Extended Cookie Policy for an Optimized User Experience

At Hot Chilli Bells, we attach the highest importance to transparency and the trust of our visitors. In today's digital world, it is essential that you, as a user, fully understand how data about your interactions with our website is collected and processed. This Cookie Policy has been prepared to provide you with a detailed overview of the technologies we use to ensure the functionality of our services, analyze the performance of the platform, and personalize your experience. We use cookies and similar tracking technologies in strict accordance with applicable Swiss regulations on data protection and privacy.

The technical nature of cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your computer, smartphone, or tablet when you visit a website. These files contain a unique identification code that allows our systems to recognize your device during your current session or on a future visit. Technically, cookies enable websites to 'remember' information, which is crucial for providing a seamless, interactive, and secure online environment. Without these small data files, the web portal would forget who you are, what your preferences are, or what actions you previously took with every new page request.

Purposes of use on our platform

The primary purpose of using cookies on our website is to support the site's basic functions. This includes maintaining secure sessions, remembering your language choice, and ensuring that the interface's graphical elements are displayed correctly on your screen. In addition, cookies help us to anonymously understand how users navigate our pages. This allows us to identify any technical bottlenecks, optimize loading times, and continuously improve the overall quality of our services for the Swiss market.

Strictly necessary cookies

These cookies are fundamental to the operation of the website. Without these technologies, essential services such as secure logins, fraud prevention, and page navigation simply would not function properly. Because these cookies are necessary for the technical delivery of the service you requested, they cannot be disabled through our preference settings. They do not collect information that can be used for marketing purposes and do not store personally identifiable data beyond what is technically required for the session.

Performance and analytical cookies

This category allows us to measure visitor traffic and its sources. The data collected by these cookies is fully aggregated and anonymous. They help us determine which parts of the website are most popular and how visitors move across the platform. In the context of our Swiss users, we use this information solely to improve the overall performance of the platform and to better tailor the content to the community's needs. You have the option to decline these cookies via our consent management system.

Functional cookies

Functional cookies enable more extensive possibilities and personalization. For example, they can be used to store settings you selected during a previous visit, such as your preferred region or specific display options for interactive elements. While these cookies are not strictly necessary for the site's functioning, they significantly improve usability by minimizing repeated actions. If you do not allow these cookies, some of these functions may not work properly.

Advertising and targeting cookies

In limited cases, we, or our selected partners, may use cookies to build a profile of your interests. This is done to show you more relevant content or advertisements on other websites you visit. We handle this very selectively and ensure that such activities always take place within the strict framework of privacy legislation. These cookies uniquely identify your browser and device. You always have the option to exclude this specific type of tracking via the settings on our site.

The cookie settings on our platform

When you first visit our website, you will see a clear notification asking you to indicate your preferences via an interactive banner. You can choose to accept all cookies, allow only the necessary cookies, or make a custom selection per category. Your choice will be saved for future visits, but we offer you complete freedom to change or withdraw your consent at any time via the "Cookie Settings" button permanently available in the footer of our website.

Management via your web browser settings

In addition to the tools we offer on our website, all modern web browsers (such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge) offer extensive options to manage or completely block cookies. You can set your browser to:

• All cookies from all websites are refused.
• Only third-party cookies are blocked.
• Cookies are automatically deleted when you close the browser or tab.
• You receive a warning before a website attempts to place a cookie.

Please note that manually deleting or blocking all cookies may negatively impact the user experience, as certain preferences will be lost and some technical functions may no longer be available.

Our website may contain third-party components, such as embedded video content, social media widgets, or analytical scripts from external providers. These external parties may place their own cookies on your device to track your interaction with their services. We have no direct control over the data collected by these third parties or the technologies they use. We recommend that you consult the privacy and cookie policies of these specific providers to be fully aware of their data processing practices.

Digital technology and the associated legislation surrounding online privacy are constantly evolving. Therefore, we reserve the right to update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Any changes will be immediately published on this page with an updated revision date. We advise you to consult this page regularly to stay informed about how we use technologies to protect your privacy.