Cookie & Browser Storage Policy
In short: Refine sets two cookies and stores a small amount of information in your browser. They exist to sign you in, remember your language and theme, and save your place in a lesson.
We do not use analytics, advertising, or tracking cookies, and we do not set any third-party cookies. Nothing described on this page is used to profile you, build an advertising audience, or follow you across other websites.
1. Cookies we set
A cookie is a small piece of text that a website asks your browser to store and send back on later visits. These are the only two cookies Refine sets. Both are first-party: they are set by Refine's own domain and cannot be read by any other website.
| Name | Purpose | Category | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| x-auth-token | Keeps you signed in after you log in. Without it you would be signed out on every page load. | Strictly necessary | Session. Deleted when you close your browser, or when you sign out |
| lang | Remembers which language the platform is displayed in. On your first visit this is set automatically. See below. | Functional | 12 months when you choose a language; session only when detected automatically |
How we detect your language. If you have not chosen a language yet, we select one on your first visit, from the approximate country our hosting provider determines from your IP address, or, where that is unavailable, from the language settings your browser sends. Only the resulting language is stored, and only for the current browser session, until you choose a language yourself. This check is not used to identify you, to locate you precisely, or to build any profile.
2. Other browser storage
Alongside cookies, Refine uses your browser's local and session storage. This information stays on your device and is not transmitted to our servers automatically the way a cookie is. We list it here because the rules on storing information on your device apply to all such storage, not only to cookies.
| What it stores | Keys | Where it is stored | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your preferences | theme-mode refine_lang refine_muted | Local. Kept until cleared | Remembers your light/dark theme, your chosen language, and whether lesson audio is muted. |
| Roadmap and lesson position | roadmapScrollY lastClickedLessonId recentlyCompletedRoadmapLessonId currentSlideNumber | Local. Kept until cleared | Records which lesson you last opened, how far the roadmap was scrolled, which lesson you have just completed, and which slide of a lesson you are on, so returning does not lose your position. |
| Interface state | ls_client_context_key ls_analytics_date-range ls_analytics_date-range-preset | Local. Kept until cleared | Records which organisation you are viewing and the date range and granularity you last selected on reporting screens. The keys containing "analytics" store that date filter. They do not track your browsing and never leave your browser. |
| Media library cache | ft-media-pool-cache | Session. Discarded when you close the tab | Holds a temporary copy of the media library listing so it does not have to be re-fetched as you browse. |
| One-time prompts | profile_setup_prompted guidance:rm-popup-shown | Session. Discarded when you close the tab | Ensures a setup prompt or guidance popup is not shown to you repeatedly during a browsing session. |
| Demo sessions | demo_program_* | Local. Kept until cleared | If you open a demo invitation link, stores the demo programme and the invitation reference from that link so reloading the page does not restart the demo. The invitation reference forms part of the key name. |
Session storage is cleared automatically when you close the browser tab. Local storage stays until you clear it or we remove it.
3. Third-party cookies
Refine sets no third-party cookies. No advertising network, social network, or analytics provider places a cookie in your browser through our platform.
We do rely on service providers to operate the platform: hosting, email delivery, and speech processing. Some of them process data on their own systems under contract with us. None of them place anything in your browser, and none of them receive information about your browsing.
4. Why we do not show a cookie banner
Consent banners exist so you can refuse cookies that are not needed to run a service, chiefly tracking and advertising cookies. Refine does not use any. The cookies described above either sign you in, or record the language the platform is displayed in, because you chose it, or, for the current browser session only, because we detected it on your first visit. None of it is used for tracking or advertising, so there is nothing for you to opt out of and no banner to click through.
If we ever introduce a cookie that is not strictly necessary, we will ask for your consent before setting it, and you will be able to refuse as easily as you accept.
5. How to control cookies and storage
You can clear or block this information at any time from your browser settings:
- Every major browser lets you view, delete, and block cookies and site data for an individual site.
- Clearing site data for Refine will sign you out and reset your theme, language, and saved lesson position.
- Blocking cookies entirely will prevent you from signing in, because the sign-in cookie is required to keep your session.
6. Changes to this policy
If the cookies or storage we use change, we will update this page and the version and date above. Material changes will be communicated to customer administrators.
7. Legal basis
We do not rely on consent for anything described here, because none of it requires consent. The sign-in cookie is strictly necessary to deliver the service you signed in to use. The language cookie and the browser storage listed in section 2 are strictly necessary to present that service in the form you asked for: the language you selected, the theme you set, the place you had reached. None of it is used for tracking, profiling, or advertising, and none of it is shared with anyone.
8. Who we are, and how to reach us
This platform is operated by Refine Inc. Questions about this policy, or about how we handle your data, can be sent to ceo@refine-skills.com.
Your rights depend on where you live. Data protection laws differ from country to country, and the rights available to you, such as access, correction, deletion, or objection, are set by your local law. Many countries also let you raise a concern with a regulator:
- In the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom, you may lodge a complaint with your national data protection supervisory authority.
- In Serbia, you may contact the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection.
- In the United States, privacy rights are set at state level. Residents of states with privacy legislation may be able to raise a concern with their state Attorney General.
- Elsewhere, your national data protection or consumer protection regulator may be able to assist you.
Wherever you are, and whatever your local law provides, you can raise any concern about your data with us directly at ceo@refine-skills.com and we will respond. If you are unsure which rules apply to you, ask us and we will help.