COOKIE AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES POLICY
1. The TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)
We know most people scroll past these policies, but since we are a privacy company, we think this one is actually worth a look.
Here is the short version:
We use digital tools (like cookies and pixels) to make our website work securely, understand how people use our service, and find new customers who want to take control of their data. We do not sell your personal data to anyone. Period.
While we do use some industry-standard tracking to see if our ads are working, we’ve built a "Privacy Bouncer" (our own server-side proxy) and implemented measures to reduce the amount of personal data that reaches a third party. We believe you can grow a business without being creepy, and this policy explains exactly how we do that.
2. How we handle your data (without being creepy)
We don't just use standard cookies, we use a "Hybrid" setup. This means some things happen in your browser, and some things happen on our own secure server. Here’s the breakdown of what we use and why:
The "Privacy Bouncer" (Server-Side GTM)
Most websites let third parties (like Meta or Google) grab your data directly from your browser. We think that’s a bit intrusive. Instead, we use a Server-Side Proxy located at gtm.againstdata.com.
When you interact with our site and provide consent for the relevant category, certain event data is routed through our server-side container before it is shared with third-party providers.
In particular, when Marketing consent is active, event data may be transmitted to Meta via the Conversions API (CAPI). This setup gives us greater visibility and control over the data flow and allows us to implement measures aimed at reducing the amount of personal data shared with third parties.
While we use this setup to limit the data shared with Meta and Google, please note that some third-party security features (like Google’s AEC and NID cookies) are set directly by Google on their own domain to prevent malicious bot activity.
Plausible Analytics (The Cookie-less Choice)
Because we believe in tracking as little as possible, we also use Plausible Analytics. Unlike traditional tools, Plausible does not use cookies at all, does not store personal identifiers, and does not track you across different websites.
It simply provides us with aggregated data on how many people visited a page so we can understand what content is helpful, without needing to know a single thing about who you are. Because it is completely anonymous and does not store personal identifiers, Plausible operates independently of our consent mechanism and is active for all visitors to help us improve our site content.
Digital "Sticky Notes" (Cookies)
We use standard cookies to remember the basics, like your language preferences, staying logged into your account, or remembering that you’ve already interacted with our cookie banner, so it doesn't keep popping up.
Digital Disguises (Hashing)
For our marketing efforts with Microsoft Advertising, we use a technique called Hashing. Our Microsoft UET setup is configured to send hashed versions of your email address and phone number to Microsoft to match our ads to successful sign-ups. This means we don't send your raw, readable contact information, instead, it is converted into a long string of random-looking characters (a 'hash') before transmission. This allows our partners to verify if an ad worked without seeing your original, unencrypted contact details.
3. What exactly are "Cookies"?
Despite the name, these aren’t the chocolate chip variety (sadly).
In the digital world, a cookie is just a tiny text file that a website slides into your browser’s pocket when you visit. Think of it as a digital sticky note.
Why do they exist?
The internet has a very short memory. Without cookies, every time you clicked "Next Page," the website would forget who you are. You’d have to log in again, reset your language, and close that annoying "Subscribe to our newsletter" popup every 30 seconds.
Cookies help by: • Remembering you: So you stay logged in while you browse. • Saving your settings: Like your preferred language or the fact that you’ve already seen our cookie banner. • Helping us improve: By telling us which parts of our site are popular and which parts are just gathering digital dust.
The "Privacy" Catch
Not all sticky notes are created equal. Some stay only as long as your browser window is open (Session Cookies), while others stick around for a few months to recognize you when you come back (Persistent Cookies).
As a rule, we try to use the "Session" kind whenever possible, and we only use the "Persistent" ones if they are actually necessary to give you a good experience or to keep our site secure.
Who’s dropping these cookies?
Before we show you the lists, it helps to know who is actually "writing" these digital sticky notes. We categorize them into two groups: • First-Party Cookies: These are set directly by us (againstdata.com). We have total control over these and use them to make the site work for you. • Third-Party Cookies: These are set by external services we use (like Google or Microsoft). Think of these as specialized tools plugged into our site to handle specific tasks like security, analytics, or measuring our ads. These providers may process the data according to their own privacy rules, which we link to in the tables below. This policy also covers similar technologies that do not always rely on a traditional cookie file, including pixels, tags, scripts, and server-side event transmission technologies used for analytics, advertising measurement, security, and consent management.
4. The "Must-Haves" (Strictly Necessary)
Some technologies are like the foundation of a house, you can’t really live there without them. These are always active because they handle the essential "behind-the-scenes" work that keeps our website safe and functional.
Why do we need them: • Keeping the Bouncers at the Door: We use security cookies to make sure you’re a real human and not a malicious bot trying to spam our forms. • Locking the Windows: We use digital "seals" to ensure that any information you send us (like a sign-up form) is actually coming from you and hasn't been intercepted. • Remembering Your "No": Ironically, we need a cookie to remember that you don't want other cookies. It’s the only way we can respect your privacy choices every time you come back. Because these are essential for the security and basic operation of Against Data, they don't require your consent to run.
The "Must-Have" List
| Host | Cookie Name | Description | Expiration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .againstdata.com | dad_consent | Records that the user interacted with the cookie banner. | Session First-Party | |
| .againstdata.com | dad_cookies | Stores the specific categories (like "marketing") you have consented to just to ensure the website respects your privacy choices during your visit. | Session First-Party | |
| .againstdata.com | XSRF-TOKEN | A security cookie used to prevent malicious "Cross-Site Request Forgery" attacks. It ensures that any forms you submit or actions you take on our site are genuine and not initiated by a malicious third party. | ~4 hours | First-Party |
| .againstdata.com | dad_ps | Maintains your unique encrypted session so you stay logged in while you browse. | ~4 hours | First-Party |
| .againstdata.com | Encrypted name session cookie | Secondary security and session cookie generated by our website framework to verify your identity and protect your data as you move between different parts of the site. | ~4 hours | First-Party |
5. Performance & Analytics Cookies
We need to know if our website is actually helpful. To do this without being intrusive, we use a "hybrid" approach: • Plausible Analytics: Our favorite tool because it is cookie-less. It tells us how many people visit a page without knowing who they are. No personal data, no tracking across the web. • Performance Tracking: Our server-side infrastructure includes a GA4 client that routes certain analytics data through our own endpoint before it is shared with Google Analytics. This gives us greater control over the data flow and allows us to implement measures aimed at reducing the amount of personal data shared.
These are only active if you opt-in to the Analytics category.
Performance & Analytics List
| Host | Cookie Name | Description | Expiration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .againstdata.com | _ga | A Google Analytics identifier to recognize and distinguish between different people visiting our site. It allows the website to count how many individuals return over time rather than treating every page view as a new person. | ~14 months | First-Party |
| .againstdata.com | _ga* | Used by GA4 to maintain a continuous connection as you move through different pages of our site during a single visit. It ensures that your interactions are recognized as part of one browsing session rather than multiple disconnected visits. | ~14 months | First-Party |
| .againstdata.com | FPID | Set by our own server. This is used to recognize returning visitors in a more privacy-focused way. It helps the website understand user journeys without relying on third-party tracking. | ~13 months | First-Party |
| .againstdata.com | FPLC | Set by our own server. This is used to link a user's session across different parts of our website or related domains. It ensures that your journey is recognized as a single, continuous visit even if you move between different sections of our service. | ~20 hours | First-Party |
| .againstdata.com | _gtmeec | Set via Google Tag Manager to temporarily store and "calibrate" event data (like a sign-up) to ensure it is accurately recorded. | ~3 months | First-Party |
6. Marketing Cookies
These tools help us measure the effectiveness of our advertising so we can find more people who care about data privacy. As mentioned above, marketing-related event data is routed through our server-side infrastructure before being shared with third-party advertising providers. Our 'Privacy Bouncer' (GTM) ensures that Meta Pixel events only fire if consent is granted.
The Marketing List
These cookies only fire if you explicitly opt-in to the Marketing category.
| Host | Cookie Name | Description | Expiration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .againstdata.com | _fbp | Meta Pixel set by our own server. This cookie is used by Meta (Facebook and Instagram) to recognize your browser. It helps us understand how you interact with our site after seeing our advertisements on social media so we can show you more relevant content | ~90 days | First-Party |
| .againstdata.com | _fbc | Meta Pixel set by our own server. This cookie is only set when you arrive at our website by clicking on a Facebook or Instagram advertisement. It helps us attribute your visit to a specific ad campaign so we can improve our marketing relevance. | ~90 days | First-Party |
| .againstdata.com | _uetsid Microsoft UET. | This cookie is used by Microsoft Advertising to track your visit across our website during a single session. It helps us understand how you interact with our site after clicking on a Bing or Microsoft advertisement. | ~24 hours | First-Party |
| .againstdata.com | _uetvid Microsoft UET. | This cookie is used by Microsoft Advertising to recognize you as a returning visitor across multiple browsing sessions. It helps us understand the long-term effectiveness of our marketing efforts on the Microsoft Advertising network. | ~13 months | First-Party |
| .againstdata.com | _gcl_aw | This cookie is only set when you arrive at our website by clicking on a Google advertisement. It helps us link your specific ad click to actions you take on our site, such as signing up for our service. | ~90 days | First-Party |
| .againstdata.com | _gcl_au | Google Ads Conversion Linker, it stores attribution data for Google ad conversions. | ~90 days | First-Party |
| bat.bing.com | MR | Microsoft Advertising routing | ~1 week | Third-Party |
| bing.com | MUID | Microsoft Universal ID for ad targeting | ~13 months | Third-Party |
| doubleclick.net | test_cookie | Google Ads, checks if cookies are enabled | ~15 min | Third-Party |
Affiliate Cookies
These are only active when we run specific affiliate campaigns. We use them to attribute and measure sales from our partners, companies that promote Against Data on their own platforms. If this is the case, limited information related to your visit (such as referral identifiers) may be shared for attribution and commission purposes.
| Host | Cookie Name | Description | Expiration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .againstdata.com | rewardful.referral | Records referral source for affiliate attribution. | 60 days | First - Party |
Local Storage
In addition to cookies, we use local storage to ensure accurate attribution and site functionality. Unlike cookies, this data remains on your browser and is not automatically sent to our servers with every request.
| Host | Key | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|---|
| againstdata.com | meta_ads_params | Stores campaign and referral parameters for Meta advertising attribution | |
| againstdata.com | _gcl_ls | Stores Google Ads conversion and attribution data | |
| againstdata.com | lastExternalReferrer | Tracks referral source for marketing attribution | (Meta Pixel) |
7. Third-Party Security & Support
While we do our best to keep everything "in-house," some essential security and functional tools are provided directly by Google from their own servers.
Why these are different:
Because these live on .google.com, they are Third-Party cookies. We do not control them directly, and they are managed by Google according to their own privacy rules.
Third-Party Security & Support List
| Host | Cookie Name | Description | Expiration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .google.com | __Secure-BUCKET | This is a security-oriented cookie used by Google for internal user segmentation and service optimization to ensure the safe delivery of their tools. | ~ 3 months | Third-Party |
| .google.com | __Secure-STRP | This is a security-focused cookie used by Google to provide protection against malicious activity and ensure the safe operation of Google services on our website. | ~6 months | Third-Party |
| .google.com | AEC | This cookie is used by Google to verify that a user is a real person rather than an automated bot. It helps prevent fraud and unauthorized attempts to access or disrupt the services integrated into our website. | ~6 months | Third-Party |
| .google.com | NID | This cookie is used by Google to remember your preferences (such as your preferred language) and to protect against automated "bot" activity when you interact with Google services on our site. | ~6 months | Third-Party |
8. Your Choices (How to stay in control)
We believe you should be the one pulling the strings. Strictly necessary cookies and similar technologies are used because they are required for the operation, security, and integrity of the website. Analytics and marketing cookies and similar technologies are used only if you provide consent for the relevant category.
Here is how you can manage what we "see" when you visit AgainstData: Our "Safe by Default" Policy
We use Google Consent Mode v2. This means that when you land on our site, every single marketing and analytics tag is blocked by default. Analytics and marketing cookies and tags are configured not to be activated until you provide consent for the relevant category.
Changing Your Mind
If you want to change your settings later, maybe you accepted analytics but now want to opt-out, you can do so at any time by clicking the "Cookie Settings" link in our footer. • Your new preferences are instantly saved in the dad_cookies session cookie. • This will immediately stop any non-essential tracking for the rest of your session.
Taking Manual Control
While our cookie banner handles the heavy lifting, you can also control or block cookies directly through your browser settings. Each browser is a bit different, so here are the official instructions for the most common ones: • Apple Safari • Google Chrome • Microsoft Edge • Microsoft Internet Explorer • Mozilla Firefox • Opera
Still have questions?
If you need any further information regarding our tech stack or how we handle your data, we’re happy to chat. You can reach our privacy team at: data@againstdata.com
Last updated: 04.2026