What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They support essential site features, improve usability, and help us secure your sessions. We may also use similar techniques such as local storage and session tokens where appropriate. AstralGuard treats all telemetry and cookie data with strict privacy and security controls.
Types of cookies we use
We categorise cookies to be clear about their purpose. We only use cookies necessary to run the site and improve security. Below is a non-exhaustive list.
| Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Essential | Required for authentication, session integrity, and critical platform features. |
| Performance & Analytics | Aggregate usage statistics to help improve UX and identify performance issues. |
| Functionality | Remember display preferences, language, and UI settings. |
| Security & Fraud Prevention | Detect bots, mitigate abuse, and protect authentication flows. |
| Marketing (optional) | Used only when you opt in; limited to measuring engagement and campaign performance. |
How we use cookies
We use cookies to maintain secure sessions, power user-requested features, measure site performance, and protect the site against automated abuse. We do not sell cookie data or perform invasive cross-site profiling.
Your choices
You can control cookies via your browser settings. Blocking cookies may impact site functionality. For EU users, we present opt-in prompts for non-essential cookies where required. The site respects Do Not Track signals when feasible.
Retention & cleanup
Session cookies expire at the end of your session. Persistent cookies have expiry dates based on their purpose, and we periodically purge telemetry and ephemeral tokens that are no longer required.
Third-party services
We may use third-party services for analytics, email delivery, CAPTCHA, and payment processing. All third parties are vetted for security and privacy practices. Their cookies are governed by their own policies.
Policy changes
We may update this policy to reflect legal or technical changes. We will post the last updated date and notify affected users where required.