Cookie Policy

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, smartphone, tablet) when you visit a website. Cookies help websites recognize your device and remember information about your visit, such as your preferences, login status, and browsing activity.

VeriDeal uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to provide, improve, and protect our Services. This Cookie Policy explains what cookies we use, why we use them, and how you can manage your cookie preferences.

This Cookie Policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

What Cookies Does VeriDeal Use?

We use the following types of cookies on our Services:

1. Strictly Necessary Cookies (Essential)

Purpose: These cookies are essential for the Services to function properly. Without these cookies, certain features of our platform would not work.

What they do:

• Authenticate your login and maintain your session
• Remember your account settings and preferences
• Enable security features and fraud prevention
• Ensure platform stability and performance
• Allow you to navigate between pages without losing information

Examples:

• Session authentication tokens
• Security tokens (CSRF protection)
• Load balancing cookies
• Feature flags for platform functionality

Can you opt out? No. These cookies are necessary for the Services to work. Disabling them will prevent you from using VeriDeal.

Duration: Session cookies (deleted when you close your browser) or persistent cookies (up to 1 year)

2. Functional Cookies (Preferences)

Purpose: These cookies remember your choices and preferences to provide a more personalized experience.

What they do:

• Remember your language and region preferences
• Store your display settings (dark mode, layout preferences)
• Remember whether you've seen certain notifications or prompts
• Save your cookie consent preferences

Examples:

• Language preference cookie
• Theme selection (light/dark mode)
• Notification preferences
• Cookie consent banner status

Can you opt out? Yes. You can disable functional cookies through your browser settings or our cookie preference center. Disabling these cookies may affect your experience, but the Services will still function.

Duration: Up to 1 year

3. Analytics and Performance Cookies

Purpose: These cookies help us understand how visitors use our Services so we can improve performance and user experience.

What they do:

• Track which pages you visit and how you navigate the site
• Monitor page load times and technical performance
• Identify errors and troubleshoot issues
• Analyze user behavior patterns (anonymously)
• Generate statistical reports on usage

Examples:

• Google Analytics cookies (_ga, _gid, _gat)
• Performance monitoring cookies
• Error tracking cookies
• Heatmap and session replay cookies (if enabled)

What information they collect:

• Pages visited and time spent on pages
• Click patterns and scroll depth
• Browser type, device type, and screen resolution
• Referring website and traffic source
• Anonymous user ID (no personal identification)

Can you opt out? Yes. You can opt out of analytics cookies through:

• Our cookie preference center
• Your browser settings
• Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Duration: Up to 2 years

Third-party analytics providers we use: Google Analytics (Google's Privacy Policy)

4. Advertising and Marketing Cookies (If Applicable)

Purpose: These cookies are used to deliver relevant advertisements and measure advertising campaign effectiveness.

What they do:

• Display personalized ads based on your interests
• Prevent the same ad from showing repeatedly
• Measure ad campaign performance
• Track conversions from ads

Examples:

• Google Ads cookies
• LinkedIn Insight Tag
• Facebook Pixel (if used)
• Retargeting cookies

Can you opt out? Yes. You can opt out through:

• Our cookie preference center
• Your browser settings
• Industry opt-out tools:
  • Network Advertising Initiative: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/
  • Digital Advertising Alliance: http://www.aboutads.info/choices/
  • European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance: http://www.youronlinechoices.eu/

Duration: Up to 2 years

Note: We do not currently use advertising cookies during beta, but may introduce them in the future. We will update this policy and notify you before implementing advertising cookies.

Similar Tracking Technologies We Use

In addition to cookies, we may use other tracking technologies:

Web Beacons (Pixels)

Small transparent images embedded in emails or web pages that help us:

• Track email open rates
• Monitor which links are clicked
• Measure campaign effectiveness

Local Storage

Browser storage that allows us to:

• Store larger amounts of data than cookies
• Improve application performance
• Cache resources for faster loading
• Remember user preferences locally

Session Storage

Temporary browser storage that:

• Stores data only for the current browser session
• Is deleted when you close your browser tab
• Helps maintain state during your visit

Device Fingerprinting

We may collect device information to:

• Detect and prevent fraud
• Identify security threats
• Ensure platform security

We do not use device fingerprinting for tracking or advertising purposes.

How Long Do Cookies Last?

Cookies have different lifespans:

• Session Cookies: Temporary cookies deleted when you close your browser
• Persistent Cookies: Remain on your device for a set period (from days to years) or until you manually delete them

VeriDeal Cookie Duration:

• Essential cookies: Session to 1 year
• Functional cookies: Up to 1 year
• Analytics cookies: Up to 2 years
• Advertising cookies (if used): Up to 2 years

Third-Party Cookies

Some cookies on our Services are set by third-party service providers we work with:

Payment Processing:

• Stripe: Processes payments and prevents fraud. Privacy Policy: https://stripe.com/privacy

Analytics:

• Google Analytics: Tracks website usage and performance. Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Authentication:

• Google OAuth: Enables Google login
• LinkedIn OAuth: Enables LinkedIn login
• These services may set their own cookies when you use social login features

Hosting and Infrastructure:

• Our cloud hosting providers (e.g., AWS, Vercel) may set technical cookies for platform operation

Email Services:

• Email service providers may set cookies when you interact with emails we send

Note: Third-party cookies are subject to the privacy policies of those third parties. We do not control third-party cookies and are not responsible for their privacy practices.

How to Manage Your Cookie Preferences

You have several options to control and manage cookies:

1. VeriDeal Cookie Preference Center

Access our cookie settings:

• Click "Cookie Settings" in the footer of any page
• Manage your preferences for functional, analytics, and advertising cookies
• Your choices are saved and respected across your sessions

Note: You cannot disable strictly necessary cookies, as they are essential for the Services to function.

2. Browser Settings

You can control cookies through your browser settings:

Google Chrome:

• Click the menu icon (three dots) → Settings
• Click "Privacy and security" → "Cookies and other site data"
• Choose your cookie preferences or block all cookies

Mozilla Firefox:

• Click the menu icon (three lines) → Settings
• Click "Privacy & Security"
• Under "Cookies and Site Data," choose your preferences

Safari:

• Click Safari → Preferences → Privacy
• Choose your cookie blocking preferences

Microsoft Edge:

• Click the menu icon (three dots) → Settings
• Click "Cookies and site permissions" → "Cookies and site data"
• Choose your preferences

Mobile Browsers:

• iOS Safari: Settings → Safari → Block Cookies
• Android Chrome: Settings → Site settings → Cookies

Important: Blocking all cookies may prevent you from using certain features of our Services.

3. Third-Party Opt-Out Tools

Google Analytics Opt-Out:

• Install the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Advertising Opt-Outs:

• Network Advertising Initiative: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/
• Digital Advertising Alliance: http://www.aboutads.info/choices/
• European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance: http://www.youronlinechoices.eu/

4. Do Not Track (DNT) Signals

Some browsers support "Do Not Track" (DNT) signals. Currently, there is no industry standard for how to respond to DNT signals.

Our approach:

• We do not currently respond to DNT signals
• We follow this Cookie Policy regardless of DNT settings
• You can manage cookies through the methods described above

Cookies and Your Privacy

What Information Do Cookies Collect?

Cookies may collect:

• Technical information: IP address, browser type, device type, operating system
• Usage information: Pages visited, time spent, clicks, search queries
• Preferences: Language, settings, display options
• Authentication: Login status, session tokens

Do Cookies Contain Personal Data?

• Strictly necessary cookies: May contain user ID or session tokens linked to your account
• Functional cookies: May contain preferences linked to your account
• Analytics cookies: Generally do not contain personal data; use anonymous identifiers
• Advertising cookies: May contain pseudonymous identifiers for ad targeting

How We Protect Cookie Data

• Cookies are transmitted securely using HTTPS encryption
• Sensitive cookies are marked as "Secure" and "HttpOnly" for protection
• We implement security measures to prevent cookie theft or manipulation
• We regularly review and update our cookie practices

Cookie Consent

EU/UK Users (GDPR)

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and ePrivacy Directive:

• We will ask for your consent before setting non-essential cookies
• You can withdraw consent at any time through our cookie preference center
• Essential cookies do not require consent as they are necessary for the Services

California Users (CCPA/CPRA)

Under California privacy law:

• We provide notice of cookies used
• You can opt out of cookies used for "sale" or "sharing" of personal information (advertising cookies)
• Opt-out choices are respected and do not discriminate against you

Other Jurisdictions

We comply with applicable cookie and privacy laws in all jurisdictions where we operate.

Cookies and Children

Our Services are not directed to children under 18, and we do not knowingly collect information from children through cookies. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us at contact@VeriDeal.io.

Changes to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect:

• Changes in our cookie practices
• New cookies or technologies we use
• Legal or regulatory requirements
• Feedback from users

Notice of Changes:

• We will post the updated Cookie Policy on this page
• The "Last Updated" date at the top will be revised
• For material changes, we may notify you via email or in-app notification
• Continued use of the Services after changes constitutes acceptance

We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically.

Contact Us

If you have questions about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy:

• Email: contact@VeriDeal.io
• Subject Line: "Cookie Policy Question"

For privacy-related requests:

• See our Privacy Policy for information on data access, deletion, and other rights
• Email contact@VeriDeal.io with "Privacy Request" in the subject line

Summary Table: Cookies We Use

Additional Resources

Learn more about cookies:

• All About Cookies: https://www.allaboutcookies.org/
• UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/online/cookies/
• EU Cookie Guidance: https://ec.europa.eu/info/cookies_en

Manage your privacy:

• Review our Privacy Policy
• Adjust your account privacy settings
• Contact us with privacy concerns: contact@VeriDeal.io

Thank you for trusting VeriDeal with your information. We are committed to transparency and protecting your privacy.