# Cookie Policy

> What cookies the ParrotPad website sets, why, and how to control them. Last updated 21 May 2026. Compliant with PECR 2003 and the UK GDPR.

## 1. Overview
A cookie is a small text file stored on your device by your browser. We use two categories: essential cookies that are strictly necessary to operate the website, and analytics cookies (Google Analytics and Matomo) that help us understand site usage. **We do not use marketing or advertising cookies.**

## 2. Essential cookies
- **parrot_session** - session cookie maintaining authenticated state. Expires on browser close or after inactivity.
- **XSRF-TOKEN** - CSRF protection token, required for form submissions to work safely.
- **theme** (browser localStorage, not technically a cookie) - remembers light/dark mode preference. Device-only, never sent to our servers.
- **parrot.cookie-ack** (localStorage) - records dismissal of the cookie notice.

The desktop app does not set browser cookies. It authenticates with a token stored in your operating system's keychain.

## 3. Analytics cookies
- **Google Analytics** sets _ga, _ga_* cookies that assign a randomised identifier and record page visits, approximate location, device type, referrer. Data is processed by Google.
- **Matomo** sets _pk_id, _pk_ses cookies for the same purpose. Matomo data is processed on infrastructure we control.

We do not use analytics data to identify you personally or to build advertising profiles. You can block analytics cookies in your browser, enable "Do Not Track" / Global Privacy Control, or use a content blocker.

## 4. How to control cookies
Clear or block cookies in your browser settings, including per-site. Blocking session cookies may break parts of the site that depend on a session (e.g. the contact form).

## 5. Changes
Material changes are reflected in the "Last updated" date.

## 6. Contact
privacy@parrotpad.ai.