Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, provide a better browsing experience, and supply information to the site owners.

There are several types of technologies that function similarly to cookies:

• HTTP cookies — Small text files stored by your browser. These can be session cookies (deleted when you close your browser) or persistent cookies (remain until they expire or are manually deleted).
• localStorage and sessionStorage — Browser-based key-value storage mechanisms that persist data on your device. While not technically cookies, they serve a similar purpose of retaining information between visits.
• Third-party cookies — Cookies set by services embedded on our site, such as analytics or authentication providers.

2. How We Use Cookies

HireForHumans uses cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

Category	Purpose	Can be disabled?
Essential	Authentication, session management, security	No
Functional	Language preference, theme preference	Yes
Analytics	Understanding site usage and improving the service	Yes
Third-party	Fonts, authentication, hosting	Varies

3. Essential Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary for the operation of our website and mobile application. Without them, core functionality such as authentication and session management would not work. These cookies do not require your consent.

• Firebase Authentication session cookies — Maintain your logged-in state across page loads and prevent unauthorized access to your account.
• CSRF protection tokens — Prevent cross-site request forgery attacks when submitting forms or making API requests.
• Security cookies — Detect and prevent malicious activity, including brute-force login attempts and session hijacking.

Disabling essential cookies will prevent you from logging in, accessing your account, or using any authenticated features of the platform.

4. Functional Cookies and LocalStorage

Functional technologies remember your preferences and choices to provide a more personalized experience. These are not required for the site to function, but they improve usability.

• hfh_lang (localStorage) — Stores your preferred language. When you select a language using the language switcher, your choice is saved so the site displays in your preferred language on subsequent visits. Default: en.
• theme_mode (localStorage) — Stores your theme preference (light or dark mode) in the mobile application. This ensures a consistent visual experience across sessions.

These values are stored in your browser's localStorage and do not expire automatically. You can clear them at any time through your browser settings.

5. Firebase Authentication Cookies

HireForHumans uses Firebase Authentication for user account management. Firebase sets the following cookies when you sign in:

Cookie	Purpose	Duration
__session	Contains a JWT token that identifies your authenticated session. This cookie is used to verify your identity on every request to our backend services.	Session (deleted on browser close)
__auth	Used by Firebase Auth to maintain your sign-in state and detect unauthorized access.	Session
firebase-auth-demo-*	Set during the authentication flow when using email/password or OAuth sign-in methods. Facilitates the secure exchange of authentication tokens.	Short-lived (minutes)

These cookies are essential and cannot be disabled without logging out of your account.

6. Analytics Cookies

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information about your visit, such as pages viewed, time spent on site, and navigation patterns. This data helps us improve our website and service.

Our Google Analytics configuration uses measurement ID G-JV49N3LWWB. The following cookies may be set:

Cookie	Purpose	Duration
_ga	Distinguishes unique visitors. Used to calculate visitor, session, and campaign data.	2 years
_ga_*	Maintains session state. Used to keep track of session activity.	2 years

We have configured Google Analytics to anonymize IP addresses (anonymize_ip: true). This means Google truncates the last octet of your IP address before storing it, providing additional privacy protection.

You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

7. Third-Party Services

The following third-party services may set cookies or use similar tracking technologies when you use our website:

Google Fonts

We use Google Fonts to serve web fonts (Plus Jakarta Sans, Space Grotesk, and JetBrains Mono). When your browser loads these fonts, Google may set cookies or use request headers to cache the font files. Google may also collect your IP address for a short period. Google Privacy Policy

Google Analytics

As described in Section 6, we use Google Analytics for website analytics. Google may use cookies to collect usage data. The data is processed by Google and subject to their privacy practices. Google Cookie Policy

Firebase (Google Cloud)

Firebase provides our authentication infrastructure and backend services. Firebase may set cookies as described in Section 5. Firebase services are operated by Google and are subject to the Google Privacy Policy. Firebase Privacy Information

8. Managing Cookies

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Here is how to access cookie settings in common browsers:

• Chrome: Settings → Privacy and Security → Third-party cookies
• Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
• Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data
• Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Manage and delete cookies

Please note that disabling all cookies may affect the functionality of our website. Specifically:

• Disabling essential cookies will prevent you from signing in or staying signed in.
• Disabling functional cookies will reset your language and theme preferences on each visit.
• Disabling analytics cookies will not affect site functionality but will prevent us from understanding how visitors use our site.

To clear localStorage data (such as language and theme preferences), you can use your browser's developer tools (Application → Local Storage) or clear all site data through your browser settings.

9. Updates to This Policy

HireForHumans reserves the right to update this Cookie Policy at any time. When we make changes, we will:

• Update the effective date at the top of this page
• Notify registered users via email or an in-platform notification for material changes
• Provide notice on our website when significant changes are made

Continued use of our website after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Cookie Policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies.

10. Contact

If you have questions or concerns about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us at:

Email: legal@hireforhumans.com