Cookie Policy

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile phone) when you visit a website. They help websites remember your preferences, improve your experience, and provide analytics about how the site is used.

Cookies can be "session cookies" (deleted when you close your browser) or "persistent cookies" (remain on your device until they expire or you delete them).

Athena Index uses cookies and similar technologies to:

• Improve user experience: Remember your preferences and settings
• Analytics: Understand how visitors use our platform
• Performance: Optimize platform performance and load times
• Functionality: Enable features like alerts and saved comparisons

3.1 Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the website to function properly. They enable core functionality such as navigation, security, and access to protected areas.

Examples:

• Session management
• Security tokens
• Load balancing

Note: Essential cookies cannot be disabled as they are required for the website to work.

3.2 Functional Cookies

These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, personalized features.

Examples:

• User preferences (theme, view mode, sorting preferences)
• Alert settings
• Saved influencer comparisons
• Language and region settings

3.3 Analytics Cookies

These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously.

Information collected:

• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Click patterns and navigation paths
• Device type, browser, and operating system
• Geographic location (country/city level only)
• Referral sources (where you came from)

Third-party services we may use:

• Vercel Analytics (privacy-friendly, no personal data)
• Google Analytics (if implemented, anonymized IP)

3.4 Performance Cookies

These cookies help us improve website performance by collecting information about how fast pages load and if any errors occur.

Purpose:

• Identify slow-loading pages
• Detect technical issues
• Optimize content delivery
• Improve overall user experience

In addition to cookies, we use browser storage technologies:

4.1 Local Storage

Used to store preferences that persist across browser sessions:

• View mode preference (Simple vs. Advanced)
• Theme preferences (if implemented)
• Dismissed notifications
• Alert configurations

4.2 Session Storage

Used for temporary data that only lasts for your current session:

• Active filters and sorting
• Comparison selections
• Form data (to prevent loss on navigation)

Some cookies on our site are set by third-party services. These services may use cookies for:

5.1 Hosting and Infrastructure

• Vercel: Platform hosting and performance monitoring
• Railway: Backend API hosting

5.2 Content Delivery

• CDN providers: Fast delivery of images and assets

5.3 Analytics (if implemented)

• Google Analytics: Website usage statistics (anonymized)

Important: We do not use advertising cookies or sell your data to third parties.

You have several options to control or limit how cookies are used:

6.1 Browser Settings

Most web browsers allow you to manage cookie preferences through browser settings:

• Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data
• Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
• Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data
• Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Cookies and site data

6.2 Clear Cookies

You can delete cookies that have already been stored on your device:

• Clear all cookies (affects all websites)
• Clear cookies for specific websites only
• Set cookies to automatically delete when you close your browser

6.3 Block Third-Party Cookies

Most browsers allow you to block third-party cookies while still accepting first-party cookies.

6.4 Browser Extensions

Privacy-focused browser extensions can help manage cookies:

• Privacy Badger
• uBlock Origin
• Ghostery

Note: Disabling cookies may affect your experience and limit certain features of our website.

Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) signal that you can set to indicate you don't want to be tracked. Currently, there is no industry standard for how to respond to DNT signals.

We respect user privacy and aim to minimize tracking. If we implement analytics, we will use privacy-focused solutions that anonymize data.

The duration cookies remain on your device varies:

• Session cookies: Deleted when you close your browser
• Persistent cookies: Remain for a set period (e.g., 30 days, 1 year)
• Preference cookies: Typically last 1 year
• Analytics cookies: Typically last 1-2 years

If you access our website through a mobile device, cookies work similarly to desktop browsers. You can manage cookies through your mobile browser settings:

• iOS Safari: Settings → Safari → Privacy & Security
• Android Chrome: Chrome Settings → Privacy → Clear browsing data

We may update our cookie usage as we add new features or implement new analytics tools. We will update this Cookie Policy accordingly and notify users of significant changes.

The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.

Cookie data is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. We:

• Do not sell cookie data to third parties
• Do not use cookies for advertising purposes
• Anonymize analytics data where possible
• Use cookies solely to improve user experience
• Comply with applicable data protection laws (GDPR, CCPA)

Our website is not intended for children under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from children through cookies or any other means.

If you have questions about our cookie policy or how we use cookies, please contact us:

Depending on your location, you may have rights regarding cookie data:

• Right to access: Know what data is collected via cookies
• Right to delete: Request deletion of cookie data
• Right to opt-out: Decline non-essential cookies
• Right to withdraw consent: Change cookie preferences anytime

Learn more about cookies and online privacy:

• All About Cookies
• Your Online Choices
• ICO Cookie Guidance