Cookie Policy
Last updated: May 3, 2026
This Cookie Policy explains what cookies and similar technologies Forthclear uses on this marketing website, why we use them, and how you can control them. For information about how we handle personal data more generally, see our Privacy Policy.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They allow the site to remember your actions and preferences (such as language, pages visited, or whether you have accepted analytics) over a period of time, so you don't have to keep re-entering them whenever you come back.
Cookies we use
| Cookie | Purpose | Category | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
fc_consent_v1 |
Remembers your per-category cookie consent choice (Analytics on/off, Marketing on/off) so we don't ask again. Stored as JSON with a version + timestamp; expires after ~12 months and you'll then be asked again. | Strictly necessary | 12 months |
fs_client_id, fs_first_landing_path, fs_first_referrer, fs_utm_*, fs_blog_views |
First-party attribution: lets us tell which marketing page or campaign brought you to the install link, so we can measure what works. | Essential | 30 days – 1 year |
session, CSRF tokens |
Required for the site and any forms to work securely. | Essential | Session |
_ga, _ga_* (Google Analytics 4) |
Set by Google Analytics to measure aggregate visitor behaviour (pages viewed, traffic sources). Only set after you enable the Analytics category via the cookie banner. | Analytics | Up to 2 years |
_gcl_au (Google Ads, forthcast.io only) |
Conversion linker for Google Ads campaigns. Only set after you enable the Marketing category. | Marketing | Up to 90 days |
How we ask for consent
On your first visit, a banner at the bottom of the page gives you three equally-presented choices: Accept all, Reject all, and Manage preferences. The Manage view lets you turn the Analytics and Marketing categories on or off independently — Strictly Necessary is always on because the site can't function without it. Until you make a choice, no analytics or marketing scripts load and no optional cookies are set: no requests are sent to Google's servers at all. We also use Google's Consent Mode v2 so that, when you do enable a category, our signals are sent with your explicit consent recorded. Each choice is logged server-side (timestamp, page, and category booleans) for our GDPR audit trail. We retain those server-side consent log entries for 24 months — long enough to cover the 12-month cookie re-prompt window plus a 12-month audit buffer — after which a nightly job automatically deletes them.
Changing or withdrawing consent
You can change your choice at any time by clicking Cookie preferences here or in the footer of any page. You can also delete the fc_consent_v1 cookie in your browser to be asked again. Your choice expires after about 12 months, after which we'll re-prompt. Withdrawing consent does not delete cookies that were already set; clear your browser's cookies for this site to remove them.
Third-party services
When enabled by your consent, the following third parties may set cookies on this site:
- Google Analytics 4 — operated by Google Ireland Ltd. See Google's Privacy Policy.
- Google Ads (forthcast.io only) — same operator and policy as above.
Contact
Questions about this Cookie Policy? Contact us at info@forthclear.io.