Cookies are small text files that a website places on your device -- your computer, tablet, or mobile phone -- when you visit it. They are stored in your browser and sent back to the originating website on subsequent visits, or to any website that recognises the cookie. Cookies are widely used to make websites work efficiently, remember your preferences, and provide information to website operators about how their sites are used.
In addition to cookies, the Platform may use similar tracking technologies including:
- Local storage: A browser-based storage mechanism used to retain session state and user preferences on your device without an expiry date. Local storage data is not transmitted to servers with each request in the way cookies are, but serves a similar function for certain Platform features.
- Session storage: A temporary storage mechanism cleared when your browser session ends. Used to maintain state within a single browsing session on the Platform.
- Pixel tags and web beacons: Tiny invisible images or code snippets that may be placed by third-party services (including Google AdSense) on pages or in emails to track whether a page was loaded or an email was opened. Their use on the Platform is governed by the same consent requirements as advertising cookies.
References to "cookies" in this Policy include similar technologies unless the context requires otherwise.
The Platform uses cookies for purposes ranging from keeping you logged in between visits (essential) to measuring how users interact with debate features (analytics) to serving relevant advertisements (advertising). The legal requirements governing cookie use differ by category. Essential cookies may be placed without your consent. All other categories require your prior, freely given consent under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 ("PECR").
Knoesis Technologies Limited places cookies directly on your device in connection with operating the Platform. These are first-party cookies, meaning they originate from the dailyforum.co.uk domain. First-party cookies placed by Knoesis are used to manage your authenticated session, maintain your in-session preferences, and support the core functionality of the Platform.
The Platform uses Google Firebase for authentication and backend infrastructure. Firebase may set cookies or use local storage on your device to manage your authenticated session and maintain the security of your login. These cookies are placed by Google LLC in its capacity as a Data Processor acting on Knoesis's instructions and are strictly necessary for the provision of the Platform's core functionality. They are not used for advertising or tracking purposes.
Advertisements on the Platform are served by Google AdSense. When advertisement slots are present on a page and you have provided your consent, Google AdSense places advertising cookies on your device. These cookies are placed by Google LLC operating as an independent Data Controller for its own advertising purposes. Knoesis does not control the specific cookies placed by Google AdSense beyond configuring the Platform's consent integration and category exclusions. Full details of AdSense cookies are set out in Section 4 of this Policy and in the Advertising Information Notice.
Knoesis does not permit any other third parties to place cookies on the Platform. No social media tracking pixels, affiliate tracking cookies, or data broker cookies are deployed on dailyforum.co.uk. If this changes in a future version of the Platform, this Policy will be updated and you will be notified in accordance with Section 11.
The Platform uses four categories of cookies, each serving a distinct purpose and subject to a different consent requirement under PECR and UK GDPR.
The following table sets out the specific cookies known to be placed on the Platform at the time of this Policy's effective date, identifying each cookie by name, its origin, its purpose, and whether it requires your consent.
| Cookie Name | Set By | Category | Purpose | Consent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firebase session cookie | Google Firebase / Knoesis | Strictly Necessary | Maintains your authenticated login session on the Platform. Without this cookie you will be logged out on each page load. Not used for advertising or tracking. | Not required |
| __session | Knoesis (Firebase Hosting) | Strictly Necessary | Firebase Hosting session token. Validates the authenticity of your session on the server side. Session duration only. | Not required |
| forum_prefs | Knoesis | Functional | Stores your in-Platform preferences such as community scope selection, notification settings, and interface configuration so they persist across sessions. | |
| cookie_consent | Knoesis | Strictly Necessary | Records your cookie consent choices so that the consent banner is not shown on every visit and your preferences are honoured. This cookie is itself strictly necessary to operate the consent mechanism. | Not required |
| _gads | Google AdSense | Advertising | Stores information about how you use the website and advertisements you may have seen. Enables Google to deliver relevant ads and measure their effectiveness. | |
| IDE | Google (DoubleClick) | Advertising | Used by Google's DoubleClick platform to register and report actions after viewing or clicking an advertisement. Measures advertising effectiveness and supports frequency capping. | |
| DSID | Google AdSense | Advertising | Active where you are signed into a Google Account. Syncs your activity across Google services for advertising personalisation purposes. | |
| NID | Advertising | Stores your Google preferences and may be used in advertising contexts to remember your settings and tailor content and advertising. | ||
| _ga / _ga_* | Google Analytics (if deployed) | Analytics | Distinguishes users and sessions for the purposes of generating aggregate usage statistics. Used only if Google Analytics is deployed on the Platform. |
Google's cookie technology evolves on a continuous basis. This register reflects the cookies in use at the effective date of this Policy. For the most current and comprehensive list of cookies placed by Google's services, please refer to Google's cookie documentation at policies.google.com/technologies/cookies. This Policy will be updated when new cookies are introduced to the Platform.
Strictly necessary cookies are placed on the basis of Regulation 6(1) of PECR, which permits the storage of information on a user's device where it is strictly necessary to provide an information society service expressly requested by that user. Knoesis has assessed each cookie categorised as strictly necessary against this test. Blocking or deleting these cookies will prevent you from using the Platform as an authenticated user.
All cookies other than those falling within the strictly necessary category are non-essential and may only be placed on your device with your prior, freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous consent under Regulation 6(1)(a) of PECR and Article 6(1)(a) of the UK GDPR. Knoesis obtains this consent through the cookie consent mechanism described in Section 6 of this Policy. Consent is recorded by category -- you may consent to functional and analytics cookies while declining advertising cookies, or decline all non-essential categories.
In accordance with ICO guidance and UK GDPR requirements, Knoesis ensures that consent to non-essential cookies is freely given by:
- Not making access to the Platform or any of its core features conditional on acceptance of non-essential cookies
- Presenting refusal options as prominently and accessibly as acceptance options
- Not using pre-ticked boxes, nudge techniques, or design choices that disadvantage refusal
- Not bundling cookie consent with acceptance of the Terms of Service
- Making withdrawal of consent as simple as the act of giving it
On your first visit to the Platform, a cookie consent banner is presented to you before any non-essential cookies are placed. The banner clearly identifies the categories of non-essential cookies in use, the purposes for which each category is used, and the third parties involved. You are presented with granular controls allowing you to accept or decline each category independently.
No non-essential cookies are placed on your device until you have made an active, affirmative choice through the consent mechanism. Continuing to browse the Platform without interacting with the consent banner does not constitute consent.
Your consent choices are recorded in the cookie_consent cookie, which is a strictly necessary cookie placed solely to store and honour your preferences. The record contains the categories you consented to, the date and time of consent, and the version of this Policy in effect at the time consent was given. This record is used exclusively for the purpose of managing your cookie preferences and demonstrating compliance with PECR consent requirements.
Consent records are retained for a period of 12 months from the date you gave or last updated your preferences. After this period, the consent mechanism will be presented again so that your preferences can be confirmed or updated. This practice is consistent with ICO guidance on the appropriate lifespan of consent records for cookie purposes.
You may withdraw or update your cookie consent at any time via the cookie management tool accessible from the Platform's settings menu or from the link in the footer of any page on the Platform. Withdrawal of consent takes effect immediately. Any cookies placed during the period of consent that have already been set on your device may remain until their natural expiry unless you delete them through your browser settings. Withdrawal of non-essential cookie consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out prior to withdrawal, and does not affect your ability to access or use the core features of the Platform.
In addition to the Platform's consent mechanism, all major browsers provide controls that allow you to view, block, delete, or restrict cookies independently. Managing cookies through your browser affects all cookies set by any website you visit in that browser, not just those set by the Platform. Please note that blocking strictly necessary cookies will prevent you from remaining logged into the Platform.
Instructions for managing cookies in the most widely used browsers are set out below. These links direct to the relevant support documentation maintained by each browser provider:
Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data
support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Cookies and site data
support.microsoft.comMobile browsers including Safari on iOS and Chrome on Android provide cookie management settings accessible through the device's browser settings menu. The specific location of these settings varies by device and operating system version. Refer to your device manufacturer's or browser provider's support documentation for current instructions.
In addition to browser-level controls, the following industry opt-out tools allow you to manage interest-based advertising preferences across multiple advertising networks simultaneously:
- Google Ad Settings: Manage Google's advertising personalisation across all websites at adssettings.google.com
- Your Online Choices (UK): The UK's online advertising opt-out platform operated by the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA) at youronlinechoices.com
- Network Advertising Initiative: The NAI's opt-out tool at optout.networkadvertising.org
These tools allow you to opt out of interest-based advertising from participating networks but do not remove all cookies from your device and do not prevent non-personalised advertising from being displayed.
Knoesis is responsible for the cookies it places directly on your device and for ensuring that third-party cookies are only placed where it has obtained your prior consent through the Platform's consent mechanism. Knoesis configures the consent integration with Google AdSense so that advertising cookies are transmitted to Google only after your affirmative consent has been recorded.
Once Google AdSense cookies have been placed on your device with your consent, Google LLC processes the data collected through those cookies as an independent Data Controller for its own purposes, including improving Google's advertising products and fraud prevention across Google's network. This independent processing is governed by Google's privacy policy and is outside Knoesis's control. Knoesis is not responsible for, and cannot direct, Google's independent data processing activities.
In respect of data collected through Google's cookies independently of Knoesis's instructions, any rights you wish to exercise under UK GDPR must be directed to Google. Google provides the following mechanisms:
- Access and manage your Google Account data at myaccount.google.com
- Review and control advertising personalisation at adssettings.google.com
- Submit a formal data rights request to Google through Google's privacy request portal
- Review Google's full privacy policy at policies.google.com/privacy
Session cookies are temporary cookies that exist only for the duration of your browser session. They are automatically deleted when you close your browser. The Platform uses session cookies for certain authentication and state management functions that do not need to persist beyond a single session.
Persistent cookies remain on your device after your browser session ends, for a period defined by the cookie's expiry date. The following persistence periods apply to cookies placed on the Platform:
| Cookie | Type | Approximate Lifespan |
|---|---|---|
| Firebase session cookie | Session / Short-lived persistent | Session or up to 1 hour (Firebase token refresh cycle) |
| __session | Session | Session duration only |
| cookie_consent | Persistent | 12 months from date of consent |
| forum_prefs | Persistent | 12 months (refreshed on each visit) |
| _gads | Persistent | Up to 13 months (Google-controlled) |
| IDE | Persistent | Up to 13 months (Google-controlled) |
| DSID | Persistent | Up to 2 weeks (Google-controlled) |
| NID | Persistent | 6 months (Google-controlled) |
| _ga | Persistent | 2 years (Google-controlled) |
Google-controlled cookie lifespans are set by Google independently and may change. For current information on Google cookie durations, please refer to Google's cookie documentation.
Some browsers transmit "Do Not Track" (DNT) signals to websites indicating that the user does not wish to be tracked across the internet. There is currently no legally binding requirement in the United Kingdom or a universally accepted technical standard for how websites must respond to DNT signals.
Knoesis does not currently alter its cookie placement practices in response to DNT signals from browsers. Your cookie preferences on the Platform are managed through the Platform's own consent mechanism, which provides you with granular control over each category of cookie independently of your browser's DNT setting. Knoesis will review this position as regulatory guidance and industry standards develop.
Knoesis reserves the right to update this Cookie Policy at any time to reflect changes in the cookies used on the Platform, changes in applicable law, or changes in the guidance issued by the ICO or other relevant regulatory authorities. Material changes -- including the introduction of new cookie categories or new third-party cookie providers -- will be communicated to registered users by email or by prominent Platform notice no less than 14 days before the changes take effect.
Where a material change to this Policy requires fresh consent from you -- for example, where a new category of non-essential cookie is introduced -- the Platform's consent mechanism will be re-presented to you when you next visit the Platform following the change, regardless of whether your existing consent record has expired. Your pre-existing consent choices will not automatically extend to cover new cookie categories.
This Cookie Policy forms part of FORUM's legal framework and should be read alongside the Privacy Policy, Advertising Information Notice, and Terms of Service. In the event of any conflict between this Policy and the Privacy Policy in respect of cookie-related data processing, the Privacy Policy shall prevail.
Knoesis Technologies Limited — Data Protection and Privacy
Email: legal@dailyforum.co.uk · Subject line: "Cookie Enquiry"
Platform: dailyforum.co.uk
If you have concerns about the use of cookies on the Platform that Knoesis has not resolved to your satisfaction, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113 · ico.org.uk
For enquiries specifically about cookies placed by Google AdSense independently of Knoesis's instructions, please contact Google directly through policies.google.com/privacy or via Google's data rights request portal.