Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, smartphone, or tablet) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently and provide information to website owners.

Cookies can be "session" cookies (which expire when you close your browser) or "persistent" cookies (which remain on your device until deleted or expired).

2. Why We Use Cookies

We use cookies for several important reasons:

• Essential Functionality: To enable core features like authentication and session management
• Performance & Analytics: To understand how visitors use our site and improve the user experience
• Personalization: To remember your preferences and settings
• Security: To protect against fraud and enhance security

3. Types of Cookies We Use

3.1 Essential Cookies (Always Active)

These cookies are strictly necessary for the website to function and cannot be disabled. Without these cookies, our services would not work properly.

3.2 Analytics Cookies (Requires Consent)

These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously.

Note: All Google Analytics cookies are configured with IP anonymization enabled to comply with GDPR.

3.3 Preference Cookies (Recommended)

These cookies enable the website to remember choices you make (such as your theme preference) and provide enhanced, more personalized features.

3.4 Marketing Cookies (Requires Consent)

These cookies track your online activity to help advertisers deliver more relevant advertising or to limit how many times you see an ad.

Current Status: We do not currently use marketing cookies. This section is reserved for future use if we implement advertising features.

4. Third-Party Cookies

In addition to our own cookies, we may also use various third-party cookies to report usage statistics, deliver advertisements, and provide enhanced functionality:

4.1 Google Analytics (with consent)

We use Google Analytics to analyze how users interact with our website. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information such as how often users visit the site, what pages they visit, and what other sites they used prior to coming to our site.

We use this information to improve our website and services. The information generated by Google Analytics about your use of the website is transmitted to Google. This information is then used to compile reports and to help us improve the site.

Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

4.2 Stripe (Payment Processing)

Stripe sets cookies to process payments securely. These cookies are essential for payment functionality and fraud prevention. For more information, see Stripe's Cookie Policy.

5. How to Manage Cookies

You have several options to manage or disable cookies:

5.1 Through Our Cookie Settings

You can manage your cookie preferences at any time through our Cookie Settings page. Here you can:

• Accept or reject analytics cookies
• Accept or reject marketing cookies
• Accept or reject preference cookies
• View your current consent status
• Clear all cookies

5.2 Through Your Browser Settings

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. However, if you disable cookies, some features of our website may not function properly.

Browser-Specific Instructions:

• Chrome: Manage cookies in Chrome
• Firefox: Manage cookies in Firefox
• Safari: Manage cookies in Safari
• Edge: Manage cookies in Edge

5.3 Do Not Track

Some browsers have a "Do Not Track" feature that signals websites not to track you. We respect the "Do Not Track" signal and will not load analytics cookies if this setting is enabled.

6. Cookie Consent

6.1 Initial Consent

When you first visit our website, you will see a cookie consent banner asking you to accept or reject non-essential cookies. Your choice will be stored for 12 months.

6.2 Withdrawing Consent

You can withdraw your consent at any time by:

• Visiting our Cookie Settings page
• Deleting cookies from your browser
• Clicking "Manage Cookies" in the footer

6.3 Consent Expiry

Your cookie consent will expire after 12 months, at which point you will be asked to renew your consent.

7. Cookies and Personal Data

Some cookies may contain personal data (such as your user ID). This data is processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws, including GDPR.

We implement appropriate security measures to protect cookie data from unauthorized access, disclosure, or destruction.

8. International Data Transfers

Some cookies (such as Google Analytics) may transfer data outside the European Economic Area (EEA). We ensure that such transfers comply with GDPR through:

• Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs)
• EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (where applicable)
• Other lawful transfer mechanisms

9. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, legislation, or our business practices.

When we make significant changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy and may notify you through our website or via email.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about our use of cookies.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions about our use of cookies, please contact us: