Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently and to provide information to website owners about how their sites are being used.

At SkillChickPulse, we believe in minimal data collection and transparency. We use only essential cookies to provide our services effectively while respecting your privacy and giving you control over your data.

This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how we use them, what types of cookies we use, the information we collect using cookies, and how that information is used and your choices regarding cookies.

2. How We Use Cookies

We use cookies for the following purposes:

2.1 Essential Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary for our website to function properly and cannot be disabled in our systems:

• Session Management: To maintain your login session and user preferences across pages
• Security: To protect against cross-site request forgery (CSRF) and other security threats
• Load Balancing: To distribute traffic efficiently across our servers
• Authentication: To verify your identity and maintain secure access to your account
• Platform Functionality: To enable core features like AI analysis settings and training preferences

2.2 Functional Cookies

These cookies enhance your experience but are not essential for basic functionality:

• User Preferences: To remember your settings, customizations, and display preferences
• Language Selection: To display content in your preferred language
• Theme Preferences: To remember your chosen visual theme and layout options
• Feature Settings: To save your AI analysis preferences and training configurations
• Accessibility Options: To maintain your accessibility settings across sessions

2.3 Performance Cookies

These cookies help us understand how our platform is performing (used only with your consent):

• Usage Statistics: To understand how our platform features are used
• Performance Monitoring: To identify and fix technical issues and optimize loading times
• Feature Analytics: To improve our AI training tools and user interface
• Error Tracking: To identify and resolve technical problems

3. Types of Cookies We Use

4. Third-Party Cookies

We minimize the use of third-party cookies and only use them when necessary for specific functionality:

• Payment Processing: Secure payment handling during checkout (Stripe, PayPal)
• Customer Support: Live chat and support ticket functionality (only when activated)
• Content Delivery: Optimized content delivery for better performance
• Security Services: Protection against malicious attacks and fraud

We do not use cookies for advertising, cross-site tracking, or sharing data with advertisers. All third-party services are carefully vetted for privacy compliance.

5. Your Cookie Choices and Control

5.1 Cookie Consent

When you first visit our website, we'll ask for your consent to use non-essential cookies. You have the following options:

• Accept all cookies (essential, functional, and performance)
• Accept only essential cookies (required for basic functionality)
• Customize your preferences (choose specific cookie categories)
• Reject all non-essential cookies

5.2 Managing Cookie Preferences

You can change your cookie preferences at any time by:

• Visiting our Cookie Preference Center (available in your account settings)
• Using the cookie banner that appears on your first visit
• Contacting our support team for assistance
• Managing cookies through your browser settings

5.3 Browser-Specific Cookie Management

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Here are instructions for popular browsers:

• Google Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Cookies and other site data
• Mozilla Firefox: Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
• Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data
• Microsoft Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Cookies and site data
• Opera: Settings > Advanced > Privacy & security > Cookies

6. Impact of Disabling Cookies

Disabling different types of cookies will have varying effects on your experience:

• Essential Cookies: The website may not function properly; some features may be unavailable
• Functional Cookies: You may need to re-enter preferences and settings on each visit
• Performance Cookies: No impact on functionality, but we cannot improve the service based on usage data

We recommend keeping essential cookies enabled for the best user experience.

7. Cookie Security and Privacy

We implement strong security measures for all cookies:

• Secure transmission using HTTPS encryption
• HTTP-only flags to prevent client-side script access
• SameSite attributes to prevent cross-site request forgery
• Regular security audits and updates
• Minimal data collection principles
• Automatic expiration of session cookies

8. Mobile Applications

Our mobile applications may use similar tracking technologies to cookies, including:

• Local storage for user preferences
• Session tokens for authentication
• Analytics SDKs for performance monitoring (with consent)
• Crash reporting tools for stability improvements

You can manage these preferences through your device settings or within the application.

9. International Data Transfers

Cookie data may be processed in different countries where our service providers operate. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for international transfers, including:

• Standard Contractual Clauses for EU data transfers
• Adequacy decisions for approved countries
• Additional security measures for sensitive data

10. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. We will notify you of significant changes through:

• Email notification to registered users
• Prominent notice on our website
• Updated consent banners for new cookie types
• In-app notifications for mobile users

The "Last updated" date at the top of this policy indicates when the most recent changes were made.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us:

We are committed to addressing your privacy concerns and will respond to all inquiries within 72 hours.