Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently and provide information to site owners.

2. How We Use Cookies

Are You Alive? uses cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

2.1 Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the website to function properly. They enable core functionality such as security, network management, and account access. You cannot opt out of these cookies.

• Authentication and session management
• Security features and fraud prevention
• Load balancing and server routing

2.2 Functional Cookies

These cookies enhance your experience by remembering your preferences and settings.

• Language and region preferences
• Theme preferences (light/dark mode)
• User interface customizations

2.3 Analytics Cookies

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

• Pages visited and time spent
• Traffic sources and referrers
• Device and browser information
• Error reporting and performance metrics

3. Third-Party Cookies

We may use third-party services that set their own cookies. These include:

• Firebase (Google): Authentication and push notifications
• Analytics services: Website usage analysis

These third parties have their own privacy policies governing the use of cookies.

4. Mobile App Storage

Our mobile application uses similar technologies:

• AsyncStorage: Local data persistence on your device
• Secure Storage: Encrypted storage for sensitive data
• Push Notification Tokens: Stored for sending notifications

5. Managing Cookies

You can control and manage cookies in various ways:

Browser Settings

Most browsers allow you to:

• View and delete cookies
• Block cookies from specific sites
• Block third-party cookies
• Block all cookies
• Delete all cookies when you close the browser

Note that blocking cookies may affect the functionality of our Service.

Browser-Specific Instructions

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Safari
• Microsoft Edge

6. Do Not Track

Some browsers have a "Do Not Track" feature. We currently do not respond to Do Not Track signals, as there is no industry standard for compliance.

7. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date.

9. The Purpose of This Cookie Policy

Transparency is not just a legal requirement for us; it's a moral imperative. This Cookie Policy is designed to give you a clear and comprehensive understanding of the technologies we use to make **Are You Alive?** work and how you can control them.

In an age of invasive cross-site tracking and "shadow profiles," we have made a conscious choice to be an outlier. Our use of tracking technology is strictly limited to what is necessary for your safety, account security, and the basic performance of our Service.

9.1 What Are Cookies and Similar Technologies?

Cookies are small text files that are downloaded to your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. They allow the website to recognize your device and store some information about your preferences or past actions.

"Similar technologies" refers to things like local storage (web storage), web beacons (pixel tags), and device identifiers. While they function differently than cookies, they serve the same core purpose: allowing a digital service to remember specific information across sessions.

10. Detailed Categorization of Cookies We Use

We categorize our cookies into four main buckets based on their function and necessity.

10.1 Essential and Security Cookies

These are the "heartbeat" of our website. Without them, you wouldn't be able to log in, stay secure, or use our core safety features.

• **__session:** A Firebase-specific cookie used to keep you logged into your account as you navigate between pages.
• **_csrf:** A cookie that protects you from "Cross-Site Request Forgery" attacks, ensuring that every action taken on the site was actually initiated by you.
• **__host-pref:** Stores your basic interface preferences (like dark mode) so the site doesn't "flicker" when you load a new page.

10.2 Performance and Reliability Cookies

These cookies help us ensure that our servers are running efficiently and that the site is loading quickly for everyone, regardless of where they are in the world.

• **__lb:** A load-balancing cookie that ensures your requests are sent to the server closest to you or the one with the lowest current traffic.
• **__perf:** Anonymously tracks page load times so we can identify and fix slow-loading components.

11. Dealing with Third-Party Cookies

When you use **Are You Alive?**, you may encounter cookies from our trusted service providers. We choose our partners carefully based on their own privacy commitments.

• **Google Firebase:** Used for identity management and push notification routing. Firebase sets its own cookies to manage the secure handshake between your device and our database.
• **PostHog (Optional):** We may use PostHog for privacy-first, self-hosted product analytics. Unlike traditional analytics, we configure PostHog to strip your IP address and avoid any cross-site tracking.

12. How We Use Local Storage and Session Storage

In addition to traditional cookies, we use "Web Storage" (Local Storage and Session Storage). These technologies allow us to store larger amounts of data locally on your device without sending it back to our servers with every request.

• **Draft Status:** We may use local storage to save your profile edits locally so you don't lose them if your browser crashes or you lose internet connection.
• **Tutorial State:** To avoid showing you the "Getting Started" guide every single time you log in, we store a small "guide_seen" flag on your device.

13. Global Privacy Control (GPC) and Do Not Track

We are proud to support the **Global Privacy Control (GPC)** signal. If your browser or device sends a GPC signal, we interpret this as a request to limit all non-essential tracking automatically.

Regarding the older "Do Not Track" (DNT) headers: while there is no industry standard for how to respond to DNT, our default configuration (which avoids tracking regardless of DNT) means we are already exceeding the expectations of most DNT users.

14. The Evolution of Tracking and Our Resistance

We didn't just choose to be private; we chose to resist a multi-billion dollar industry that profits from your data. The evolution of tracking—from simple cookies to sophisticated "canvas fingerprinting"—is a technological arms race.

By choosing **Are You Alive?**, you're choosing an app that refused to participate in that race. We don't use pixel tags to track which emails you open. We don't use "zombie cookies" that recreate themselves after you delete them. We provide a clean, honest, and truly private service.

15. How We Handle Browser-Specific Anomalies

Different browsers handle cookies in different ways. For example, Safari's "Intelligent Tracking Prevention" (ITP) and Firefox's "Enhanced Tracking Protection" (ETP) are built-in features that block invasive cookies automatically.

Because our cookies are "First-Party" and "Essential," they work harmoniously with these browser protections. You don't have to "whitelist" our site to stay safe; our site is designed to be safe by default in any modern, privacy-focused browser environment.

16. Final Thoughts: The Social Value of Privacy

Privacy is often framed as a "personal" choice, but it is actually a social good. When we protect your privacy, we're helping to build a more resilient and free society. A world where everyone is tracked is a world where everyone is constrained.

Thank you for taking the time to read our Cookie Policy. We know it's not the most exciting part of the Service, but it's one of the most important. If you have any further questions, we're only an email away at **[email protected]**.

17. Contacting Our Privacy Team

If you have any questions or concerns about our use of tracking technology, or if you believe certain cookies are missing from this list, please reach out to our dedicated privacy team at **[email protected]**.