COOKIE
POLICY

Last Updated 4th July 2026

This Cookie Policy explains how Straits & Canton uses cookies and similar technologies when you visit our website or use the private member platform.

It should be read together with our Privacy Policy.

1. Who we are

Straits & Canton is a private, member-only media house providing access to creator videos, posts, comments, chat and related membership features.

The website and membership service are operated by:

Straits Canton Helliwell Limited
Trading as Straits & Canton
Website: straitsandcanton.com
Email: [support@straitsandcanton.com]

2. What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website.

Cookies can help a website:

  • remember that you are logged in;
  • keep your account secure;
  • remember your preferences;
  • process membership and payment sessions;
  • understand how the website is used;
  • improve performance;
  • provide embedded video or community features.

Some cookies remain only while your browser is open. Others remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them.

Similar technologies, including local storage, pixels, software development kits and device identifiers, may perform comparable functions.

3. How we use cookies

We may use cookies and similar technologies to:

  • operate the website;
  • keep members logged in;
  • manage account sessions;
  • protect accounts and prevent fraud;
  • remember cookie preferences;
  • process membership checkout;
  • provide video, comments and chat functionality;
  • measure website and platform performance;
  • understand how members use features;
  • diagnose technical problems;
  • improve the member experience.

We do not use cookies to sell your personal information.

4. Categories of cookies

Strictly necessary cookies

These cookies are required for the website or membership platform to function.

They may be used to:

  • maintain login sessions;
  • authenticate members;
  • protect account security;
  • prevent fraud or misuse;
  • remember privacy choices;
  • process checkout sessions;
  • enable essential website functions.

Because these cookies are necessary to provide the service you request, they may be used without consent where permitted by law.

Disabling them may prevent you from logging in, purchasing a membership or using parts of the platform.

Functional cookies

Functional cookies remember choices you make and help provide enhanced features.

They may remember:

  • display preferences;
  • account settings;
  • language or region choices;
  • video preferences;
  • chat or interface settings.

Where these cookies are not strictly necessary, they will be used only after the appropriate consent or other legal requirement has been satisfied.

Analytics cookies

Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors and members use the website.

They may collect information such as:

  • pages visited;
  • time spent on pages;
  • navigation paths;
  • device and browser type;
  • approximate location;
  • technical errors;
  • interactions with buttons, videos or features.

We may use this information to improve the website and membership experience.

Where consent is required, analytics cookies will not be placed unless you accept them.

Payment and fraud-prevention cookies

Stripe or another payment provider may use cookies and similar technologies to:

  • process membership payments;
  • maintain checkout sessions;
  • remember payment preferences;
  • authenticate transactions;
  • detect and prevent fraud;
  • support payment security.

Stripe uses both temporary and longer-lived cookies for functions including fraud detection and payment services.

Where Stripe Checkout is hosted on Stripe’s own website, Stripe will also apply its own cookie and privacy policies.

Video and media cookies

Video-hosting or streaming providers may use cookies or similar technologies to:

  • deliver member-only video;
  • remember playback position;
  • manage video quality;
  • measure views or watch time;
  • protect video access;
  • prevent unauthorised use.

Some video providers may place cookies when a video player loads.

Where these cookies are not strictly necessary, the video or related tracking may be blocked until consent is given.

Community, comments and chat cookies

Community, commenting or chat tools may use cookies to:

  • keep you logged in;
  • remember conversation settings;
  • deliver notifications;
  • maintain chat sessions;
  • prevent spam and abuse;
  • support moderation and security.

These tools may be provided by Straits & Canton or by third-party service providers.

Marketing cookies

We do not currently intend to make advertising cookies a core part of Straits & Canton.

If marketing, retargeting or advertising cookies are introduced in the future, they may be used to:

  • measure campaigns;
  • understand whether someone joined after seeing an advertisement;
  • limit repeated advertising;
  • display more relevant promotional messages.

Such cookies will not be used without the consent required by law.

5. Cookies we may use (TO BE UPDATED AFTER COOKIE SCAN)

The exact cookies used will depend on the services active on the website.

The table below should be updated after completing a cookie scan.

Cookie or providerPurposeCategoryDuration
WordPress session cookiesLogin, account and administrative sessionsStrictly necessarySession or limited period
Membership platform cookiesMaintain member access and subscription sessionsStrictly necessaryVaries
Cookie-consent cookieRecords your cookie preferencesStrictly necessaryUsually several months
StripeCheckout, payment security and fraud preventionStrictly necessary/paymentVaries
Video-hosting providerVideo delivery, playback and viewing informationNecessary or functional/analyticsVaries
Chat or community providerChat sessions, settings, security and notificationsNecessary or functionalVaries
Analytics providerWebsite and feature usage statisticsAnalyticsVaries
Security providerFraud, bot, spam and attack preventionStrictly necessaryVaries

Before publication, replace this table with the actual cookie names, providers, purposes and durations detected on the live website.

6. Third-party cookies

Some cookies may be placed by organisations providing services to Straits & Canton.

These may include providers of:

  • payments;
  • website hosting;
  • membership management;
  • video hosting;
  • chat and comments;
  • analytics;
  • email services;
  • security and fraud prevention;
  • customer support.

Third-party providers may process information under their own privacy and cookie policies.

We do not control the lifespan or operation of every third-party cookie, but we will take reasonable steps to identify them and provide accurate information.

7. Stripe

We use Stripe to process membership payments.

Stripe may use cookies and similar technologies in connection with:

  • Stripe Checkout;
  • payment authentication;
  • fraud prevention;
  • transaction security;
  • saved payment methods;
  • billing services.

Stripe hosts its own Checkout pages and applies its own privacy and cookie practices to those services.

Straits & Canton does not ordinarily receive or store your full card number.

8. Cookie consent

When you first visit the website, you may be shown a cookie banner.

Where required, the banner will allow you to:

  • accept optional cookies;
  • reject optional cookies;
  • customise your preferences;
  • continue with strictly necessary cookies only.

Non-essential cookies and scripts should remain blocked until you provide the required consent. Elementor’s current GDPR-style consent setup follows this opt-in model, with Accept, Reject and Customise choices.

Consent must be freely given, specific, informed and indicated by a clear positive action. Simply continuing to browse should not be treated as valid consent where consent is legally required.

9. Changing your preferences

You can change or withdraw your cookie preferences at any time through the cookie-settings link or icon displayed on the website.

Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

You can also manage cookies through your browser settings.

Most browsers allow you to:

  • view stored cookies;
  • delete cookies;
  • block cookies;
  • block third-party cookies;
  • receive a warning before cookies are placed.

Blocking all cookies may prevent parts of Straits & Canton from working properly, particularly login, checkout, account and member features.

10. Strictly necessary cookies

Strictly necessary cookies may continue to operate even when optional cookies are rejected.

These cookies are limited to functions genuinely required to:

  • deliver a service requested by you;
  • keep the platform secure;
  • maintain a login or checkout session;
  • remember your privacy preferences;
  • prevent fraud or technical abuse.

A cookie should not be described as strictly necessary merely because it is useful to us. Its use must be genuinely necessary for the relevant service or function.

11. Analytics

If analytics tools are used, we may collect aggregated information about how visitors and members use the platform.

Analytics may help us understand:

  • which pages are used;
  • which features work well;
  • where errors occur;
  • how people navigate the website;
  • how the platform performs on different devices.

Where consent is legally required, analytics will remain disabled until consent is given.

12. Do Not Track and privacy controls

Some browsers offer Do Not Track or similar privacy signals.

Because there is not one universally applied standard for every browser signal, our response may depend on the consent-management tools and legal requirements applicable to the visitor.

Where supported, we may also recognise browser-based privacy controls such as Global Privacy Control.

13. International processing

Some cookie providers may process information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, the safeguards described in our Privacy Policy will apply.

14. How long cookies remain

Cookie duration depends on the purpose and provider.

Cookies may be:

  • deleted when you close your browser;
  • retained for a few hours or days;
  • retained for several months;
  • retained until you delete them or change your preferences.

The detailed cookie table should state the duration of each active cookie.

We will review cookie durations and avoid keeping cookies longer than necessary.

15. Changes to this policy

We may update this Cookie Policy when:

  • new features are added;
  • service providers change;
  • new cookies or technologies are introduced;
  • legal requirements change;
  • the purposes of existing cookies change.

The latest version will appear on this page with an updated date.

16. Contact

Questions about this Cookie Policy can be sent to:

Straits Canton Helliwell Limited
Trading as Straits & Canton
Email: [support@straitsandcanton.com]

17. Complaints

If you have concerns about our use of cookies or personal information, please contact us first.

You may also complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.