Cookie Policy

How we use cookies and similar technologies

Version 1.0 | Document ID: CP-20251106-v1

Last updated: November 6, 2025

Applicable to: Official FeedCentral instance at feed.benzoogataga.com only. Third-party forks must provide their own cookie policies.

Good News: Minimal Cookie Usage

FeedCentral uses only essential cookies required for the service to function. We do NOT use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or third-party analytics cookies. Your browsing behavior is not tracked or sold to anyone.

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, smartphone, or tablet) when you visit a website. They help websites remember information about your visit, such as your preferences and login status.

This Cookie Policy explains what cookies FeedCentral uses, why we use them, and how you can control them. This policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy.

CNIL Compliance (French Data Protection Authority)

In accordance with CNIL guidelines (Délibération n° 2020-091 du 17 septembre 2020):

  • No Consent Required: FeedCentral uses only "strictly necessary" cookies (authentication) that are essential for the service to function. Under Article 82 of the French Data Protection Act and CNIL rules, these cookies do NOT require user consent.
  • No Cookie Banner: Since we don't use non-essential cookies (tracking, advertising, analytics with cookies), no consent banner is legally required.
  • Analytics Without Cookies: Vercel Analytics and Speed Insights are cookieless, privacy-first services that don't track individual users.

2. Cookies We Use

2.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are essential for the website to function properly. They cannot be disabled.

Authentication Cookie

Essential

Name: auth_token

Purpose: Keeps you logged in to your account securely

Duration: 7 days (or until you log out)

Type: First-party, HTTP-only, Secure (HTTPS only in production)

Security: Contains JWT token for authenticated sessions

2.2 Functional Cookies

These cookies remember your preferences and settings. They are not strictly necessary but enhance your experience.

Theme Preference

Functional

Storage: Local Storage (not a cookie)

Purpose: Remembers your theme choice (light/dark mode)

Duration: Persistent (until you clear browser data)

Data stored: "light", "dark", or "system"

Display Preferences

Functional

Storage: Local Storage

Purpose: Remembers layout preferences, feed view settings

Duration: Persistent

Data stored: UI preferences (grid/list view, etc.)

3. What We DON'T Use

FeedCentral explicitly does NOT use:

Advertising Cookies - We don't show ads, so we don't use advertising cookies

Analytics/Tracking Cookies - We don't use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any third-party tracking

Social Media Cookies - No social media tracking pixels or buttons that track you

Cross-Site Tracking - We don't track your browsing on other websites

Personal Tracking - Vercel Analytics and Speed Insights operate without cookies and collect only anonymous, aggregated metrics

Note on Analytics: We use Vercel Analytics and Speed Insights for anonymous performance monitoring. These tools are privacy-first and don't use cookies, don't track personal data, and don't require cookie consent under GDPR.

4. How to Control Cookies

4.1 Browser Settings

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can:

  • View what cookies are stored and delete them individually
  • Block third-party cookies
  • Block all cookies (warning: this will prevent you from logging in)
  • Delete all cookies when you close your browser

Important: If you block or delete essential cookies (authentication cookies), you will not be able to log in to FeedCentral or use account-specific features. Functional cookies can be blocked without breaking the service, but you'll lose personalization.

5. Local Storage & Session Storage

In addition to cookies, we use browser Local Storage and Session Storage to store:

  • Theme preference: Your chosen color theme
  • UI state: Sidebar collapse state, view preferences
  • Temporary data: Session-specific cache to improve performance

This data is stored only on your device and is never sent to our servers (unless you're logged in and save preferences to your account).

You can clear Local Storage through your browser's developer tools or by clearing all site data.

6. GDPR Compliance

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ePrivacy Directive:

Consent: We only use essential cookies that don't require consent. For functional cookies (theme preferences), your continued use of the site implies consent.

Transparency: This policy provides clear information about all cookies we use.

Control: You have full control over cookies through your browser settings.

Because we don't use tracking or advertising cookies, we don't need to show you a cookie consent banner on every visit.

7. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal reasons. We will post the updated policy on this page with a new "Last updated" date. Material changes will be communicated through the Service.

8. Legal References

This Cookie Policy complies with:

  • ePrivacy Directive: Directive 2002/58/EC (as amended by Directive 2009/136/EC) - "Cookie Law"
  • GDPR: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 - General Data Protection Regulation
  • French Data Protection Act: Loi n° 78-17 du 6 janvier 1978 relative à l'informatique, aux fichiers et aux libertés (modified)
  • CNIL Guidelines: Délibération n° 2020-091 du 17 septembre 2020 (exemption for strictly necessary cookies)

9. Questions?

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

FeedCentral Privacy

Operated by an individual residing in France. Full postal address available upon legitimate legal request to hosting provider (Vercel Inc.).

Email: contact@benzoogataga.com (handled from France)

GitHub: github.com/BENZOOgataga/feedcentral

Important: About Forks & Third-Party Instances

This Cookie Policy applies ONLY to the official FeedCentral project and its official deployments.

FeedCentral is open-source. Third-party instances may use different cookies or tracking methods. We are NOT responsible for:

  • Cookie practices on forks: Third-party deployments may add tracking cookies, analytics, or advertising cookies not present in the official version
  • Data collection on modified versions: Forked instances may collect additional data beyond what's described here
  • Third-party tracking: Fork maintainers may integrate Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or other tracking tools
  • GDPR compliance on forks: We cannot guarantee that third-party instances comply with GDPR or other privacy regulations

Check your instance: If you're using a FeedCentral deployment operated by someone else, review their specific cookie policy. The official FeedCentral instance at feed.benzoogataga.com follows this cookie policy exactly.

Official instance:

    FeedCentral - Centralized News Aggregator