Effective date: 21 July 2025
Cookie Policy
1. About this policy
This policy explains how MST UK Holdings Ltd and MST-Holdings LLC-FZ ("MST Holdings", "we", "us") use cookies and similar technologies on mst-hldgs.com (the "Site"). It should be read together with our Privacy Policy.
2. What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files that a website stores on your device to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login status. They can be "first-party" (set by us) or "third-party" (set by another domain).
3. Why we use cookies
We use cookies to:
- Deliver core Site functionality
- Remember your preferences (e.g. language, cookie choices)
- Compile anonymous statistics that help us improve Site performance
- (Only if you consent) tailor marketing content or measure the effectiveness of our campaigns
4. Legal bases for using cookies
| Jurisdiction | Strictly-necessary cookies | Analytics / Marketing cookies |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Exempt from consent under Regulation 6(4) of PECR | Prior opt-in consent required (PECR), recorded per UK GDPR |
| UAE mainland (PDPL) | Legitimate interests (Art 4 PDPL) provided no personal data processed beyond what's required | Explicit, informed consent required before analytics/marketing processing |
| DIFC | Same approach | Consent required for non-essential cookies under DP Law 2020 |
5. Types of cookies we use
| Category | Why we use them | Consent required? |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Enable core features such as page navigation and access to secure areas | No |
| Functional | Remember settings you choose (e.g. language, cookie banner dismissal) | Yes (UK/DIFC), Yes (UAE mainland if personal data processed) |
| Analytics | Collect aggregated, anonymous statistics on Site usage to improve performance | Yes |
| Marketing / targeting | Deliver or measure personalised advertising or communications. We currently do not deploy these cookies | Yes |
6. Cookie table (current set)
| Cookie | Provider | Category | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| elementor | MST Holdings | Strictly necessary | Stores editor status and page caching | Persistent |
| wordpress_logged_in_ | MST Holdings | Strictly necessary | Maintains admin login session | Session |
| cookie_notice_accepted | MST Holdings | Functional | Records that you dismissed the cookie banner | 6 months |
| _ga | Google Analytics | Analytics | Distinguishes visitors | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Analytics | Distinguishes visitors | 24 hours |
| _gat | Google Analytics | Analytics | Throttles request rate | 1 minute |
Note: The table is reviewed at least every six months; any changes will be reflected here.
7. How we obtain and store your consent
On your first visit we display a banner that:
- Clearly describes the cookie categories
- Lets you accept all, reject non-essential, or customise
- Records your choices in a secure consent-log for five years (audit requirement under UK GDPR Art 7 and PDPL Art 15)
You can revisit the Cookie Preferences link in our footer at any time to change or withdraw consent.
8. Managing cookies in your browser
You can also disable cookies via your browser settings (links to Chrome/Firefox/Edge/Safari help pages). Blocking strictly-necessary cookies may cause parts of the Site to stop working.
9. Third-party cookies and international transfers
Analytics cookies may transmit data to Google servers located outside the UK/UAE. We rely on:
- UK → USA: UK GDPR Standard Contractual Clauses + Google's EU-US Data Privacy Framework certification.
- UAE → USA: PDPL-compliant contractual safeguards and supplementary measures.
10. Updates
We review this policy whenever we add new cookies, or when laws change (e.g. the UK Data Use and Access Act 2025, which is set to update PECR guidance). Material changes will be announced via the banner and reflected in the "Effective date" above.
11. Contact
Questions? E-mail info@mst-hldgs.com