2. How we use cookies
HostLife uses cookies grouped into four distinct categories: (1) Strictly necessary — essential for account functionality (session, authentication, language preference, anti-fraud reCAPTCHA) — set automatically without explicit consent; (2) Functional — for UI preferences (e.g. dark/light theme); (3) Analytics — Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with the site, set ONLY with your consent; (4) Marketing — currently inactive. On your first visit a consent banner appears where you can choose which categories to accept; your choice is stored in the `hostlife_consent` cookie and can be changed anytime via the «Cookie Settings» button in the footer.
3. Strictly necessary cookies
These cookies are essential for the operation of services and cannot be disabled:
| Name | Provider | Type | Domain | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| hostlife_consent | HostLife | First-party | hostlife.ro / cloud.hostlife.ro | Stores consent preferences | 365 days |
| sb-<project>-auth-token (+ chunks .0/.1/.2) | Supabase | First-party | cloud.hostlife.ro | Authentication session | Session or 400 days |
| sb-admin-auth | Supabase | First-party | cloud.hostlife.ro | Admin session | Session |
| NEXT_LOCALE | HostLife (next-intl) | First-party | .hostlife.ro | Language preference | 365 days |
| _GRECAPTCHA, rc::a/b/c | Google reCAPTCHA | Third-party | .google.com | Anti-fraud / form security | Session – 6 months |
| cw_conversation, cw_user_* | Chatwoot | Third-party | support.hostlife.ro | Support chat widget — preserves the conversation and user identifier for continuity | Session – 1 year |
Legal basis for reCAPTCHA and Chatwoot as «Strictly Necessary»: Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive allows an exception for cookies «strictly necessary to provide a service explicitly requested by the user». EDPB Opinion 04/2012 confirms anti-fraud security as exempt from consent. The Chatwoot widget is treated as an integral part of the support service offered to users (a direct communication channel with the HostLife team) and loads automatically so users can reach support without extra steps. Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR — legitimate interest for security and customer support.
4. Functional cookies (optional)
We currently use minimal localStorage for the interface theme (dark/light mode). These are not HTTP cookies, but browser storage that is never sent to the server.
5. Analytics cookies (consent required)
These cookies are set ONLY if you accept the analytics consent:
| Name | Provider | Type | Domain | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | Third-party | .hostlife.ro / .cloud.hostlife.ro | User distinction | 2 years |
| _ga_<ID> | Google Analytics | Third-party | .hostlife.ro / .cloud.hostlife.ro | Analytics session | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Third-party | .hostlife.ro / .cloud.hostlife.ro | User distinction | 24h |
| _gat | Google Analytics | Third-party | .hostlife.ro / .cloud.hostlife.ro | Request throttling | 1 minute |
Google Analytics identifiers: G-XNLY65JSJH (hostlife.ro), G-C5MN7CCWYD (cloud.hostlife.ro). IP anonymization active (`anonymize_ip: true`). Transfer to USA is protected via Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
6. Marketing cookies
We currently DO NOT use marketing pixels (Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok). If we ever add them, they will appear here with an explicit consent option and will not load by default.
7. Cookies set by third-party services
7.1 Google reCAPTCHA
Sets cookies on the .google.com domain (not on hostlife.ro). Appears on pages with forms (login, signup, checkout, contact).
7.2 Stripe.js
Sets cookies on the .stripe.com domain. Only loaded on the checkout page to process payments.
7.3 Video embeds
If YouTube/Vimeo embeds appear in blog articles, they set cookies on their own domains. We encourage you to accept them only if you want to view the content.
7.4 Chatwoot (support chat widget)
The support chat widget is provided by Chatwoot, hosted at support.hostlife.ro. To preserve the conversation, user identifier and widget state across reloads, Chatwoot sets cookies and localStorage entries on its own domain. The widget loads from the first visit without requiring explicit consent, as it is classified as «strictly necessary» — it is part of the support service we provide to users. More details: chatwoot.com/privacy-policy.
8. How to manage your consent
8.1 Inline button on this page
The «Change cookie preferences» button below opens the consent modal — you can change your choices anytime.
8.2 Floating button in footer
On any site page, the «Cookie Settings» button in the footer opens the same modal.
8.3 Banner on major changes
On major policy changes, the banner reappears automatically for re-confirmation.
9. Do Not Track
We respect the browser's Do Not Track (DNT) signal. If your browser sends the `DNT: 1` header, we don't load Google Analytics even if you've given consent. This gives you final control.
10. Browser opt-out instructions
You can delete or block cookies directly in your browser:
11. Third-party processor privacy policies
For full transparency, consult our providers' privacy policies:
- Google: policies.google.com/privacy
- Stripe: stripe.com/privacy
- GitHub: github.com/site/privacy
12. Cookie policy changes
On major changes, the consent banner reappears for 30 days to request your re-confirmation. The current version is displayed in the header.
13. Contact
Questions about cookies: contact@hostlife.ro
Contact for this policy
Questions or issues: contact@hostlife.ro