Short version
Expats Ecuador uses a functional cookie for referral attribution
(yt_ref), infrastructure session cookies set by Firebase
Hosting, and cookies from Google Analytics and the Meta Pixel. The last two
measure which pages and ads work and let Google and Meta show you our content
on their platforms.
Visitors from the EU, the EEA, the UK and Switzerland see an opt-in bar, and nothing non-essential is set until they choose Accept. Everyone else gets these cookies on arrival, with a notice bar that offers an opt-out. Anyone can change their answer with the Cookie preferences link in the footer.
What's a cookie?
A cookie is a small text file a website stores in your browser. Cookies remember things like your preferences between visits, whether you're signed in, or, if the site uses tracking, your behaviour across pages.
Cookies we currently use
These are set by us (or services required to run the site):
| Cookie | Set by | Type | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
yt_ref | Expats Ecuador | Functional | Remembers a referral code if you arrived via a ?ref=YT-XXXX-XXXX link, so any later contact form submission can credit the referrer. Set only after you accept (EU visitors) or by default (non-EU). The value is a referral code, not a personal identifier. | 30 days |
ee-cookie-consent | Expats Ecuador | Functional | Stores your cookie choice (Accept or Essential only) so the banner doesn't re-prompt every visit. | Until you change it via Cookie preferences in the footer |
ee-cc-country, ee-cc-country-at | Expats Ecuador | Functional | Cached country code (from Cloudflare's free geolocation lookup) so we don't re-detect on every page load. Two-letter country code only. | 30 days |
| Firebase Hosting session cookies | Google (Firebase) | Essential | Infrastructure session identifiers. No user tracking. | Session |
_ga, _ga_* | Google Analytics | Analytics | Counts visits and page views so we can see which pages are useful. | Up to 2 years |
_fbp | Meta | Advertising | Lets Meta recognise your visit, so we can measure our Facebook and Instagram ads and show you our content there. | 90 days |
What we don't use
- Social embeds: no Facebook Like button or Twitter widgets, which typically set their own tracking cookies.
Advertising audiences
Separately from cookies: if you have agreed to it, we may share your email address or phone number with Meta and Google in hashed (scrambled) form, to show you relevant content on their platforms or to stop showing you ads you don't need. See the Privacy Policy for how to withdraw.
Changing your choice
Click Cookie preferences at the bottom of any page. The consent banner will reopen and you can switch between Accept and Essential only at any time, regardless of where you're visiting from.
How to control cookies in your browser
You can clear cookies and change acceptance settings in every major browser. Here's how:
Blocking essential cookies may break parts of the site (e.g. Cloudflare's bot-filter may serve you a challenge page). Blocking the analytics and advertising cookies has no effect on how the site works for you.
Questions
Email info@yapatree.com with the subject "Cookie question" and we'll reply.