Cookie Policy

01

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that websites place on your device to remember information about your visit. "Similar technologies" includes localStorage, sessionStorage, pixel tags, and server-side session identifiers — they all serve broadly the same purpose. We use the word "cookies" below to cover all of them.

This policy explains which cookies HeldSway uses on heldsway.com and on the platform at app.heldsway.com. It forms part of our Privacy Policy.

02

The four categories we use

Strictly necessary

Required to make the site function — authentication session, CSRF protection, load-balancing. These cannot be turned off; if blocked, the site will not work.

Functional

Remember choices you make (preferred currency, billing cycle on the pricing page, dismissed notices) so the experience is consistent on return visits.

Analytics

Help us understand how the site is used (which pages people visit, where they come from, where they drop off). We use Google Analytics 4 with IP anonymisation enabled.

Marketing

We do not currently set marketing or advertising cookies. If that changes, this section will list them and an opt-in consent banner will appear before they are set.

03

Which cookies we set

The list below is the canonical inventory at the date of this document. The exact cookie names and lifetimes may change as we update our infrastructure; we will update this section accordingly.

Strictly necessary

<code>_hs_session</code>

Session identifier; expires when the browser closes (or after extended inactivity).

<code>_hs_csrf</code>

CSRF protection token; same lifetime as the session.

Functional

<code>_hs_billing_pref</code>

Remembers monthly vs annual selection on the pricing page; lifetime ~1 year.

<code>_hs_motion</code>

Caches your prefers-reduced-motion setting; lifetime ~1 year.

Analytics

<code>_ga</code>, <code>_ga_*</code>

Set by Google Analytics 4. We have IP anonymisation enabled. Lifetime ~24 months. Google's own privacy policy applies.

In Phase 1 the marketing site only sets _ga / _ga_* in production; on the public marketing site (heldsway.com) the strictly-necessary and functional cookies above are reserved for when authenticated portal features ship.

04

How to opt out

You can control cookies in several ways:

• Use your browser settings to block or delete cookies. All major browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) allow per-site control.
• Install the official Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout to disable GA tracking globally.
• Use a privacy extension (uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger) to block analytics scripts at the network level.
• Set your browser's "Do Not Track" or "Global Privacy Control" signal — we honour GPC where required by applicable law.

Blocking strictly-necessary cookies will break authentication and account features. Blocking analytics cookies has no effect on the functionality of the site.

05

Changes to this policy

We will update this Cookie Policy when we add, remove, or materially change the cookies we use. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of the site after the effective date of any change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.