Cookie Policy

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They allow the site to recognize your device, remember your preferences, and improve your experience across visits. Cookies may be "session cookies" (deleted when you close your browser) or "persistent cookies" (remaining on your device for a set duration or until you delete them).

Similar technologies include browser local storage, session storage, and web beacons. Where this policy refers to "cookies," it encompasses all such technologies. GlobalGov makes significant use of browser local storage in addition to conventional cookies.

Categories We Use

GlobalGov uses three categories of cookies and similar technologies: essential, preference, and analytics. Analytics runs only if you allow it through the cookie consent banner described below. We use no advertising or ad-targeting cookies.

• Essential (always on): authentication and session state so you remain logged in, and security protections such as request forgery prevention. These are required for the Service to function and do not require consent. Sign-in state is held in browser local storage and first-party session data.
• Preference: your interface settings, such as language and display preferences, stored in browser local storage so they persist between visits. Your cookie consent choice itself is stored this way (see "Your Consent Choices" below).
• Analytics (consent-based): product analytics provided by PostHog and Google Analytics, as described in our Privacy Policy. These technologies are loaded only after you grant analytics consent.
• Payment (Stripe): when you make a payment, Stripe, our payment processor, may set cookies (such as __stripe_mid and __stripe_sid) to prevent fraud and support secure payment sessions. These are functionally essential to payment processing and are governed by Stripe's Privacy Policy.

Analytics and Session Replay (PostHog and Google Analytics)

With your consent, we use PostHog, a product analytics service, to collect usage events (such as pages viewed, features used, and interactions) and to record session replays of platform use. In session replays, all form inputs are masked, including email address fields; what you type into forms is never captured in a replay. We use this data to understand how the Service is used and to improve it. PostHog stores identifiers and state on your device, primarily in browser local storage under keys beginning with "ph_". Google Analytics sets cookies on your device, principally "_ga" and "_ga_" followed by our property ID, which distinguish one visitor from another. If you reject non-essential cookies we disable Google Analytics and delete those cookies.

None of this analytics code runs before you consent. If you decline, the PostHog script is not loaded, no analytics identifiers are placed on your device, no events are collected, and no session replay is recorded. If you decline after previously accepting, PostHog's local storage state is removed from your device.

What We Store and for How Long

The list below names every analytics and third-party cookie and storage key we use, and groups our own functional settings by purpose, with who sets each one and how long it stays on your device. Browser local storage has no built-in expiry: an entry stays until it is replaced, removed by us as described below, or you clear this site's browsing data. Session storage is deleted when you close the browser tab.

• Consent record (GlobalGov, local storage, essential): gg_cookie_consent and gg_cookie_prefs hold your cookie choice. Replaced when you change your choice.
• Sign-in (GlobalGov, local storage, essential): globalgov-auth and the gg_access_token, gg_refresh_token and gg_session_token keys keep you signed in to the platform.
• Interface and checkout settings (GlobalGov, preference): saved settings such as gg_lang, gg_language, gg_theme, gg_accent, gg_density, gg_display_currency and gg_sol_view in local storage, and the plan, billing period and return page you chose during checkout in session storage.
• Public figure caches (GlobalGov, local storage, essential): gg_coverage_cache, gg_pricing_cache and gg_public_stats_v3 hold copies of our public coverage, pricing and statistics figures so pages load quickly. They contain no identifier. A page fetches fresh figures when its copy is more than a day old, and the homepage clears the statistics copy each time it loads.
• gg_variant (GlobalGov, local storage, analytics): which version of our homepage you are shown. It holds a version label, not an identifier.
• gg_session_id (GlobalGov, local storage, analytics): a random identifier sent with requests from our pricing page and checkout so we can measure how visitors move from pricing to checkout.
• gg_utms (GlobalGov, session storage, analytics): the campaign link parameters you arrived with, if any, so we know which campaign brought you.
• gg_sid and keys beginning with gg_tracked_ (GlobalGov, session storage, analytics): a visit identifier and a record of which homepage events were already counted. Set only after you accept analytics.
• _ga and _ga_ followed by our property ID (Google Analytics, cookies, analytics): distinguish one visitor from another. Set only after you accept analytics. Google sets them to expire after 2 years, renewed on each visit; Chrome limits any cookie to 400 days and some browsers to less. Deleted if you later reject non-essential cookies.
• Keys beginning with ph_ (PostHog, analytics): product analytics and session replay state. Set only after you accept analytics. On our website PostHog uses a cookie with a 365-day expiry, renewed on visits, plus local and session storage; on the platform it uses local storage. If you later reject non-essential cookies, its local storage entries are removed, and on our website PostHog stops collecting.
• __stripe_mid, __stripe_sid (Stripe, cookies, essential to payment): fraud prevention during checkout. Stripe states lifetimes of 1 year and 30 minutes respectively.

Your Consent Choices

On your first visit, a consent banner lets you choose how GlobalGov may use non-essential cookies. The banner offers three options:

• Accept All: enables analytics (including session replay) and personalization. Analytics begins immediately after you accept.
• Reject Non-Essential: only essential and preference technologies are used. No analytics runs, Google Analytics cookies are deleted, and PostHog's local storage state is removed.
• Customize: on the platform, you can enable or disable analytics and personalization individually.

Your choice is stored on your device in browser local storage under the keys "gg_cookie_consent" and "gg_cookie_prefs" so we do not ask again on every visit. To change or withdraw your choice at any time, reopen the cookie preferences banner or clear this site's browsing data in your browser; the banner will then appear again and no analytics will run until you make a new choice. Withdrawing consent stops analytics immediately and does not affect the lawfulness of prior processing. You can also contact contact@globalgov.io to exercise your data rights, as described in the Privacy Policy.

Global Privacy Control

We honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) browser signal. If your browser or a browser extension sends GPC, we treat analytics as declined for you, regardless of your region and regardless of any stored banner choice.

EU/EEA and UK Visitors

Under the EU ePrivacy Directive and GDPR, non-essential cookies require informed consent before they are placed. GlobalGov applies a consent-first approach for all visitors worldwide: analytics technologies are not loaded until you affirmatively accept them through the consent banner. Essential cookies do not require consent because they are necessary for the service you have explicitly requested.

How to Manage Cookies in Your Browser

Independently of our consent banner, you can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling essential cookies will prevent GlobalGov from functioning correctly.

• Google Chrome: Settings, then Privacy and security, then Cookies and other site data. You can block all cookies, block third-party cookies, or clear existing cookies from this menu.
• Mozilla Firefox: Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Cookies and Site Data. Firefox also offers Enhanced Tracking Protection to block certain third-party tracking cookies automatically.
• Apple Safari: Preferences, then Privacy, then Manage Website Data. You can view and delete cookies per site. Safari blocks cross-site tracking by default.
• Microsoft Edge: Settings, then Cookies and site permissions, then Cookies and site data. You can block or allow cookies and manage per-site exceptions.

Most browsers also allow you to delete all cookies at once or on browser close. Please refer to your browser's help documentation for complete instructions.

Changes to This Policy

We will update this Cookie Policy if we change the cookies or similar technologies we use. The "last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be communicated via the platform or by email.

Contact

For questions about our use of cookies, contact us at contact@globalgov.io.