Holds current session data and ensures subsequent requests in the session window are attributed to the same session | 1 hour |
| _hjTLDTest | Hotjar (3327321) | Determines the most generic cookie path to be used instead of the page hostname | Session |
| _hjAbsoluteSessionInProgress | Hotjar (3327321) | Detects the first pageview session of a user | 30 minutes |
| _hjFirstSeen | Hotjar (3327321) | Identifies a new user’s first session | Session |
| _hjIncludedInSessionSample | Hotjar (3327321) | Records whether the user is included in the session recording sample | 2 minutes |
| YSC | YouTube | Tracks the views of embedded videos on YouTube pages | Session |
4.3 Functional Cookies
These cookies enable enhanced functionality and a more personalised experience including the ability to play embedded video content. If you disable them, some features of the Website including embedded videos may not function as intended.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
| VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE | YouTube | Measures bandwidth to determine whether the user gets the new or old YouTube player interface | 6 months |
| ytidb::LAST_RESULT_ENTRY_KEY | YouTube | Stores the last search result entry clicked by the user to provide more relevant results in future | Never Expires |
4.4 Marketing and Targeting Cookies
These cookies are set by our advertising and marketing partners. They are used to build a profile of your interests based on browsing activity and to show you relevant advertisements on other platforms. They do not store personally identifiable information directly, but work by uniquely identifying your browser and device.
Please note: opting out of marketing cookies means you will still see advertisements, just less personalised ones.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
| _gcl_aw | Google Ads (via GTM-KNFST33) | Stores Google Ads click ID (gclid) for conversion attribution | 90 days |
| _gcl_au | Google Ads (via GTM-KNFST33) | Measures ad campaign efficiency across Google properties | 3 months |
| test_cookie | DoubleClick (Google) | Determines if the user’s browser supports cookies | 15 minutes |
| li_fat_id | LinkedIn Insight (4895041) | First-party cookie for LinkedIn conversion tracking and retargeting | 30 days |
| UserMatchHistory | LinkedIn Insight (4895041) | LinkedIn audience matching for ad targeting | 30 days |
| AnalyticsSyncHistory | LinkedIn Insight (4895041) | Stores information about the time a sync with LinkedIn audience took place | 30 days |
| lms_ads | LinkedIn Insight (4895041) | Tracks LinkedIn ad conversions for logged-in LinkedIn members | 30 days |
| bcookie | LinkedIn Insight (4895041) | Browser ID cookie used to uniquely identify devices accessing LinkedIn | 1 year |
| lidc | LinkedIn Insight (4895041) | Facilitates data centre selection for LinkedIn services | 1 day |
| __Secure-YNID | YouTube | Protects user security and prevents fraud during the login process | 6 months |
| __Secure-ROLLOUT_TOKEN | YouTube | Manages feature rollout and experimentation for consistent user experience during staged rollouts | 6 months |
| __Secure-YEC | YouTube | Used by YouTube for user experience management | Past |
5. Google Tag Manager and Cloudflare
Google Tag Manager
Our Website uses Google Tag Manager (container ID: GTM-KNFST33), a tag management system operated by Google LLC. Google Tag Manager does not itself set cookies or collect personal data — it acts as a container that fires other tracking tags based on rules we configure. The tags deployed through Google Tag Manager — including Google Analytics 4 (G-JXKQMPK5VT), Google Ads, LinkedIn Insight Tag (4895041), Microsoft Clarity (j23zi39dt5), and Hotjar (3327321) — set cookies as described in Section 4 above.
Learn more about how Google Tag Manager operates
Cloudflare
Our Website is protected and accelerated by Cloudflare, a cloud-based security and content delivery network service. Cloudflare sets the __cf_bm cookie to support its Bot Management functionality, which helps distinguish between human visitors and automated traffic to protect our Website from malicious bots and security threats. This cookie is strictly necessary and cannot be disabled.
Learn more about Cloudflare’s privacy practices
6. Third-Party Cookies
Some cookies on our Website are set by third parties whose services we have integrated. These third parties operate independently under their own privacy and cookie policies. Softude does not control how these third parties collect or use data through their cookies.
Third Parties Whose Cookies Are Present on Our Website
Google LLC – Analytics, Advertising and Tag Manager: Google Privacy Policy
LinkedIn Corporation – LinkedIn Insight Tag: LinkedIn Privacy Policy
Microsoft Corporation – Microsoft Clarity: Microsoft Privacy Statement
Hotjar Ltd. – Session Recording and Heatmaps: Hotjar Privacy Policy
Cloudflare Inc. – Security and CDN: Cloudflare Privacy Policy
YouTube (Google LLC) – Embedded Video Player: Google Privacy Policy
To opt out of interest-based advertising across advertising networks generally, you may also visit the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page or the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out page.
7. Your Cookie Choices and How to Manage Them
7.1 Cookie Consent Banner
When you first visit our Website, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner allowing you to accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or manage your preferences by category. Your selection will be stored and respected on all subsequent visits. You may change your preferences at any time by clicking the “Cookie Settings” link in our website footer.
7.2 Opt Out of Specific Tools
You can opt out directly from individual tools using the links below:
Opt out of Google Analytics data collection
Manage Google Ads personalisation settings
Opt out of LinkedIn retargeting
Review Microsoft Clarity privacy settings
Opt out via Hotjar Do Not Track
7.3 Browser Controls
You can also manage cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to view and delete existing cookies, block cookies from specific websites, or block all cookies entirely. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our Website.
Manage cookies in Google Chrome
Manage cookies in Mozilla Firefox
Manage cookies in Microsoft Edge
For general guidance on managing cookies visit AllAboutCookies.org
8. Data Retention
Cookie-collected data is retained only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy. Specific retention periods for each individual cookie are detailed in the tables in Section 4. For data processed by third-party providers, the following applies:
Google Analytics (G-JXKQMPK5VT): User and event level data retained for up to 14 months in our GA4 property before automatic deletion.
Microsoft Clarity (j23zi39dt5): Session and behavioural data retained per Microsoft’s standard retention policy of up to 13 months.
Hotjar (3327321): Session recording and heatmap data retained for up to 365 days by default.
LinkedIn Insight Tag (4895041): Visitor data retained for up to 90 days by LinkedIn.
Cloudflare: The __cf_bm cookie expires after 1 hour and no personally identifiable data is retained beyond that period.
YouTube: Cookie data retained per Google’s standard retention policies as detailed in the Google Privacy Policy.
9. Applicable Laws and Your Rights
Softude serves clients globally and this Cookie Policy is designed to meet the requirements of applicable privacy laws including the following.
GDPR – European Union and EEA Visitors
You have the right to withdraw consent to non-essential cookies at any time without affecting the lawfulness of any prior processing based on that consent. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority.
CCPA – California Visitors
You have the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. Marketing and analytics cookies may involve the sharing of data with third parties. You may exercise this right by rejecting marketing and analytics cookies via our cookie consent manager or by using the “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” option in our footer.
India DPDP Act, 2023
As an Indian-headquartered company, Softude processes personal data in accordance with India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. We collect only such data as is necessary for the purposes stated in this policy, with your consent where required by law.
10. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, updates to applicable law, or changes to our technology stack. When we make material changes, we will update the Last Updated date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed.
Your continued use of our Website after any changes to this Cookie Policy constitutes your acknowledgment of those changes.
11. Contact Us
For any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Cookie Policy, please contact us at:
Softude Infotech Pvt. Ltd. 14th Floor, Skye Corporate Park, 105, AB Rd, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 452010, India Email: info@softude.com Phone: +91 731 4972583 | +91 9303800613
US Offices 9494 Southwest Freeway, Suite 105, Houston, TX 77074 410 W Grand Pkwy S, Suite 210, Katy, TX 77494 Phone: +1 725 285 5601
This Cookie Policy should be read in conjunction with our Privacy Policy and Disclaimer.
