1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, smartphone, or other device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, provide a better user experience, and give website owners information about how their site is being used.
Cookies can be "persistent" or "session" cookies:
- Persistent Cookies: These cookies remain on your device until they expire or you delete them. They remember your preferences and actions across multiple visits.
- Session Cookies: These cookies are temporary and are deleted from your device when you close your web browser. They are used to track your actions during a single browsing session.
Cookies can also be categorized by who sets them:
- First-Party Cookies: Set directly by the website you are visiting (Affinity Tweaks)
- Third-Party Cookies: Set by other companies whose services we use (like payment processors or analytics providers)
2. How We Use Cookies
Affinity Tweaks uses cookies for several important purposes:
- Essential Functionality: To make our website work properly and securely
- User Experience: To remember your preferences and settings
- Analytics: To understand how visitors use our website so we can improve it
- Payment Processing: To enable secure checkout and fraud prevention
Important: We do not use cookies for advertising purposes. We do not sell your data to third parties or use cookies to track you across other websites for marketing purposes.
3. Types of Cookies We Use
Below is a detailed breakdown of the cookies used on the Affinity Tweaks website:
3.1 Essential Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function properly. Without them, certain features of the site would not work. Essential cookies cannot be disabled.
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| session_id | Maintains your session state while browsing the site | Session | |
| csrf_token | Protects against cross-site request forgery attacks | Session | |
| cart_data | Stores items in your shopping cart | 7 days |
3.2 Functional Cookies
These cookies enable enhanced functionality and personalization. They remember your choices and preferences to provide a more personalized experience.
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| user_preferences | Remembers your display preferences (e.g., theme settings) | 1 year | |
| language | Stores your preferred language setting | 1 year | |
| cookie_consent | Remembers your cookie preference choices | 1 year |
3.3 Analytics Cookies
These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously. This helps us improve our site and services.
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics - Distinguishes unique users | 2 years | |
| _ga_* | Google Analytics - Maintains session state | 2 years | |
| _gid | Google Analytics - Distinguishes users | 24 hours |
4. Third-Party Cookies
Some cookies on our site are placed by third-party services that we use to enhance our website functionality:
4.1 Stripe (Payment Processing)
We use Stripe to process payments securely. Stripe may set cookies for fraud detection and to remember your payment preferences. These cookies are essential for secure checkout.
Learn more: Stripe Privacy Policy
4.2 Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our website. This helps us improve the site and our services. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect anonymous usage data.
Learn more: Google Privacy Policy
4.3 Discord (Community Widgets)
If you interact with Discord widgets or links on our site, Discord may set cookies according to their privacy policy.
Learn more: Discord Privacy Policy
5. Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You have control over cookies and can manage them in several ways:
5.1 Browser Settings
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically:
- View what cookies are stored on your device
- Delete all or specific cookies
- Block all cookies or only third-party cookies
- Set preferences for certain websites
- Get notifications when cookies are being set
Here are links to cookie management instructions for popular browsers:
5.2 Google Analytics Opt-Out
You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On.
5.3 Impact of Disabling Cookies
Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website:
- Essential Cookies: Disabling these may prevent you from using certain features like the shopping cart and checkout
- Functional Cookies: Disabling these means your preferences won't be saved between visits
- Analytics Cookies: Disabling these helps protect your privacy but doesn't affect site functionality
6. Do Not Track Signals
Some browsers have a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that sends a signal to websites requesting that your browsing not be tracked. Our website currently does not respond to DNT signals, but you can manage tracking through cookie settings as described above.
7. Cookie Duration
The cookies we use have varying lifespans:
- Session Cookies: Automatically deleted when you close your browser
- Short-term Cookies: Expire within 24 hours to 7 days
- Long-term Cookies: May last up to 1-2 years but can be deleted at any time through your browser
You can delete cookies at any time through your browser settings, regardless of their intended duration.
8. Updates to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we make changes:
- We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
- For significant changes, we may provide additional notice through our website
We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies.
9. More Information
To learn more about cookies and how to manage them, you can visit:
- All About Cookies - Comprehensive information about cookies
- Your Online Choices - Information about online behavioral advertising
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us:
- Email: [email protected]
- Discord: discord.gg/4HqDFdvxup
For more information about how we handle your personal data, please see our Privacy Policy.