Cookie Policy
Table of Contents
- Summary in One Sentence
- 1. What is a Cookie?
- 2. The Key Difference: Cookie vs. Local Storage (localStorage)
- 3. Do We Use Cookies on Our Own Site?
- 4. What Local Storage (localStorage) Do We Use?
- 5. Third Parties and the Purchasing Process
- 6. Consent — Why is There No Cookie Banner?
- 7. How Can You Manage or Delete Local Storage?
- 8. Changes to This Policy
- 9. Contact
Summary in One Sentence
Secure Academic Studio uses exactly zero HTTP cookies on its own domain — no tracking, no analytics, no advertising cookies, and therefore no "cookie consent" banner is needed whatsoever.
This is not a marketing gimmick, but the direct consequence of a conscious technical decision: user preferences are managed using a technology that is far more privacy-friendly than cookies, stored exclusively within your browser (localStorage). Below, we explain in detail what this means and exactly what data is stored — exclusively on your device.
1. What is a Cookie?
A cookie is a small text file that a website places in your browser. One of the critical characteristics of cookies is that the browser automatically attaches them to every single request it sends back to the server that placed them. This automated round-trip behavior is precisely what makes cookies suitable for user tracking, profiling, and behavioral analysis — and this is why most cookies require the user's prior explicit consent.
Cookies are generally categorized according to two criteria:
- By origin: first-party cookies, placed by the site you are visiting, and third-party cookies, placed by another provider (e.g., an advertising network).
- By purpose: strictly necessary, functional, statistical/analytical, and marketing/tracking cookies.
Secure Academic Studio does not use any of these categories on its own domain — neither first-party nor third-party cookies.
2. The Key Difference: Cookie vs. Local Storage (localStorage)
To preserve your user settings, we do not use cookies. Instead, we rely on the localStorage technology built into all modern browsers. There is a fundamental privacy difference between the two:
| Aspect | HTTP Cookie | localStorage (What we use) |
|---|---|---|
| Where is it stored? | In your browser | In your browser |
| Does the browser automatically send it to the server? | Yes, with every network request | No, never |
| Is it suitable for tracking? | Yes | No (it does not leave the browser automatically) |
| Does it expire on its own? | Typically yes | Only when you actively delete it |
| Does it require a consent banner? | Yes, for non-essential types | No, in the absence of tracking |
The bottom line: data stored in localStorage is never automatically attached to network requests, meaning it is technically unsuitable for tracking you across the web. The data stays right where you are: on your own device.
3. Do We Use Cookies on Our Own Site?
No. There are precisely zero HTTP cookies on the own domains of Secure Academic Studio. There are no:
- analytical cookies (we do not use Google Analytics, Matomo, or anything similar),
- tracking or advertising cookies (no Meta Pixel, no ad networks),
- third-party cookies (no external CDNs, no embedded social media widgets),
- "session" cookies, because the service operates entirely without accounts or registration.
Because we do not place tracking or any other non-strictly necessary cookies, under the relevant EU regulations (ePrivacy Directive and GDPR) we do not need a cookie consent banner on our site.
4. What Local Storage (localStorage) Do We Use?
For a seamless and convenient user experience, we store the following data points — exclusively in your browser, exclusively in localStorage. None of these leave your device automatically, and none are used for profiling or tracking.
| Stored Item | Purpose | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Language selection | To ensure the interface appears in your chosen language | The code of the selected language (e.g., hu, en, de, fr, es) |
| Theme (light/dark mode) | To ensure the interface appears according to your eye-comfort preference | The chosen appearance (e.g., light / dark) |
| Credit Pack Code and balance | To allow you to continue working without registration after refreshing the browser | The validated, anonymous code and the queried credit balance associated with it |
These data points are created directly by your own actions (you choose a language/theme, or you validate a purchased code). They exclusively serve your convenience and the functional operation of the purchased service, and they are never transmitted anywhere for marketing or analytical purposes.
5. Third Parties and the Purchasing Process
Secure Academic Studio uses a provider named Creem (operating in a Merchant of Record model) to manage purchases and credit packs. Creem is fully responsible for processing the payment and issuing the invoice.
When you initiate a purchase and transition to the payment interface provided by Creem, Creem may place cookies on its own domain — typically to ensure secure payment processing, to prevent fraud, and to maintain the payment session. These cookies:
- are created on Creem's domain, not on the Secure Academic Studio domain,
- fall under Creem's own privacy and cookie terms, for which we assume no responsibility,
- can be managed directly through Creem's own consent mechanism.
Creem's privacy and cookie policy is available at https://www.creem.io/privacy.
Important: The own pages of Secure Academic Studio continue to have zero HTTP cookies regardless of this. The cookies placed during the payment process are tied exclusively to Creem's interface and are only created if you actually initiate a purchase.
Our site has no embedded advertising, social media buttons, external font services (fonts are served locally from our own server), external CDNs, or any other third-party tracking code.
6. Consent — Why is There No Cookie Banner?
Placing non-strictly necessary cookies (especially tracking and advertising cookies) requires prior user consent under EU regulations — this is what the ubiquitous "cookie banners" are designed to implement.
Since we do not place such cookies at all on our own site, and user settings are stored locally in localStorage, which is unsuitable for tracking, there is no data processing that would require banner-based consent. This is one of the most tangible benefits of our privacy-centric architecture: there are no annoying pop-ups because there is no tracking behind it.
7. How Can You Manage or Delete Local Storage?
The data stored in localStorage is entirely under your control. You can view and delete these items at any time:
- Through browser settings: in most browsers, the "clear browsing data" function deletes site data / localStorage alongside cookies. You can usually find this in the privacy, security, or history menu of your browser.
- With developer tools: in the browser's developer console (typically accessible via F12 → Application / Storage → Local Storage), you can inspect and delete the stored items one by one.
Please note that if you clear the content of your localStorage, your language and theme settings will revert to their defaults, and you will need to re-enter your validated Credit Pack Code in order to access your credit balance in the browser again.
8. Changes to This Policy
We update this Cookie Policy as necessary — for example, in the event of changes in legislation, or changes to our payment and technical infrastructure. The current version is always available by clicking the "Cookie Policy" (or "Cookies") link in the footer of the site. For significant changes, we will display a separate notice on the site.
This policy serves as a supplement to our more comprehensive Privacy Policy; the two documents should be read and interpreted together.
9. Contact
If you have any questions regarding our cookie management or the use of local storage, please write to us at:
- Privacy Contact: privacy@secureacademic.com (Tuta email service, Germany)