Cookie Policy

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

Cookies typically contain:

• Cookie name: A unique identifier for the cookie
• Cookie value: Data stored by the cookie (e.g., user ID, preferences)
• Expiration date: When the cookie will be deleted
• Domain: Which website can access the cookie

CFIN uses cookies for the following purposes:

Essential Functions

• Keep you logged in to your account
• Remember your session state across pages
• Protect against security threats (CSRF attacks)
• Load balance traffic across our servers

User Preferences

• Remember your theme preference (light/dark mode)
• Store your currency selection (EUR/USD/GBP)
• Save your language preference
• Remember your cookie consent choices

Analytics & Performance

• Understand which features are most used
• Measure page load times and performance
• Track user navigation patterns (anonymized)
• Identify and fix bugs

Marketing & Attribution

• Track which marketing campaigns brought you to CFIN
• Measure effectiveness of our advertising
• Understand referral sources

1. Essential Cookies (Always Active)

Cookie Name	Purpose	Duration
session	Maintains your login session	Session (deleted on browser close)
csrf_token	Protects against cross-site request forgery attacks	Session
lb_affinity	Load balancing across servers	Session
auth_token	Securely authenticates API requests	30 days

Legal Basis: Contractual necessity (GDPR Article 6(1)(b))

2. Preference Cookies (Optional)

These cookies remember your settings and preferences to enhance your experience.

Cookie Name	Purpose	Duration
theme	Remembers light/dark mode preference	1 year
currency	Stores your preferred currency (EUR/USD/GBP)	1 year
language	Stores your language preference	1 year
cookie_consent	Records your cookie consent choices	1 year

Legal Basis: Legitimate interest (GDPR Article 6(1)(f))

3. Analytics Cookies (Requires Consent)

These cookies help us understand how users interact with the CFIN platform. All analytics data is anonymized and aggregated.

Cookie Name	Purpose	Duration
_analytics_id	Anonymous user identifier for analytics	2 years
_page_views	Tracks page views and navigation	2 years
_feature_usage	Tracks which features are used	2 years

Legal Basis: Consent (GDPR Article 6(1)(a))

4. Marketing Cookies (Requires Consent)

These cookies track marketing campaign effectiveness and referral sources.

Cookie Name	Purpose	Duration
_referral_source	Tracks how you found CFIN	90 days
_campaign_id	Identifies marketing campaign	90 days
_utm_params	Stores UTM campaign parameters	90 days
_referral_code	Stores friend's referral code used during registration	30 days
_promo_code	Stores promotional code applied during registration	30 days

Legal Basis: Consent (GDPR Article 6(1)(a))

CFIN works with trusted third-party service providers who may set their own cookies when you use our platform.

Stripe (Payment Processing)

Type: Essential
Purpose: Securely process payments and prevent fraud
Privacy Policy: stripe.com/privacy

Third-Party Cookie List

Provider	Cookie Name	Purpose	Type
Stripe	__stripe_sid	Payment session tracking	Essential
Stripe	__stripe_mid	Fraud prevention	Essential

You have full control over which cookies are used on CFIN. Here are the ways you can manage your preferences:

1. Cookie Consent Banner

When you first visit CFIN, you'll see a cookie consent banner allowing you to:

• Accept All: Enable all cookies (essential, preference, analytics, marketing)
• Reject Non-Essential: Only essential cookies will be used
• Customize: Choose which cookie categories to enable

2. Cookie Settings (Account Dashboard)

Logged-in users can manage cookie preferences in their account settings:

• Go to Settings > Privacy > Cookie Preferences
• Toggle individual cookie categories on/off
• Changes take effect immediately

3. Browser Settings

You can also control cookies through your browser settings:

Google Chrome

• Settings > Privacy and Security > Cookies and other site data
• Choose: "Allow all cookies", "Block third-party cookies", or "Block all cookies"

Mozilla Firefox

• Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
• Choose: "Standard", "Strict", or "Custom" tracking protection

Apple Safari

• Preferences > Privacy
• Enable "Prevent cross-site tracking" and "Block all cookies" as desired

Microsoft Edge

• Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Manage and delete cookies
• Choose: "Block all cookies", "Block third-party cookies", or "Allow all cookies"

4. Clearing Cookies

To delete cookies that have already been set:

• Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Clear browsing data > Cookies
• Firefox: Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data > Clear Data
• Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data > Remove All
• Edge: Settings > Privacy > Clear browsing data > Cookies

Some browsers offer a "Do Not Track" (DNT) setting that sends a signal to websites requesting not to be tracked.

CFIN's DNT Policy: We respect DNT signals. If your browser sends a DNT signal, we will:

• Automatically disable analytics cookies
• Automatically disable marketing cookies
• Continue using essential and preference cookies (required for functionality)

To enable DNT in your browser:

• Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Send a "Do Not Track" request
• Firefox: Options > Privacy & Security > Send websites a "Do Not Track" signal
• Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Prevent cross-site tracking (similar effect)

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our cookie usage or legal requirements.

When we update this policy:

• The "Last Updated" date at the top will change
• We will notify you via a banner on the website
• For material changes, we will ask for your renewed consent

Previous versions of this policy are available upon request at privacy@cfin.be.