COOKIE POLICY
Whiteout Community Forum
Last Updated: February 25, 2025
This Cookie Policy explains how the Whiteout Community Forum ("we," "us," or "our") uses cookies and similar technologies on our website and forum platform. This policy is designed to help you understand what cookies are, how we use them, and what choices you have regarding their use.
1. WHAT ARE COOKIES?
Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device (computer, tablet, smartphone) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently and provide information to the website owners. Cookies help enhance user experience by remembering your preferences and enabling certain site functionality.
2. TYPES OF COOKIES WE USE
We use the following types of cookies on our Forum:
2.1 Essential Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the Forum to function properly. They enable core functionality such as security, account management, and maintaining user sessions. You cannot opt out of these cookies as the Forum cannot function properly without them.
Examples include:
- Session cookies for managing user authentication
- Security cookies that help detect and prevent fraud
- Cookies that remember your login status
2.2 Functional Cookies
These cookies enhance the functionality of our Forum by storing your preferences. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages.
Examples include:
- Cookies that remember your language preference
- Cookies that remember your theme settings
- Cookies that keep track of your notification preferences
2.3 Analytical/Performance Cookies
These cookies collect information about how you use our Forum, which pages you visit, and if you experience any errors. We use this information to improve how the Forum works and to understand which parts of the Forum are most popular.
Examples include:
- Cookies that track which pages are most frequently visited
- Cookies that record if you experience errors
- Cookies that measure how long you stay on certain pages
2.4 Targeting/Advertising Cookies
These cookies are used to deliver advertisements more relevant to you and your interests. They may be used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement and help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.
Examples include:
- Cookies used to show you relevant community announcements
- Cookies used to prevent showing you the same announcements repeatedly
- Cookies that help us understand if you interact with announcements
3. THIRD-PARTY COOKIES
Some cookies are placed by third parties on our behalf. Third parties include search engines, providers of measurement and analytics services, social media networks, and advertising companies.
We may use services from:
- Google Analytics (for site usage analysis)
- Cloudflare (for security and performance)
- Social media platforms (for sharing capabilities)
- Embeds from services like YouTube or Twitch (for gaming content)
Each third-party uses cookies according to their own privacy and cookie policies, which we encourage you to review.
4. COOKIE DURATION
Cookies can remain on your device for different periods of time:
- Session Cookies: These exist only while your browser is open and are deleted automatically once you close your browser.
- Persistent Cookies: These cookies survive after your browser is closed and can remain on your device for a set period (from a few minutes to several years), or until you delete them manually.
5. HOW TO MANAGE COOKIES
Most web browsers allow you to manage your cookie preferences. You can:
- Delete cookies from your device
- Block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse all or some cookies
- Set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie
Please note that if you choose to block cookies, you may not be able to use all the features of our Forum.
Here are links to instructions for managing cookies in common browsers:
6. COOKIE CONSENT
When you first visit our Forum, you may see a cookie banner that allows you to accept or decline non-essential cookies. By clicking "Accept All Cookies," you consent to the use of all cookies described in this policy. If you click "Essential Cookies Only" or adjust your preferences, we will only use essential cookies.
You can change your preferences at any time by clicking on the "Cookie Settings" link in the Forum's footer.
7. DO NOT TRACK SIGNALS
Some browsers have a "Do Not Track" feature that signals to websites that you do not want to have your online activities tracked. Our Forum currently does not respond to "Do Not Track" signals.
8. UPDATES TO THIS COOKIE POLICY
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, regulation, or our business practices. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to check this page periodically to stay informed about our use of cookies.
9. CONTACT US
If you have any questions about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us at:
contact@whiteoutcommunity.com
Forum Administrator Whiteout Community Forum
By continuing to use the Whiteout Community Forum, you acknowledge that you have read this Cookie Policy and understand its contents.