Cookie Policy

Introduction

LGBTQ-Dating.com ("we", "us", "our") uses cookies and similar technologies on our platform at lgbtq-dating.com. This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how we use them, and how you can manage your preferences.

This policy should be read alongside our Privacy Policy, which explains how we handle your personal data.

By continuing to use our platform, you consent to the use of cookies as described in this policy. You can change your preferences at any time using our cookie consent banner.

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, smartphone or tablet) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, provide a better user experience, and give website owners useful information.

Cookies can be "first-party" (set by us) or "third-party" (set by other services we use). They can also be "session cookies" (deleted when you close your browser) or "persistent cookies" (remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them).

We also use similar technologies such as local storage and session storage, which function in a comparable way. References to "cookies" in this policy include these similar technologies.

2. Essential Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary for the platform to function. Without them, services you have asked for cannot be provided. They cannot be disabled.

Legal basis: These cookies are necessary for the performance of our contract with you (providing the service you requested).

3. Functional Cookies

These cookies enable enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we use on our pages.

• Theme preferences: remembering your light/dark mode choice
• Language settings: storing your preferred language
• Notification preferences: remembering which notifications you have enabled or disabled
• Filter settings: saving your discover page filter preferences (age range, distance, etc.)

If you disable these cookies, some features may not work as expected but the core platform will still function.

4. Analytics Cookies

We use analytics cookies to understand how visitors interact with our platform. This helps us improve the user experience, fix issues, and develop new features.

The information collected is aggregated and anonymous. We do not use analytics data to identify individual users.

Information collected includes:

• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Features used and interactions performed
• Device type, browser type and screen resolution
• Approximate geographic location (country/city level only)
• How you arrived at our platform (referral source)

Legal basis: Consent. You can opt out of analytics cookies through our cookie consent banner at any time.

5. Marketing Cookies

We currently do not use marketing or advertising cookies. We do not track you across other websites and we do not serve targeted advertisements.

If we introduce marketing cookies in the future, we will update this policy and request your explicit consent before activating them. You will always be able to opt out.

6. Third-Party Cookies

Some cookies on our platform are set by third-party services that we use:

• Cloudflare: security cookies to protect against malicious traffic and DDoS attacks
• Stripe: payment processing cookies when you make a subscription purchase (only on payment pages)

These third parties have their own cookie and privacy policies. We recommend reviewing their policies for more information about how they use cookies.

7. Managing Your Cookie Preferences

7.1 Our cookie consent banner:

When you first visit our platform, you will see a cookie consent banner allowing you to accept all cookies or manage your preferences. You can change your preferences at any time by clicking "Manage Preferences" in the cookie banner at the bottom of any page.

7.2 Browser settings:

You can also control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:

• View what cookies are stored on your device
• Delete individual or all cookies
• Block cookies from specific or all websites
• Set preferences for first-party vs third-party cookies

7.3 Consequences of disabling cookies:

• Essential cookies disabled: the platform will not function correctly — you may not be able to log in or use core features
• Functional cookies disabled: your preferences may not be remembered between visits
• Analytics cookies disabled: no impact on your experience — you simply won't be included in anonymous usage statistics

8. Local Storage and Session Storage

In addition to cookies, we use browser local storage and session storage for:

• Authentication tokens: keeping you securely logged in
• User preferences: theme, notification settings, filter choices
• Referral tracking: storing referral codes from invite links
• Location permission status: remembering whether you granted location access
• Onboarding progress: tracking which onboarding steps you have completed

Local storage data persists until you clear your browser data or delete your account. Session storage data is automatically deleted when you close your browser tab.

9. Your Rights

Under the GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive, you have the right to:

• Be informed about which cookies we use and why (this policy)
• Choose whether to accept or reject non-essential cookies
• Withdraw your consent at any time
• Request information about the data collected through cookies
• Request deletion of cookie-related data

For more details about your data protection rights, please see our Privacy Policy.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our use of cookies or for legal, regulatory or operational reasons. We will notify you of significant changes by:

• Displaying an updated cookie consent banner
• Updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy
• Posting a notice on our platform

We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed about our cookie practices.

11. Contact Us

For any questions about our use of cookies or this policy:

You can also manage your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the "Manage Preferences" button in the cookie banner at the bottom of any page.