Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile) when you visit a website. They help websites remember information about your visit, such as your preferences, login status, and settings.

Types of Cookies by Lifespan

• Session Cookies: Temporary cookies that expire when you close your browser. Used for essential functions like maintaining your login session
• Persistent Cookies: Remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them. Used to remember your preferences across visits

Types of Cookies by Origin

• First-Party Cookies: Set directly by AffiDock to provide core functionality and improve your experience
• Third-Party Cookies: Set by external services we use (like analytics or payment processors) to provide specific features

2. How AffiDock Uses Cookies

Essential Cookies (Always Active)

These cookies are necessary for the platform to function and cannot be disabled. Without them, core features like authentication and security would not work.

• Authentication Token: Maintains your login session so you don't have to re-authenticate on every page
• CSRF Protection: Prevents cross-site request forgery attacks by validating that requests come from legitimate sources
• Security Validation: Detects and prevents suspicious login attempts and unauthorized access
• Load Balancing: Routes your requests to the appropriate server for optimal performance
• Cookie Consent State: Remembers your cookie preferences so we don't ask repeatedly

Functional Cookies

These cookies enhance your experience by remembering your preferences and settings. You can disable them, but some features may not work as expected.

• Dashboard Layout: Remembers your preferred dashboard view, column sorting, and filter settings
• Theme Preference: Stores your choice of light or dark mode
• Language Setting: Remembers your preferred language for the interface
• Notification Preferences: Tracks which types of notifications you've dismissed or want to see
• Recent Accounts: Stores a list of your recently viewed advertising accounts for quick access
• Table Preferences: Remembers which columns you've shown/hidden in account tables

Analytics Cookies

These cookies help us understand how users interact with AffiDock so we can improve the platform. All analytics data is anonymized and aggregated.

• Usage Patterns: Tracks which features are used most frequently to prioritize improvements
• Performance Monitoring: Measures page load times and identifies performance bottlenecks
• Error Tracking: Logs frontend errors so we can fix bugs and improve stability
• Feature Adoption: Measures how quickly users adopt new features after release
• User Journey: Understands the typical workflows and paths users take through the platform

Marketing Cookies

These cookies track your visits across websites to deliver relevant advertising and measure campaign effectiveness. These are only set with your explicit consent.

• Ad Conversion Tracking: Measures whether users who clicked our ads sign up for AffiDock
• Retargeting: Shows AffiDock ads to users who have visited our website but haven't signed up
• Campaign Attribution: Identifies which marketing channels bring in new users

We never use cookies to track your activity on advertising platforms you manage through AffiDock. Your account data and campaign metrics remain completely private.

3. Other Tracking Technologies

Local Storage & Session Storage

In addition to cookies, we use browser storage APIs to store data locally on your device:

• Local Storage: Stores larger amounts of data like cached account information and offline-capable features
• Session Storage: Temporarily stores data during your browsing session, cleared when you close the tab
• IndexedDB: Stores structured data for offline access and improved performance

Web Beacons and Pixels

We may use small transparent images (pixels) to track email opens and measure the effectiveness of our communications. These are only used in marketing emails and can be blocked by disabling image loading in your email client.

Fingerprinting and Device Recognition

We collect technical information about your device (browser version, operating system, screen resolution) to detect suspicious login attempts and prevent fraud. This is used solely for security purposes and is not used for tracking or advertising.

4. Managing Your Cookie Preferences

Through Your Account Settings

Once logged in, you can manage your cookie preferences from your Account Settings → Privacy & Cookies. You can:

• Enable or disable analytics cookies
• Enable or disable marketing cookies
• View which cookies are currently active
• Clear all functional and analytics cookies (essential cookies will remain)

Through Your Browser

All modern browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can block all cookies, block third-party cookies only, or delete existing cookies.

• Chrome: Settings → Privacy and Security → Cookies and other site data
• Firefox: Preferences → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
• Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data
• Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Manage and delete cookies

Warning: Disabling essential cookies will prevent you from logging into AffiDock and using core features. We recommend only disabling analytics and marketing cookies if you're concerned about privacy.

Third-Party Opt-Outs

You can opt out of interest-based advertising from participating companies:

• Google Ads: Ads Settings
• Network Advertising Initiative: NAI Opt-Out
• Digital Advertising Alliance: DAA Opt-Out

5. Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you don't want to be tracked. However, there is no industry consensus on how to respond to DNT signals.

AffiDock does not currently respond to DNT signals, but you can control tracking through your cookie preferences in your account settings or browser settings as described above.

6. Cookies and Your Advertising Accounts

Important: The cookies described in this policy only relate to your use of the AffiDock platform itself. We do not set cookies on advertising platforms you manage through AffiDock, nor do we track your activity on those platforms.

When you connect advertising accounts to AffiDock, we only access data through official APIs provided by those platforms. Your advertising platform cookies and tracking are governed by those platforms' own cookie policies, not ours.

7. Updates to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect changes in our practices, new features, or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Notify you via email if the changes significantly affect your privacy rights
• Display a prominent notice in the application asking you to review the updated policy

We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies.

8. Questions About Cookies?

If you have questions about how AffiDock uses cookies or need help managing your preferences, please contact us:

• Email: legal@shock-experts.com
• Subject Line: "Cookie Policy Inquiry"

For general privacy questions, please see our full Privacy Policy. For information about our security practices, visit our Data Protection page.