Cookie Policy

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile 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 useful information.

Cookies can be "first-party" (set by the website you are visiting) or "third-party" (set by a different website). They can also be "session" cookies (deleted when you close your browser) or "persistent" cookies (remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them).

In addition to cookies, we may use similar technologies such as:

Local storage: Allows websites to store data locally in your browser
Session storage: Similar to local storage but cleared when the browser session ends
Pixels/Web beacons: Small graphic images used to track user behaviour

When we refer to "cookies" in this policy, we include these similar technologies unless stated otherwise.

How We Use Cookies

We use cookies for several purposes, including:

Authentication: To recognise you when you sign in and keep you logged in
Security: To protect your account and detect potentially fraudulent activity
Preferences: To remember your settings and preferences
Analytics: To understand how visitors use our website so we can improve it
Performance: To ensure the website loads quickly and functions properly

We do not use cookies for targeted advertising or to track you across other websites.

Types of Cookies We Use

We categorise cookies into the following types based on their purpose:

1

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are essential for the website to function properly. They enable core functionality such as security, authentication, and session management. You cannot opt out of these cookies as the website cannot function without them.

✓ Always active — No consent required

2

Functional Cookies

These cookies enable enhanced functionality and personalisation, such as remembering your preferences, language settings, or display options. If you disable these cookies, some features may not work as intended.

⚙ Optional — Consent required

3

Analytics Cookies

These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting anonymous information about page visits, traffic sources, and user behaviour. This helps us improve our website and services.

📊 Optional — Consent required

No Marketing Cookies

We do not use marketing or advertising cookies. We do not track you across other websites or serve targeted advertisements.

Cookies on Our Website

Below is a detailed list of the cookies we use on our website:

4.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies

Cookie Name	Provider	Purpose	Duration
__session	Clerk	Maintains user authentication session	Session
__client_uat	Clerk	User authentication token timestamp	1 year
__clerk_db_jwt	Clerk	Authentication JWT for secure requests	Session
csrf_token	AI Photo Detect	Protects against cross-site request forgery	Session
cookie_consent	AI Photo Detect	Stores your cookie consent preferences	1 year

4.2 Functional Cookies

Cookie Name	Provider	Purpose	Duration
theme	AI Photo Detect	Remembers your light/dark mode preference	1 year
locale	AI Photo Detect	Stores your language preference	1 year
sidebar_collapsed	AI Photo Detect	Remembers dashboard sidebar state	1 year

4.3 Analytics Cookies

Cookie Name	Provider	Purpose	Duration
_ga	Google Analytics	Distinguishes unique users	2 years
_ga_*	Google Analytics	Maintains session state	2 years
_gid	Google Analytics	Distinguishes users for 24 hours	24 hours

Note: We use Google Analytics 4 with IP anonymisation enabled. This means your full IP address is never stored or processed.

Third-Party Cookies

Some cookies on our website are set by third-party services that we use. We carefully select our partners and only work with reputable providers. Below are the third parties that may set cookies:

Provider	Purpose	Privacy Policy
Clerk	User authentication and session management	clerk.com/privacy
Stripe	Payment processing and fraud prevention	stripe.com/privacy
Google Analytics	Website analytics (with consent)	policies.google.com/privacy
Vercel	Website hosting and performance	vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy

We do not control third-party cookies. Please refer to each provider's privacy policy for information about how they use cookies and your data.

Your Cookie Choices

You have several options for controlling cookies:

6.1 Cookie Consent Banner

When you first visit our website, you will see a cookie consent banner. You can choose to:

Accept all cookies: Enables all cookie categories
Customise: Select which cookie categories to enable
Reject non-essential: Only strictly necessary cookies will be used

You can change your preferences at any time by clicking the "Cookie Settings" link in the website footer.

6.2 Browser Settings

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can usually:

View what cookies are stored on your device
Delete individual cookies or all cookies
Block all cookies or only third-party cookies
Set your browser to notify you when a cookie is set
Enable "Do Not Track" signals

Here are links to cookie management instructions for popular browsers:

6.3 Google Analytics Opt-Out

You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Important

If you block or delete cookies, some features of our website may not work properly. In particular, you will not be able to stay logged in, and you may need to re-enter your preferences each time you visit.

Consent & Preferences

7.1 How We Obtain Consent

In accordance with UK GDPR, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), and EU ePrivacy Directive requirements, we obtain your consent before setting any non-essential cookies.

Consent is obtained through our cookie consent banner, which appears when you first visit our website. We use a "consent-first" approach, meaning:

Non-essential cookies are not set until you provide consent
You can provide granular consent for each cookie category
Rejecting cookies is as easy as accepting them
Your consent choice is stored so you're not asked repeatedly

7.2 Withdrawing Consent

You can withdraw your consent at any time by:

Clicking "Cookie Settings" in the website footer
Clearing your browser cookies and revisiting the site
Adjusting your browser settings to block cookies

When you withdraw consent, we will stop setting new non-essential cookies. However, cookies already set will remain until they expire or you delete them.

7.3 Consent Records

We keep records of your consent choices as required by law. This includes the date and time of consent, the categories you consented to, and your IP address (anonymised).

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons.

When we make changes:

We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
For significant changes, we will display the cookie consent banner again
We may notify you via email for material changes affecting your rights

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

Contact Us

If you have any questions about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us:

aiphotodetect.com

Email: support@aiphotodetect.com
Website: aiphotodetect.com

For more information about how we handle your personal data, please see our Privacy Policy.