Cookie Policy

1. What this policy covers

This Cookie Policy explains the cookies and similar browser storage that SVGMaker uses at svgmaker.org, what each one is for, and how you can control them. It sits alongside our Privacy Policy, which covers personal data more broadly.

Short version: SVGMaker sets six cookies. Four are strictly necessary or functional; two support the referral reward programme and are only set if you take part in it. There are no analytics, advertising or social-media cookies.

Cookie	Purpose	Type
`locale`	Remembers your language preference. SVGMaker is currently English-only, so this is set for consistency rather than because you have a choice to make.	Functional
`svgmaker-auth-hint`	A non-sensitive flag used only to prevent a visual flicker in the navigation bar while your real session loads. It is not a login credential and cannot be used to authenticate you.	Functional
Authentication session cookie	Keeps you signed in between page loads. Set by our authentication system when you sign in with Google.	Strictly necessary
`sidebar_state`	Remembers whether your dashboard sidebar is expanded or collapsed.	Functional
`reward_referral`	Remembers which invitation link brought you here, so the reward can be credited to the person who invited you. Contains only the 8-character invitation code and an expiry, signed so it cannot be altered. Set only when you open an invitation link while signed out. Expires after 30 days.	Referral
`_reward_did`	A random identifier for this browser, signed by our server. It is used only to apply the fairness limits of the reward programme — for example, to stop one browser from collecting the same daily reward on many accounts. It contains no information about you or your device, and is not used for advertising, analytics or cross-site tracking. Set only when you use a reward feature. Expires after one year.	Referral

That is the complete list.

Both reward cookies are HttpOnly (not readable by page scripts) and are signed by our server, so their contents cannot be modified by you or by anyone else.

3. Strictly necessary cookies

The authentication session cookie is strictly necessary — without it, SVGMaker cannot keep you signed in. This type of cookie cannot be turned off within the service, because doing so would prevent the signed-in parts of SVGMaker from working at all.

Under UK and EU rules, strictly necessary cookies do not require your consent.

4. Functional cookies

locale, svgmaker-auth-hint and sidebar_state improve your experience but are not required for SVGMaker to work at a basic level. You can block or delete them through your browser settings; doing so may cause minor inconveniences, such as SVGMaker forgetting your sidebar preference or the navigation bar flickering briefly on load.

4a. Referral reward cookies

reward_referral and _reward_did exist only because of the invitation reward programme. They are not set unless you open an invitation link or use a reward feature.

You can block or delete them through your browser settings. If you do:

deleting reward_referral means we can no longer tell who invited you, so the invitation reward cannot be credited;
deleting _reward_did does not stop you using SVGMaker, and does not remove any limit that is based on your account or network.

We do not treat either cookie as a reason to restrict access to the service — they only affect eligibility for optional rewards.

5. Browsing without an account

Several SVGMaker features run entirely in your browser and need no account — see section 2 of the Privacy Policy. If you use only those, no authentication cookie is set. You may still receive the locale cookie.

6. What we do not use

SVGMaker does not set analytics, advertising or social-media cookies, and does not use tracking pixels.

The two referral cookies described in section 4a are the only cookies related to referrals. They are used solely to credit invitation rewards and to apply the programme's fairness limits — never to build a profile of you, to follow you across other websites, or to target advertising.

The reward system does not calculate a browser fingerprint from hardware or browser characteristics. _reward_did is instead a random value our server issues and signs. Clearing it gives the browser a new random value, but does not erase account- or network-based reward limits.

Analytics functionality exists in our code but is not active — no analytics tracking ID is configured, so no analytics cookies are set.

If we enable analytics in future, this policy will be updated first to describe what is collected and, where required, to ask for your consent before any such cookie is set. The same applies to any future advertising or social-media cookie: none are active today, and none will be added without updating this page.

Consent banners exist to obtain consent for cookies that require it — principally analytics, advertising and cross-site tracking cookies. SVGMaker sets none of those.

The two referral cookies are set only as a direct result of an action you choose to take (opening an invitation link, or using a reward feature), are limited to delivering the reward you asked for, and are never shared with third parties or used for advertising.

If that changes, a consent mechanism will be added at the same time as the cookies it covers, not afterwards.

8. Managing cookies

Most browsers let you view, delete and block cookies through their settings, usually under Privacy or Site settings:

Chrome — Settings → Privacy and security → Third-party cookies
Safari — Settings → Privacy
Firefox — Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
Edge — Settings → Cookies and site permissions

Blocking the strictly necessary cookie will prevent you from staying signed in to SVGMaker. Blocking the functional cookies has the minor effects described in section 4.