Cookie policy

Cookies are small text files that are sent to or accessed from your web browser or your device's memory when you visit our platform. A cookie typically contains:

• The name of the domain (Internet location) from which the cookie originated
• The "lifetime" of the cookie (i.e., when it expires)
• A randomly generated unique number or similar identifier

A cookie may also contain information about your device, such as:

• User settings
• Browsing history
• Activities conducted while using our services
• Language preferences
• Device type and operating system

Why Do We Use Cookies?

Like other providers of online services, we use cookies to:

• Provide, secure, and improve our services
• Remember your preferences
• Recognize you when you visit our platform
• Measure the success of our marketing campaigns
• Personalize and tailor ads to your interests
• Link information from cookies with other personal information we hold about you

Cookies can be categorized in different ways based on who sets them and how long they last.

2.1 Based on Who Sets Them

First-Party Cookies

• Placed directly by Alyke on your device
• We use these to adapt our platform to your preferences
• Help us understand your usage patterns
• Enable core functionality of our services

Third-Party Cookies

• Placed by our partners and service providers
• Help deliver services like analytics and advertising
• Enable social media integration
• Provide payment processing functionality

2.2 Based on Duration

Session Cookies

• Temporary cookies that expire when you close your browser
• Used for immediate functionality during your visit
• Help you navigate the platform efficiently
• Enable features like maintaining your login during a browsing session

Persistent Cookies

• Remain on your device for a set period or until manually deleted
• Help with quick sign-in on return visits
• Remember your preferences across sessions
• Enable personalization features
• Support analytics and advertising

In addition to cookies, we use other tracking technologies that serve similar purposes. For simplicity, we refer to all these technologies as "cookies" throughout this policy.

3.1 Web Beacons (Pixels, Tags, Clear GIFs)

What They Are:

• Tiny graphics files embedded in webpages or emails
• Contain a unique identifier
• Often invisible to users (1x1 pixel)

What They Do:

• Enable us to recognize when someone has visited our service
• Track when emails are opened
• Monitor interactions with content
• Offer a more personalized experience

3.2 Device Identifiers

What They Are:

• Unique codes used to recognize mobile devices
• Examples: IDFA (Apple), AAID (Android), device ID

What They Do:

• Monitor, analyze, and enhance platform performance
• Track ads you see on mobile devices
• Enable cross-device personalization
• Support app functionality

3.3 Local Storage

What It Is:

• Technology that allows websites or apps to store information directly on your device
• Similar to cookies but can store more data
• Includes HTML5 local storage, session storage

What It Does:

• Personalize your experience
• Show content that reflects your past interactions
• Store preferences and settings
• Enable offline functionality

3.4 Software Development Kits (SDKs)

What They Are:

• Small pieces of code included in mobile apps
• Function like cookies and web beacons for mobile applications

What They Do:

• Help us understand app usage
• Improve functionality and performance
• Enable analytics and crash reporting
• Support advertising features

Note: Our mobile app primarily uses device identifiers and analytics SDKs for tracking purposes rather than traditional browser cookies.

When you use our services, some or all of the following types of cookies may be set on your device:

Essential Cookies

Purpose: Strictly necessary to provide you with our services

What They Do:

• Enable you to log in and maintain your session
• Remember your preferences and settings
• Keep you safe by detecting malicious activity
• Provide basic functionality
• Enable authentication and security features
• Support load balancing
• Prevent fraud and abuse

Can You Disable Them? No - these are required for the platform to function. Without them, services you've asked for (like logging in) cannot be provided.

Analytics Cookies

Purpose: Help us understand how our services are being used

What They Do:

• Collect analytics and usage statistics
• Monitor performance and identify issues
• Track error rates and crashes
• Analyze feature usage
• Understand user behavior patterns
• Test new features and improvements
• Optimize user experience

Can You Disable Them? Yes - through your privacy settings, though this will limit our ability to improve the service based on usage patterns.

Preference/Functionality Cookies

Purpose: Remember your preferences and customize your experience

What They Do:

• Save language preferences
• Remember theme settings (dark mode, etc.)
• Store location preferences
• Maintain customization options
• Remember your communication preferences
• Tailor the user interface to your needs
• Provide relevant friend suggestions

Can You Disable Them? Yes - but your experience will be less personalized and you may need to reset preferences each visit.

Advertising & Marketing Cookies

Purpose: Deliver relevant advertisements and measure campaign effectiveness

What They Do:

• Enable targeted advertising
• Track campaign effectiveness
• Measure ad performance
• Prevent the same ad from continuously re-appearing
• Support social media integration for ads
• Enable cross-platform tracking
• Personalize content across devices
• Select advertisements relevant to you
• Measure number of ads displayed and performance

Can You Disable Them? Yes - through privacy settings, browser controls, or industry opt-out tools. You'll still see ads, but they won't be personalized.

Social Networking Cookies

Purpose: Enable sharing and social media integration

What They Do:

• Allow sharing of pages and content you find interesting
• Enable social media features (share buttons, social widgets)
• Track effectiveness of social media campaigns
• May be used for advertising purposes
• Connect your social media accounts

Can You Disable Them? Yes - through privacy settings or browser controls. Social sharing features may not work properly.

We use cookies and similar technologies for various purposes to enhance your experience:

5.1 Essential Platform Functionality

• Maintain your login session and keep you signed in
• Remember your preferences and settings
• Provide security features and prevent fraud
• Enable core platform functionality
• Support authentication processes
• Balance server load
• Detect and prevent abuse

5.2 Analytics & Performance

• Analyze how users interact with our platform
• Identify and fix technical issues
• Test new features and improvements
• Optimize performance and user experience
• Monitor app crashes and errors
• Track feature adoption rates
• Understand user journey patterns

5.3 Personalization

• Customize content based on your interests
• Provide relevant friend suggestions
• Remember your communication preferences
• Tailor the user interface to your needs
• Show content that reflects your interests
• Personalize matching recommendations
• Adapt platform to your behavior

5.4 Marketing & Advertising

• Deliver relevant advertisements
• Measure ad campaign effectiveness
• Track conversions and ROI
• Prevent ad fatigue
• Support retargeting campaigns
• Enable cross-platform advertising
• Optimize ad spend

When you visit our platform or use our mobile app, you may encounter cookies set by third-party sites or domains.

What Are Third-Party Cookies?

Third-party cookies enable external parties to recognize your browser:

• When you use our platform
• When you visit other sites where their cookies are active
• Across multiple platforms and devices

Information collected via first-party cookies may also be shared with third parties.

Who Sets Third-Party Cookies?

Our third-party partners include:

Analytics Providers:

• Google Analytics
• Firebase Analytics
• Other analytics services

Advertising Networks:

• Ad exchanges and networks
• Demand-side platforms (DSPs)
• Advertising technology providers

Social Media Platforms:

• Facebook/Meta
• Instagram
• Other social networks

Payment Processors:

• Stripe
• Apple Pay
• Google Pay

Cloud Service Providers:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
• Other hosting providers

Other Service Providers:

• Customer support tools
• Email service providers
• Content delivery networks (CDNs)
• Security services

What Data Do They Collect?

Third-party cookies may collect:

• Pages you visit on our platform
• Time spent on pages
• Links clicked
• Device and browser information
• IP address and location
• Referring websites
• Search terms used
• Cross-site browsing behavior

Why Do We Allow Third-Party Cookies?

• To provide essential services (payment processing, hosting)
• To understand platform usage through analytics
• To deliver relevant advertising
• To enable social media features
• To improve service quality
• To prevent fraud and abuse

You can learn more about these partners and service providers via our in-app consent management tools.

We and our advertising partners use cookies to show you ads that are more relevant to your interests—both on our platform and across third-party websites.

7.1 How Advertising Cookies Work

On Our Platform:

• Track your visits and page views
• Monitor interactions with content
• Understand your interests and preferences
• Deliver ads more likely to interest you

Across Third-Party Websites:

• Deliver tailored ads related to Alyke
• Show you ads for our platform on other sites
• Retarget users who visited our platform
• Build lookalike audiences

7.2 What Data Is Used?

• Pages viewed on our platform
• Features used
• Content interacted with
• Time spent on platform
• Demographics (age, gender, location)
• Interests and preferences
• Device and browser information
• Cross-site browsing behavior

7.3 Ad Measurement

We measure ad effectiveness by tracking:

• Impressions (how many times ad was shown)
• Clicks and click-through rates
• Conversions (signups, purchases)
• Cost per acquisition
• Return on ad spend
• Campaign performance metrics

7.4 Opting Out of Personalized Ads

Important Note: Even if you opt out of targeted advertising:

• You will continue to see ads
• Ads will not be tailored to your behavior
• Ads may be less relevant to your interests
• Ad frequency may not be optimized

How to Opt Out:

• Via browser settings (see Section 9)
• Use industry opt-out tools (see Section 9.3)
• Adjust device advertising settings (see Section 9.4)
• Manage cookie preferences in app settings

We use various Google services that may set cookies on your device to provide functionality and analytics.

8.1 Google Analytics

What It Is:

• A Google service that uses cookies and other data collection technologies
• Collects information about your use of our website and services
• Reports website trends and performance

What It Does:

• Track page views and user sessions
• Monitor user behavior and navigation
• Measure bounce rates and engagement
• Analyze traffic sources
• Report on conversion goals
• Provide demographic insights

How to Control:

• Opt out: Download the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on
• Learn more: How Google uses data

8.2 Google Maps API Cookies

What It Is:

• Some features of our platform rely on Google Maps API
• Enables location-based services and features

What It Does:

• Display maps and location information
• Enable location search and filtering
• Show nearby users and connections
• Calculate distances
• Provide directions

Your Consent:

• By using these features, you consent to Google's collection and use of this data
• Cookies will be stored on your device
• Google manages this data separately from your browser settings

More Information:

• Google's cookie policy
• Google Maps Terms of Service

8.3 Google Play Services (Android)

What It Is:

• Our Android app uses Google Play Services
• Integral to Android app functionality

What It Collects:

• Data for analytics
• Crash reporting information
• Usage statistics
• Device information
• Performance metrics

More Information:

• Google's privacy policy
• Google Play Services terms

8.4 Google Advertising

What It Does:

• Delivers personalized ads across Google's network
• Tracks ad performance and conversions
• Enables retargeting campaigns

How to Control:

• Ad personalization: Google ad settings
• Opt out: Use Google's opt-out tools

8.5 Firebase (Google)

What It Is:

• Mobile app development platform by Google
• Provides analytics, crash reporting, and more

What It Collects:

• App usage data
• Crash and error logs
• User engagement metrics
• Device information

More Information:

• Firebase privacy policy

You have several cookie management options available to you. Please note that changes you make to your cookie preferences may result in using our services becoming a less satisfying experience.

9.1 Tools We Provide

In-App Cookie Settings:

1. Open the Alyke app
2. Go to Settings (gear icon)
3. Navigate to Privacy > Cookie Preferences
4. Adjust your preferences by category:
   • Essential Cookies (always on)
   • Analytics Cookies
   • Advertising Cookies
   • Social Media Cookies
5. Save your preferences

Cookie Consent Management:

• On first visit, you'll see a cookie consent banner
• You can accept all, reject non-essential, or customize
• Change preferences anytime in app settings
• Preferences sync across devices when logged in

9.2 Browser Controls

Most Browsers Allow You To:

• Block all cookies
• Block third-party cookies only
• Delete existing cookies
• Set cookie preferences by site
• Receive alerts when cookies are placed

How to Manage in Popular Browsers:

Google Chrome:

• Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data
• Choose your preferred settings

Safari:

• Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data
• Remove specific cookies or all cookies

Firefox:

• Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
• Choose settings or manage exceptions

Microsoft Edge:

• Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Cookies and site data
• Adjust settings as preferred

Check your specific browser's help menu for detailed instructions.

9.3 Interest-Based Advertising Opt-Out Tools

Advertising companies may participate in self-regulatory programs that allow you to opt out of interest-based ads.

Industry Opt-Out Tools:

United States:

• Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA): optout.aboutads.info
• Network Advertising Initiative (NAI): optout.networkadvertising.org

Europe:

• European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA): youronlinechoices.eu

Mobile Apps:

• AppChoices: youradchoices.com/appchoices

Important Notes:

• Opting out does NOT mean you won't see ads
• You'll still see ads, but they won't be personalized
• If you delete cookies after opting out, you'll need to opt out again
• Opt-outs are browser/device specific

9.4 Mobile Device Settings

iOS (iPhone/iPad):

• Settings > Privacy > Tracking
• Disable "Allow Apps to Request to Track"
• Settings > Privacy > Apple Advertising
• Enable "Limit Ad Tracking"

To Reset Advertising ID:

• Settings > Privacy > Apple Advertising
• Tap "Reset Advertising Identifier"

Android:

• Settings > Google > Ads
• Enable "Opt out of Ads Personalization"

To Reset Advertising ID:

• Settings > Google > Ads
• Tap "Reset advertising ID"

9.5 Do Not Track (DNT)

Some browsers offer a "Do Not Track" (DNT) signal. Currently, there is no industry standard for how to respond to DNT signals. We do not alter our data collection and use practices in response to DNT signals, but we do provide you with the cookie controls described in this policy.

Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our platform and limit your ability to use some features.

10.1 If You Disable Essential Cookies

You Will NOT Be Able To:

• Log in to your account
• Maintain your session
• Access secure areas
• Use basic platform features
• Complete transactions

Essential cookies cannot be disabled while using our services.

10.2 If You Disable Analytics Cookies

Impact:

• Platform improvements may be delayed
• We may not detect and fix issues as quickly
• Your experience may not be optimized
• New features may not work as well

You Can Still:

• Use all platform features normally
• Log in and access your account
• Interact with other users

10.3 If You Disable Preference/Functionality Cookies

You Will Need To:

• Reset preferences each visit
• Reselect language each time
• Manually configure settings repeatedly

Impact:

• Less personalized experience
• More manual configuration required
• Preferences won't be remembered

10.4 If You Disable Advertising Cookies

Impact:

• Ads will be less relevant to you
• You may see the same ads repeatedly
• Ads may not match your interests
• Ad frequency not optimized

You Will Still:

• See the same number of ads
• Be able to use all platform features
• Have full access to your account

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, laws, our business practices, or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons.

11.1 How We Update

Regular Reviews:

• Periodic policy reviews
• Updates for new technologies
• Changes to comply with laws
• Addition of new service providers
• Removal of discontinued services

Material Changes:

• We will notify you of significant changes
• Notice posted on website and app
• Updated "Last Updated" date
• Email notification for major changes

11.2 Your Responsibility

• Check this policy periodically for updates
• Review changes when notified
• Adjust your cookie preferences if desired
• Contact us with questions

Continued use of our services after updates constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

If you have questions about this Cookie Policy, here's how you can reach us:

For Privacy & Cookie Questions:

GLOBAL & UNITED STATES:

Alyke Inc.

131 Continental Drive, Suite 305

Newark, Delaware DE 19713

New Castle County, United States

📞 Phone: +1-740-618-8078

INDIA:

XVisionIT Pvt. Ltd.

Studio- 9 & 10, IHDP Business Park

Sector 127, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201304

India

Company Registration (CIN): U72900DL2022PTC398479

GENERAL CONTACT:

• 📧 Support: contact@joinalyke.com
• 📧 Legal Inquiries: legal@joinalyke.com
• 📧 Dispute Resolution: contact@joinalyke.com
• 📧 Cancellations: contact@joinalyke.com
• 📧 DMCA Copyright Claims: contact@joinalyke.com

FOR INDIAN USERS - GRIEVANCE OFFICER:

For detailed grievance officer information, see our Privacy Policy Section 24.

📧 Grievance Email: grievance@joinalyke.com

Additional Resources

Related Policies:

• Privacy Policy - How we process your personal information
• Terms of Service - Rules for using our platform
• Community Guidelines - Standards for user behavior

External Resources:

• All About Cookies - General information about cookies
• Your Online Choices - EU advertising opt-out
• NAI Opt-Out - US advertising opt-out

Regulatory Information:

• India: Information Technology Act, 2000; IT Rules, 2021
• EU/EEA/UK: GDPR cookie consent requirements
• US: Various state privacy laws (CCPA, VCDPA, etc.)

This Cookie Policy is effective as of the date above and applies to all users of the Alyke platform.

Quick Summary:

• ✓ We use cookies to provide and improve our services
• ✓ Some cookies are essential, others are optional
• ✓ You can control most cookies through your settings
• ✓ Disabling cookies may affect your experience
• ✓ Third parties may also set cookies on our platform
• ✓ You have multiple ways to manage your preferences

Questions? Contact us at contact@joinalyke.com