Cookie Policy

Service operator: Jakub Ciepielowski.

1. What Cookies Are

Cookies are small text files that your browser stores on your device. They let us remember your settings, keep your login session active and, with your consent, analyse how you use the service.

2. Types of Cookies We Use

Essential, which keep you logged in and protect your session: the session cookie, the "remember me" cookie (7 days), the 2FA trusted device cookie (30 days) and Cloudflare security cookies (including Turnstile verification in forms). Required for the service to work, no consent needed. The CSRF token is stored in the server-side session, not as a separate cookie.
Preferences, which remember your chosen interface language (up to 12 months) and the light/dark theme (localStorage).
Analytics, Google Analytics activated only with your consent (the tag loads in "consent denied" mode and stores no cookies before consent is given). We also use the cookieless analytics service Plausible, which stores nothing on your device. With your analytics consent we additionally run Microsoft Clarity, which records how our public pages and the photographer panel are used (cursor movement, clicks, scrolling) so we can see where the interface causes trouble. Clarity does not run in client photo galleries, and photos in the panel are masked and never recorded.
Marketing, the Google Ads tag (conversion measurement) activated only with your marketing consent.
Attribution, our own cookies that let us establish how you reached the service: picvelo_vid (visit identifier and campaign source, 12 months), picvelo_ref (referral programme, 60 days), picvelo_aff (affiliate programme, 60 days). They serve solely to settle referrals and measure the effectiveness of our campaigns, and we do not share them with third parties.

3. Third-Party Cookies

Google Analytics / Google Ads, traffic statistics and conversion measurement (with consent only).
Microsoft Clarity, analysis of how the service is used and a recording of the visit on public pages and in the photographer panel (analytics consent only; client galleries are excluded).
Cloudflare, security, protection against attacks (including Turnstile verification) and faster loading of the service (essential cookies).
Stripe, payment processing and fraud prevention; Stripe cookies are created on the Stripe payment pages we redirect you to.

4. Managing Consent

On your first visit we show a cookie banner where you can accept or reject optional cookies. You can change your preferences at any time using the cookie settings available at the bottom of the page. You can also delete or block cookies in your browser settings, but bear in mind that disabling essential cookies may make the service unusable.

5. How Long We Keep Cookies

Session cookies are deleted when you close your browser. Persistent cookies expire after the periods given in section 2 (from 7 days to 12 months). Your decision from the cookie banner is stored in your browser's memory (localStorage) until you change it or clear your browsing data, and for logged-in users also on the server side (together with the IP address and browser identifier, as proof that consent was granted or refused).

6. Changes and Contact

We may update this policy as the service evolves. Please send questions about cookies to: [email protected]. You will find more about data processing in our Privacy Policy.