Cookie Policy

Last updated: June 18, 2026

Note: This is a starting template and should be reviewed by a qualified attorney before launch.

What Cookies Are

Cookies are small text files that a website places in your browser when you visit. They allow the site to remember information about your visit — such as whether you are signed in or which pages you have viewed — so that your experience can be consistent across page loads and return visits. In addition to traditional cookies, we may use similar technologies such as browser local storage, session storage, and web beacons that serve comparable purposes. This Cookie Policy explains what types of cookies we use, why we use them, and how you can manage your preferences.

Categories of Cookies We Use

Essential Cookies

Essential cookies are strictly necessary for the Site to function. They enable core features including:

• Authentication and session management — keeping you signed in as you navigate between pages, and associating your requests with your account.
• Security — protecting against cross-site request forgery (CSRF) and other threats that require the server to verify that requests originate from your own browser session.
• User preferences — remembering settings you have explicitly chosen, such as a preference to stay signed in.

Because essential cookies are required for basic functionality, they are set automatically when you use the Site and cannot be disabled without breaking sign-in and other core features. They do not require your prior consent under applicable law.

Analytics Cookies (Optional)

Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors interact with the Site in aggregate. The information they collect includes which pages are visited most often, how long visitors spend on a page, the general geographic region a visitor comes from (country or region — not a precise location), the device type and browser used, and how visitors arrived at the Site (for example, from a search engine or a referral link). This data is used solely to improve content, navigation, and performance. It is processed by an analytics provider and is not used to build individual marketing profiles or to identify you personally.

Analytics cookies are optional. They are provided by a third-party analytics provider (not named here) and are loaded only after you give your consent through the cookie preference banner or settings on the Site. If you do not consent, no analytics cookies are set and no analytics data is collected about your visit.

No Non-Essential Cookies Without Consent

We take a consent-first approach to optional cookies. No analytics cookies, marketing cookies, or any other non-essential cookies are loaded or set until you have explicitly opted in. When you first visit the Site you will be presented with a cookie preference banner where you can accept or decline optional cookies. Your choice is saved so that it applies to subsequent visits. You may update your preference at any time through the cookie settings control on the Site.

If you decline optional cookies, the Site will continue to work normally. You will remain able to browse the directory, read reviews, create an account, and use all core features. The only difference is that we will not collect analytics data about your session.

Managing or Withdrawing Consent

You have several ways to manage cookie preferences:

• On-site cookie preferences— a cookie consent banner appears on your first visit so you can accept or decline optional cookies, and a "Cookie settings" link in the site footer lets you revisit or change your choice at any time.
• Browser settings— every major browser lets you view, block, or delete cookies through its privacy or security settings. The exact steps vary by browser; refer to your browser's help documentation for instructions. Note that blocking all cookies through your browser — including essential ones — may prevent you from signing in or using certain features of the Site.
• Private/Incognito mode — most browsers offer a private browsing mode that discards cookies when the window is closed. Using this mode prevents cookies from persisting between sessions, though they are still active during that session.

If you withdraw consent for analytics cookies, we will stop collecting analytics data from that point forward. We cannot retroactively delete aggregate data already collected before your withdrawal, but no further data will be added.

Advertising

We do not use cross-site behavioral advertising cookies. We do not place advertising cookies on behalf of third parties, and we do not share data with advertising networks for the purpose of targeting you with interest-based advertisements on other websites. Any affiliate links on the Site may cause the affiliate partner to set their own cookies in your browser when you click through; those cookies are subject to the affiliate partner's own cookie and privacy policies, not ours. See our Privacy Policy for more information on affiliate link data handling.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, regulation, or our own practices. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. If we make material changes that affect how we use cookies in ways that require fresh consent, we will present you with a new consent prompt. Continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acknowledgment of the updated policy for essential cookies; optional cookies will continue to require affirmative consent.

Contact

If you have questions about our use of cookies, contact us: