We use cookies and similar technologies (small files stored on your device) to make this website work, understand what content is useful, and reach the right South African small businesses with our message. We follow POPIA principles and Google's Consent Mode v2 — anonymous first-party analytics are on by default under §11(1)(f) (legitimate interest of the responsible party), and you can opt out anytime. Marketing cookies stay off until you actively accept them.
Last updated: 8 June 2026.
Change your consent anytime
Open the cookie preferences modal to grant or withdraw consent for any category.
Necessary
Required for the site to function. Stores your consent choice so we don't ask again on every page. Cannot be turned off.
| Cookie / token | Set by | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|
| tc_consent_v1 | TechCloud (techcloud.co.za) | Records which cookie categories you accepted or rejected, with the timestamp of your decision. | 6 months |
Analytics
Anonymous first-party analytics, on by default under POPIA §11(1)(f) legitimate interest. Helps us see which pages and articles are useful, and which aren't. Not used to identify you. You can opt out anytime via Cookie preferences.
| Cookie / token | Set by | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga, _ga_* | Google Analytics 4 (GT-TQS6KN4) | Distinguishes unique visitors and stores session information. Lets us see which content helps SA small businesses most. | 2 years |
| _clck, _clsk, CLID, MUID, ANONCHK, SM | Microsoft Clarity (rkh4nvfrq0) | Records anonymised session replays and heatmaps so we can see where the site is confusing or broken. | 1 day — 1 year |
Marketing
Used by Google to show TechCloud content to people who have already visited (retargeting), and to measure ad performance.
| Cookie / token | Set by | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|
| NID, IDE, _gcl_* | Google Ads (AW-17080520272) | Conversion tracking and remarketing. Lets Google show our content to past visitors on other sites. | 30 days — 13 months |
How consent works on this site
On your first visit, our Google Consent Mode v2 defaults are analytics_storage=granted (POPIA §11(1)(f) legitimate interest), ad_storage=denied, ad_user_data=denied and ad_personalization=denied. So anonymous first-party analytics start collecting immediately; ads and remarketing wait for your explicit consent.
The consent banner appears at the bottom of the page giving you three choices: Accept all (turns marketing on too), Reject all (turns analytics off and keeps marketing off), or Settings (granular toggles per category). You can change your mind any time via the Cookie preferences link in the site footer.
Your choice is recorded in a small cookie called tc_consent_v1(necessary, always on) so we don't ask again for 6 months. After that, the banner reappears.
Why analytics-on-by-default? POPIA, unlike the EU's GDPR, recognises legitimate interest of the responsible party as a separate lawful ground (§11(1)(f)). For anonymous, aggregated, first-party analytics with no advertising linkage, that ground is a reasonable basis — matching the posture of the SA Information Regulator's own website, gov.za, and many of South Africa's largest sites. Advertising cookies (which can profile you across the web) remain opt-in.
Third-party cookies
We embed Google Tag Manager (GTM-PSGLDV8) which orchestrates Google Analytics, Google Ads and Microsoft Clarity. Each of those vendors sets its own cookies under its own privacy policies:
- Google — policies.google.com/privacy
- Microsoft (Clarity) — privacy.microsoft.com/privacystatement
Your rights under POPIA
You can request access to any personal information we hold about you, correction of inaccurate data, or deletion (subject to legal retention obligations). Contact us at info@techcloud.co.za or via our contact form. We aim to respond within 30 days.
Browser-level blocking
Most browsers let you block all cookies from a domain, clear stored cookies, or block third-party trackers entirely. See your browser's privacy settings — note that blocking necessary cookies may prevent the consent banner itself from remembering your choice, causing it to reappear on every visit.