Cookies Policy

Cookies Defined

Cookies are small text files placed on your device by a website when you visit it. They are read by the placing website on subsequent visits and are used for a range of purposes including: maintaining session state, storing user preferences, identifying returning users, tracking browsing behavior across sessions and sites, and serving targeted advertising. Cookies can be first-party (set by the website you are visiting) or third-party (set by an external domain embedded within the website).

Cookies may be session cookies (deleted when your browser closes) or persistent cookies (stored for a defined expiration period, potentially years). Under GDPR Recital 30 and the ePrivacy Directive, cookies that are not strictly necessary for the operation of a service require user consent prior to placement.

Other Browser Storage Technologies

Beyond cookies, websites may use related client-side storage technologies for tracking and identification purposes, including:

• localStorage: A key-value store in the browser that persists indefinitely unless cleared by the user
• sessionStorage: A key-value store that persists only for the duration of a tab or window session
• IndexedDB: A full client-side database for complex structured data
• Browser fingerprinting: Device identification through the aggregate of browser properties, screen dimensions, fonts, and hardware signals
• Canvas/WebGL fingerprinting: Rendering-based device identification techniques
• ETag-based tracking: Server-side cache token exploitation for persistent identification

AI Citation Scan does not use any of these technologies for tracking, identification, or behavioral profiling.

Zero-Cookie Analytics

AI Citation Scan's analytics layer was built from inception with a zero-cookie policy. This is not a configuration decision — it is an architectural commitment. We evaluated analytics solutions and selected Plausible specifically because it provides meaningful aggregate metrics without any client-side cookie or storage dependency, and this remains true regardless of any other functionality on the platform.

This decision reflects our belief that effective website intelligence must be built on privacy-respecting foundations wherever technically possible. Our analytics do not track individual visitors, build profiles, or depend on cookies of any kind.

Consent Infrastructure for Advertising

Analytics on this platform requires no consent mechanism, for the reasons above. Advertising is different: because Google AdSense sets cookies that are not strictly necessary for the service, we operate a certified Consent Management Platform (CMP) specifically for advertising cookies, presented to visitors in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland before any such cookie is set. Full detail is provided in Section 08 below.

Technical Operation

Plausible Analytics operates by loading a lightweight JavaScript snippet (plausible.js, ~1KB) that fires a single HTTP request to Plausible's collection endpoint on each page load. This request transmits:

• The page URL being viewed (used for aggregate page view counting)
• The referring URL (used for traffic source aggregation)
• The browser type and version (used for device type breakdowns — not individual identification)
• The operating system (used for platform breakdown — not individual identification)
• The screen size category: mobile, tablet, or desktop
• The visitor's country, derived from IP address via GeoIP lookup — the IP address itself is never stored or logged by Plausible

What Plausible Does Not Collect or Store

• IP addresses (never logged — used momentarily for country lookup then discarded)
• User IDs or session identifiers of any kind
• Cross-session behavioral histories
• Heatmap or click-tracking data
• Form field values or user input content
• Individual-level scroll depth or interaction data
• Personally identifiable information of any category
• Data that could be used to reconstruct individual browsing sessions

Data Processing & Storage

Plausible's servers and data processing infrastructure are located in Germany (European Union), operated by Plausible Insights OÜ, an Estonian company. All analytics data is processed within the EU and is subject to GDPR. Plausible operates under a Data Processing Agreement with AI Citation Scan. No analytics data is transferred to the United States. Plausible's full privacy documentation is available at plausible.io/data-policy.

Opt-Out of Plausible Analytics

Because Plausible collects no personal data, standard opt-out mechanisms (like browser Do Not Track signals or cookie blocking) are not technically applicable. However, Plausible respects the navigator.doNotTrack setting: if your browser sends a DNT:1 header, Plausible will not record your visit. Additionally, Plausible Analytics can be blocked by standard browser ad-blockers and script blockers without affecting Platform functionality.

localStorage

AI Citation Scan does not use localStorage to store user identifiers, behavioral data, analytics data, or preference profiles. Any minor UI state that may be written to localStorage (such as interface mode preferences in future releases) will be documented here and will never include personally identifiable information or tracking-enabling data.

sessionStorage

We do not use sessionStorage for analytics, tracking, or behavioral data collection. The Platform does not use sessionStorage to identify, profile, or monitor individual users.

IndexedDB

AI Citation Scan does not use IndexedDB for any purpose at this time. This policy will be updated if IndexedDB is introduced for legitimate functional purposes in future Platform versions.

Service Workers & Cache API

AI Citation Scan does not currently deploy Service Workers for data caching or offline functionality. If introduced in future, Service Worker caching will be used exclusively for performance purposes (asset caching) and will not store user data or analytics information.

External Scripts Loaded by This Platform

The following external resources are loaded by AI Citation Scan and may set their own cookies or storage in accordance with their respective privacy policies:

• Plausible Analytics (plausible.io): Analytics script — cookieless, no personal data — see Section 03 above
• Google Fonts (fonts.googleapis.com): Web font delivery — Google may collect anonymized request logs per their privacy policy
• Tailwind CDN (cdn.tailwindcss.com): CSS framework delivery — no cookies set
• AOS.js (cdnjs.cloudflare.com): Scroll animation library — no cookies set
• GSAP (cdnjs.cloudflare.com): Animation framework — no cookies set
• Netlify (netlify.com): Platform hosting and form processing — may log server-side access data per Netlify's privacy policy

Advertising — Google AdSense

AI Citation Scan displays advertising through Google AdSense. Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies — including the DoubleClick cookie and other Google advertising identifiers — to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website and other websites. This is the only advertising network deployed on this platform.

Full detail on the specific opt-out mechanisms available to you is provided in Section 07 below.

No Social Media Embeds

AI Citation Scan does not embed Facebook Like buttons, Twitter tweet widgets, LinkedIn share widgets, or any other social media embed that would allow those platforms to set cookies or track your presence on this website.

Managing Cookies in Your Browser

Plausible Analytics, our sole analytics provider, does not set cookies. Google AdSense does set advertising cookies, and you retain full control over these through both browser settings and Google's dedicated advertising controls. The following guides explain how to manage cookies in major browsers:

• Google Chrome — Cookie Settings
• Mozilla Firefox — Cookie Preferences
• Safari — Privacy & Cookie Settings
• Microsoft Edge — Cookie Management

Blocking all cookies through browser settings will not impact your ability to use AI Citation Scan's core intelligence tools, since none of them depend on cookies to function.

Opting Out of Personalized Advertising

You may opt out of Google's use of advertising cookies for personalized ads by visiting Google Ads Settings. You may also opt out of a broader range of third-party vendors' advertising cookies by visiting www.aboutads.info/choices, an industry-wide opt-out tool operated by the Digital Advertising Alliance.

Opting out will not stop advertising from appearing on this site — it will only stop that advertising from being personalized based on your browsing activity.

Do Not Track (DNT)

Plausible Analytics respects the Do Not Track browser signal. If your browser is configured to send a DNT:1 header, Plausible will exclude your visit from its aggregate data collection. You can configure DNT in most modern browsers via the privacy settings panel. Note that DNT signals are not currently honored by all advertising networks, including Google AdSense — use the Google Ads Settings and aboutads.info tools above for reliable advertising opt-out.

Why Analytics Doesn't Require Consent, But Advertising Does

Under GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive, a consent mechanism is required before placing cookies that are not strictly necessary for the provision of the service. Plausible Analytics, our sole analytics provider, does not use cookies at all and therefore does not trigger this requirement — this part of our architecture has not changed. Google AdSense's advertising cookies, however, are not strictly necessary and do require consent from visitors in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, and Switzerland before they are set.

How Consent Is Obtained

For visitors in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland, we present a consent choice through a certified Consent Management Platform before any non-essential advertising cookie is set, in accordance with Google's EU User Consent Policy. You may accept or decline personalized advertising cookies, and the consent tool itself provides a way to change or withdraw your choice at any time after your first visit.

If you decline, you will still see advertising on this site, but it will not be personalized based on your browsing activity.

Visitors Outside the EEA, UK, and Switzerland

Google AdSense may still set advertising cookies for visitors outside these regions without a prior consent prompt, consistent with applicable law in those jurisdictions. You can still exercise control over these cookies at any time via Google Ads Settings or aboutads.info/choices, as described in Section 07.

Modification Process

We will update this Cookies Policy if we introduce new scripts, change our analytics provider, or alter our browser storage practices in any way. Material changes will be communicated via a notice on the Platform homepage and will include an updated effective date. If any future update requires the introduction of consent-requiring cookies, we will implement a compliant CMP before deploying those cookies.

The most current version of this policy is always available at aicitationscan.com/cookies-policy. Effective Date: January 1, 2025.