Cookie policy | Termerly

In summary: Roaderly uses cookies to allow you to log in and remain securely authenticated (essential cookies) and to understand how you interact with the platform to improve your experience (analytics cookies). You can control cookies from your browser settings.

1. What are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile) when you visit a website. These files allow the website to remember your actions and preferences over a period of time, so you don't have to reconfigure them every time you return.

Cookies serve various important functions:

Authentication: Keep your session active so you don't have to log in constantly
Security: Help protect your account by detecting suspicious activities
Preferences: Remember your personalized settings
Analytics: Help us understand how the platform is used to improve it
Performance: Allow the site to function efficiently

2. Cookies Used by Roaderly

Roaderly uses a limited number of cookies, divided into two main categories: essential cookies and analytics cookies.

__session

Priority: Essential
Purpose: Authentication cookie that keeps your session active and secure. Allows you to remain logged in while using Roaderly.
Duration: Up to 14 days (or configurable up to 300,000ms) or until logout
Provider: Roaderly / Firebase

hjSession*

Priority: Analytics
Purpose: Hotjar cookie that stores information about the user's current session, such as pages visited and time on site.
Duration: 30 minutes
Provider: Hotjar

hjSessionUser*

Priority: Analytics
Purpose: Hotjar cookie that anonymously identifies the user for long-term behavior analysis.
Duration: 1 year
Provider: Hotjar

_hjIncludedInPageviewSample*

Priority: Analytics
Purpose: Determines if the user is included in the data sample for pageview analysis.
Duration: 30 minutes
Provider: Hotjar

_hjAbsoluteSessionInProgress*

Priority: Analytics
Purpose: Detects the first pageview session of a user in that specific session.
Duration: 30 minutes
Provider: Hotjar

3.1. Essential Cookies (Strictly Necessary)

Can you disable them? No. These cookies are absolutely necessary for you to use Roaderly. Without them, basic services like authentication would not work.

Main cookie: __session

This is our most important authentication cookie:

Purpose: Maintains your session active and secure through Firebase Authentication
Content: Encrypted session token that identifies your account
Security:
- Configured with HTTP-only to prevent JavaScript access
- Uses secure flag in production (HTTPS transmission only)
- SameSite=lax for CSRF protection
Expiration: Maximum 14 days (or configured duration), or immediately upon logout
Deletion: Automatically deleted when you log out or it expires

3.2. Analytics and Performance Cookies

Can you disable them? Yes. These cookies help us improve Roaderly, but they are not essential for its operation. You can disable them from your browser.

Hotjar Analytics

We use Hotjar to understand how users interact with Roaderly:

What we track:

Pages visited and time spent
Clicks and mouse movements (aggregated and anonymous)
Technical errors users encounter
Navigation paths within the platform
Interaction with boards, posts, and voting features

What we DON'T track:

Content of your feedback posts
Sensitive personal information
Passwords or payment data
Keystrokes in sensitive text fields

Purpose:

Identify usability issues
Optimize feedback submission and roadmap workflow
Improve browsing experience
Detect and fix errors

More information: Hotjar Cookie Policy

4. Third-Party Cookies

Some third-party services we use may set their own cookies:

4.1. Firebase (Google)

Function: Authentication and session management
Cookies: Related to the __session cookie it manages
Privacy: Firebase processes data according to Google's Privacy Policy
More information: Google Cookies

4.2. Hotjar

Function: User behavior analysis
Cookies: Those detailed in the table above (section 2.1)
Anonymization: Hotjar anonymizes IP addresses and personal data
Opt-out: You can opt out at Hotjar Opt-out

5. Purpose and Legal Basis

5.1. Essential Cookies

Legal basis: Legitimate interest and contract performance

Essential cookies are necessary to provide the service you have requested. Without them, we could not:

Keep your session active
Protect your account from unauthorized access
Remember your boards and feedback settings
Ensure the security of your data
Maintain voting integrity and prevent manipulation

5.2. Analytics Cookies

Legal basis: Legitimate interest (improving our services)

Analytics cookies help us to:

Understand which features are most used (boards, voting, commenting)
Identify areas for improvement on the platform
Detect technical issues before they affect more users
Optimize site performance and speed
Develop new features based on actual usage

6.1. Control from Your Browser

You can control and/or delete cookies as you wish. All modern browsers allow you to:

View cookies: Inspect which cookies are stored
Delete cookies: Erase all or specific cookies
Block cookies: Prevent new cookies from being installed
Set exceptions: Allow cookies from certain sites

6.2. Instructions by Browser

Here's how to manage cookies in the most popular browsers:

Google Chrome:

Click the menu (⋮) > Settings
Select "Privacy and security"
Click "Cookies and other site data"
Here you can view, delete, or block cookies

Mozilla Firefox:

Click the menu (≡) > Settings
Select "Privacy & Security"
Under "Cookies and Site Data" you can manage cookies

Safari:

Safari > Preferences > Privacy
Here you can manage cookies and block them
To view cookies: Safari > Preferences > Advanced > Show Develop menu
Then: Develop > Show Web Inspector

Microsoft Edge:

Click the menu (⋯) > Settings
Select "Cookies and site permissions"
Click "Manage and delete cookies and site data"

6.3. Consequences of Blocking Cookies

Important: If you block or delete essential cookies, you may not be able to use Roaderly properly.

By blocking cookies, you might experience:

Essential cookies blocked:

You won't be able to log in to Roaderly
Your session will close constantly
Your preferences won't be saved
Basic functionalities won't work
You won't be able to vote or comment on feedback

Analytics cookies blocked:

Roaderly will work normally
We won't be able to improve the platform based on your usage
You might experience undetected issues

7. Technology Updates

In addition to cookies, we use other storage technologies:

Local Storage: To save interface preferences (theme, language, board filters, etc.)
Session Storage: For temporary data during your browsing session
IndexedDB: To cache data and improve offline performance (PWA)

These technologies are not technically cookies, but serve similar purposes and are covered by this policy.

7.2. Service Workers and PWA

Roaderly uses Service Workers to provide Progressive Web App (PWA) functionality:

Resource caching: Stores files for faster loading
Offline functionality: Allows use of certain features without connection
Notifications: Enables push notifications for feedback updates (only with your permission)

Currently, Roaderly DOES NOT use social media cookies like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., as we have no social sharing integrations or "Like" buttons.

If we implement these features in the future, we will update this policy to reflect those changes.

9. Advertising Cookies

Roaderly DOES NOT use advertising cookies or tracking cookies for marketing. We do not display advertisements on the platform and do not share your data with advertising networks.

10. International Transfers

Some of our service providers that set cookies (such as Hotjar and Firebase/Google) may be located outside your country of residence, which implies international data transfers.

These transfers are protected through:

Approved standard contractual clauses
Adequate privacy certifications
Compliance with GDPR and other data protection laws

11. Your Rights

Regarding cookies and the data they collect, you have the right to:

Access: Know which cookies are installed on your device
Control: Manage your cookie preferences
Deletion: Delete cookies at any time
Opposition: Reject non-essential cookies
Information: Receive clear information about cookie usage

To exercise these rights, you can use your browser tools or contact us directly.

We may update this Cookie Policy occasionally to reflect:

Changes in the cookies we use
New tracking technologies
Modifications to our services
Legal or regulatory updates

When we make significant changes:

We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top
We will notify you via notice on the platform
In important cases, we will send you an email

We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed.

13. Relationship with Other Policies

This Cookie Policy complements our Privacy Policy. For complete information on how we handle your personal data, also consult:

Roaderly Privacy Policy
Roaderly Terms of Service

14. Frequently Asked Questions

Does Roaderly sell my cookie information to third parties?

No. We never sell your information to third parties. Analytics cookies are used exclusively to improve our service.

Can I use Roaderly without accepting analytics cookies?

Yes. You can block Hotjar cookies from your browser and continue using all Roaderly functionalities without issues.

Why do you need such long session cookies (14 days)?

To offer you a better experience and avoid having you log in constantly. You can manually log out at any time.

How do I know which cookies Roaderly is using in my browser right now?

You can inspect cookies in your browser's development tools (F12 > Application/Storage > Cookies).

Does Roaderly use cookies to track me on other websites?

No. Our cookies only work on roaderly.com and do not track you on other websites.

Do cookies affect voting or feedback submission?

Essential cookies are necessary for authentication, which is required to vote and submit feedback. Analytics cookies do not affect these functions.