Cookie Policy.

This Cookie Policy explains exactly what cookies and browser storage FindBeam uses, why, and how you can control them. We are committed to using the absolute minimum necessary and to full transparency.

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored in your browser when you visit a website. They allow sites to remember information between page visits. Not all browser storage technologies are cookies — localStorage, sessionStorage, and IndexedDB are separate mechanisms that also store data in your browser.

Cookies are regulated under GDPR, the UK PECR, and equivalent laws globally. Some cookies require your consent before being set; others are strictly necessary for the site to function and are exempt from consent requirements.

2. Our Cookie Philosophy

3. Full Cookie Inventory

Category 1: Essential / Security (Always Active — No Consent Required)

These cookies are set by Cloudflare, our infrastructure provider. They are strictly necessary for security and cannot be disabled without breaking site functionality.

• __cflb (Cloudflare Load Balancing): Routes your requests to the nearest Cloudflare data centre. Duration: session. Provider: Cloudflare Inc.
• __cf_bm (Cloudflare Bot Management): Distinguishes between human visitors and automated bots for security. Duration: 30 minutes. Provider: Cloudflare Inc.
• __cfruid (Cloudflare Rate Limiting): Used for rate limiting. Duration: session. Provider: Cloudflare Inc.

Category 2: Analytics — Cookieless (No Consent Required)

• Umami Analytics: FindBeam uses Umami — a GDPR-compliant, cookieless analytics solution. Umami sets no cookies. It collects anonymised aggregate data only (page views, referrer, country-level location, browser type). No personal identifiers. No cross-site tracking. IP addresses are anonymised before storage. This is exempt from GDPR consent requirements under the statistical purposes exemption when properly anonymised.

Category 3: Advertising (Not Currently Active)

FindBeam currently sets zero advertising cookies. When Google AdSense is introduced, advertising cookies will include Google's advertising identifiers. These will only be set after you provide explicit consent via our Consent Management Platform (CMP). See Section 5 for details.

4. localStorage Usage

FindBeam uses browser localStorage (not cookies) for the following purposes:

• fb_rating_{tool}: Stores your tool rating (1–5 stars) to prevent duplicate submissions. Contains: rating score and tool identifier only. No personal data. Cannot be read server-side. Persists until you clear browser data for findbeam.com.
• fb_contact_last: Unix timestamp of your last contact form submission, used to enforce client-side rate limiting. Contains: number only. No personal data. Auto-expires.

5. Future Advertising Cookies

Before introducing Google AdSense, FindBeam will:

1. Implement a TCF 2.2-compliant Consent Management Platform (CMP)
2. Display a consent banner on first visit to all users (with particular emphasis on EU/UK users)
3. Allow granular consent choices: accept all / reject all / customise preferences
4. Only activate Google advertising cookies after explicit consent
5. Show contextual (non-personalised) ads to users who decline consent
6. Update this Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy before activation

Google AdSense uses cookies including: __gads (Google Ads Doubleclick), IDE (Google advertising ID), test_cookie (checks cookie support), and others. Full details at policies.google.com/privacy.

6. How to Manage Cookies

Browser Settings

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling essential cookies (Cloudflare) may cause site security features to malfunction:

• Chrome: Cookie settings →
• Firefox: Cookie settings →
• Safari: Cookie settings →
• Edge: Cookie settings →

Clear localStorage

To clear FindBeam's localStorage data: open your browser DevTools (F12) → Application → Local Storage → findbeam.com → right-click to clear. Or clear all site data for findbeam.com in your browser's privacy settings.

Opt-Out of Google Advertising (Future)

When advertising is activated, you can opt out of personalised Google advertising at google.com/settings/ads or via the NAI opt-out tool at optout.networkadvertising.org.

7. Policy Updates

This policy will be updated before any advertising cookies are introduced. The "Updated" date above reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be announced on the FindBeam homepage.

8. Contact