Cookie and Tracking Technologies Policy
YourStory: Your Romance
Effective date: [EFFECTIVE DATE]
Last updated: [EFFECTIVE DATE]
This Cookie Policy explains how StoryForge Consulting Ltd (registration number HE 494506, Republic of Cyprus) (“StoryForge”, “we”, “us” or “our”) uses cookies and similar technologies on the website at example.com, in share link pages and in the “YourStory: Your Romance” mobile app (together, the “Service”). It should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which explains how we process personal data more generally.
1. What are cookies and similar technologies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your browser or device when you visit a website. They allow the website to recognise your device and remember information about your visit.
Similar technologies work in a comparable way and include local storage and IndexedDB in your browser, pixels and tags, and, in mobile apps, software development kits (“SDKs”) and device or app identifiers (such as Firebase installation IDs, push notification tokens, Apple’s Identifier for Advertisers (“IDFA”) and Google’s Advertising ID). In this Policy we refer to all of these as “cookies”.
Cookies can be first-party (set by us) or third-party (set by another company, such as an analytics or payment provider), and session (deleted when you close your browser) or persistent (remaining until they expire or you delete them).
2. Your consent
We use strictly necessary cookies without your consent because the Service cannot function without them. We use all other cookies (functional, analytics and marketing) only with your prior consent, where consent is required by law.
- On the website, a cookie banner will ask for your choices when you first visit. You can accept all, reject all non-essential cookies, or choose by category. Rejecting is as easy as accepting.
- In the app, we will ask for your choices during onboarding or first use. On iOS, we will also ask for your permission through Apple’s App Tracking Transparency prompt before any tracking across apps and websites owned by other companies.
You can change or withdraw your consent at any time via the “Cookie Settings” link in the website footer or Settings > Privacy Choices in the app. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.
3. Categories of cookies we use
3.1 Strictly necessary
These are essential for the Service to work, for example to keep you logged in, keep your account secure, process payments, remember your cookie choices, route share links to the correct book or chapter and prevent fraud. They cannot be switched off. You can block them in your browser, but parts of the Service will not work.
3.2 Functional
These remember your choices and settings (such as reader font, theme and language) to provide a more personalised experience. Where these settings are stored only on your device to deliver a feature you have requested, they are treated as strictly necessary.
3.3 Analytics and performance
These help us understand how people use the Service, measure onboarding and conversion, detect crashes and improve performance. We configure analytics tools to minimise the data collected where possible, for example by not collecting precise location.
3.4 Marketing and attribution
These help us measure the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns and creator partnerships, for example by recording which campaign or link led to an installation, and may be used by advertising platforms to show you relevant ads elsewhere. We use these only with your consent and, where applicable, you can opt out as described in Section 6.
4. Cookies and technologies we use
The tables below list the main cookies and technologies used on the Service. Names and durations may change as our providers update their technologies.
4.1 Website and share link pages
| Name / technology | Provider | Category | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
ys_consent |
StoryForge (first-party) | Strictly necessary | Stores your cookie preferences | 12 months |
Firebase Authentication (IndexedDB / local storage:
firebase:authUser:*) |
Google Firebase | Strictly necessary | Keeps you signed in to the web app securely | Until sign-out |
ys_pending_share, ys_ref (local
storage) |
StoryForge (first-party) | Strictly necessary | Remembers the shared book or chapter and any partner code from the link you opened, so it can be restored after sign-up | Up to 30 days or until used |
__stripe_mid, __stripe_sid |
[PAYMENT PROCESSOR, e.g. Stripe] | Strictly necessary | Fraud prevention and secure payment processing on web checkout | 12 months / 30 minutes |
| Reader preferences (local storage) | StoryForge (first-party) | Functional | Remembers font, font size and theme | Persistent until cleared |
_ga, _ga_<ID> |
Google Analytics (Google Ireland Ltd) | Analytics | Distinguishes users and sessions to measure website usage | Up to 14 months |
[e.g. _fbp] |
[e.g. Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd] | Marketing | Measures and optimises advertising campaigns | [Up to 90 days] |
[e.g. _ttp] |
[e.g. TikTok Technology Ltd] | Marketing | Measures and optimises advertising campaigns | [Up to 13 months] |
4.2 Mobile app (SDKs and identifiers)
| SDK / identifier | Provider | Category | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firebase Authentication | Strictly necessary | Account sign-in and session management | |
| Firebase Cloud Firestore / Storage | Strictly necessary | Storing your account, stories and settings | |
| Firebase Cloud Messaging (push token) | Strictly necessary (only if you allow notifications) | Delivering chapter-ready and other notifications you enable | |
| RevenueCat SDK (app user ID) | RevenueCat, Inc. | Strictly necessary | Managing subscriptions, entitlements and purchase status |
| Deep links / universal links, [DEEP LINK PROVIDER, if any] | StoryForge / [provider] | Strictly necessary | Opening the correct book or chapter from a share link and restoring it after installation; attributing registrations to a partner code |
| Firebase Crashlytics | Analytics and performance | Crash reports and stability diagnostics | |
| Google Analytics for Firebase (app instance ID) | Analytics and performance | Measuring app usage, onboarding and conversion funnels | |
| [Advertising / attribution SDKs, e.g. Meta SDK, TikTok SDK, AppsFlyer, Adjust] | [Provider] | Marketing and attribution | Measuring campaign and creator performance; only with your consent and, on iOS, only if you allow tracking |
| IDFA (iOS) / Advertising ID (Android) | Apple / Google | Marketing and attribution | Accessed only with your consent (and ATT permission on iOS) |
If a technology is not listed here, it is either strictly necessary or we will ask for your consent before using it.
5. Third-party cookies and data transfers
Third-party providers may process information collected through their cookies in accordance with their own privacy policies, and some of them are located in, or transfer data to, countries outside the European Economic Area, including the United States. Where this happens, we rely on the safeguards described in Section 7 of our Privacy Policy. Some providers (for example, advertising platforms) act as independent controllers of data they collect.
6. How to manage cookies
- Our consent tools: “Cookie Settings” in the website footer, or Settings > Privacy Choices in the app.
- Your browser: most browsers let you view, block and delete cookies. See the help pages of your browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge). Blocking all cookies may prevent you from signing in.
- iOS: Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking lets you control whether apps can request to track you.
- Android: Settings > Google > Ads (or Settings > Privacy > Ads) lets you delete or reset your advertising ID.
- Global Privacy Control: where applicable law requires, we treat a GPC signal from your browser as a valid request to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information and of targeted advertising.
- Industry opt-outs: you can learn more about interest-based advertising at www.youronlinechoices.eu (EU) and optout.aboutads.info (US).
7. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy to reflect changes in the technologies we use or in the law. Where changes are significant, or where we introduce a new non-essential category, we will ask for your consent again where required.
8. Contact
For questions about this Cookie Policy, contact StoryForge Consulting Ltd, [REGISTERED OFFICE ADDRESS, CYPRUS], at privacy@example.com, or our Data Protection Officer at dpo@example.com.