Cookie and Browser Storage Policy
Last reviewed:
Advertising is off unless you turn it on: no AdSense tag or advertising cookie loads until you enable the Advertising category, and then only on blog pages — tool pages, /verify and account pages stay ad-free either way. Essential storage is always on. Analytics is active unless you opt out. Selected PDF content is not placed in cookies, localStorage, IndexedDB, or the service-worker cache.
Essential storage supports authentication, consent choices, interface preferences, and cached application code. Analytics (Google Analytics 4, plus a first-party aggregate usage log) is active by default and stops as soon as you turn the Statistics/Analytics toggle off. It is therefore an opt-out, not an opt-in: on a first visit, before any choice is made, analytics storage is already in use. Google AdSense is opt-in: advertising signals stay denied and no ad tag loads until you enable the Advertising category, and ad tags are never loaded on tool pages, /verify or account pages.
| Name | Category | Location | Retention | When used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supabase authentication storage | Essential for downloads and signed-in features | Browser storage managed by Supabase | Session and refresh-token lifecycle | Created when account authentication is used; processing can remain anonymous |
| bytespdf_consent_v2 | Essential preference (stores preferences and analytics choices; legacy marketing field is always false) | localStorage | Until cleared or consent schema changes (v2) | Stores visitor's preference and analytics choices; old marketing values are normalized to false |
| early_bird_banner_dismissed | Preference | localStorage | Until browser storage is cleared | Created when the launch banner is dismissed |
| Service worker application cache | Essential application assets | Cache Storage | Until cache update, browser eviction, or manual clearing | Caches worker, codec, and program assets — never selected PDFs |
| Consent audit row | Consent record | Supabase | Operational/legal audit period | Best-effort record of categories, version, source, time, and user agent; no account ID or PDF content |
| Google Analytics (_ga, _ga_*) | Analytics | First-party cookie | Google/configuration-defined (typically 13 months) | Created for traffic measurement. Analytics is active unless you turn it off — it is not gated on an affirmative grant. Advertising signals follow your advertising choice; ad tags load only after you opt in. |
| Google AdSense cookies or similar technologies | Advertising (opt-in) | Google and, depending on configuration, advertising partners | Google/configuration-defined; not set while the category is denied | Supports delivery, frequency capping, fraud prevention, measurement, and permitted personalization on blog pages, and only after you enable the Advertising category. Never loaded on tool pages, /verify or account pages. |
| Anonymous usage log row | Analytics | Supabase | Operational analytics period | Written while analytics is enabled; stops once you opt out. Uses a null account ID. |
Advertising: Google AdSense is an opt-in category, denied by default. If you enable it, Google may set advertising cookies and receive requests to deliver and measure ads on blog pages only; tool pages, /verify and account pages stay ad-free either way. Declining leaves every advertising signal denied and loads no ad tag at all. Saved consent records from before this choice existed are re-prompted rather than assumed.
If AdSense is enabled, Google and its advertising partners may use cookies or similar technologies for ad delivery, frequency capping, fraud prevention and measurement; personalization would depend on final settings and applicable consent. Google describes its practices in its advertising technologies disclosure and Privacy Policy. The current BytesPDF preference controls do not include an advertising choice, so ad tags will not be deployed until required consent controls—including any required Google-certified CMP—are implemented and tested. Ad personalization controls may also be available in Google My Ad Center.
Use Manage privacy choices in the footer to review or change analytics and preference settings; this does not currently control advertising. See the privacy policy for other data categories and privacy-request rights.