Cookies Policy

How Cookies Work: Technical Overview

When you visit a website, the server sends a small text file to your browser, which stores it on your device. On subsequent visits, your browser sends this cookie back to the server, allowing the website to recognize you and remember your preferences. Cookies can store various information: login status, shopping cart contents, language preferences, or unique identifiers for analytics.

Cookies are categorized by their lifespan. Session cookies exist only while your browser is open and are deleted when you close it—they're commonly used for maintaining login sessions. Persistent cookies remain on your device for a specified period, from days to years, and are used for remembering preferences or tracking returning visitors.

First-Party vs Third-Party Cookies

First-party cookies are set by the website you're visiting—in this case, Media-Compute. These cookies typically handle essential functions like remembering your dark mode preference or keeping you logged in. You interact directly with the domain setting these cookies.

Third-party cookies are set by domains other than the one you're visiting. When we include Google Analytics code on our site, Google sets cookies from their domains. These cookies can track you across multiple websites that use the same service, building a profile of your browsing habits. This is how personalized advertising works—ad networks recognize you across sites and show relevant ads.

Essential Cookies: What We Require

Some cookies are strictly necessary for our website to function. Without these, you couldn't use basic features. Essential cookies we use include those that maintain your session while processing files, remember your theme preference (dark or light mode), and protect against cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks.

These essential cookies don't track your behavior or collect personal information for marketing. They exist solely to make the website work correctly. Under most privacy regulations, including GDPR, essential cookies don't require explicit consent because they're necessary for the service you requested.

Analytics Cookies: Understanding Usage

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our website. Analytics cookies track information like: which pages you visit, how long you spend on each page, how you arrived at our site, and what device/browser you use. This data is aggregated and anonymized—we see patterns like "40% of users visit the image upscaler" rather than individual user journeys.

Analytics help us improve Media-Compute. If we see high bounce rates on a specific page, we investigate usability issues. If a new feature sees low adoption, we may improve its visibility or documentation. Without analytics, we'd be guessing about what works and what doesn't.

Advertising Cookies: How Ads Work

Google AdSense displays advertisements on our website. To show relevant ads, Google uses cookies to understand your interests based on your browsing history across sites that use Google services. This means if you recently searched for cameras, you might see camera-related ads on Media-Compute.

Advertising cookies also help advertisers measure campaign effectiveness—counting impressions, clicks, and conversions. This data helps the advertising ecosystem function and allows us to generate revenue that supports free features.

Opting Out: Your Control Options

You have several options for controlling cookies. Browser settings allow you to block all cookies, block only third-party cookies, or delete cookies when you close your browser. Be aware that blocking all cookies may break website functionality.

For advertising specifically, you can opt out of personalized ads through Google's Ad Settings at www.google.com/settings/ads. You can also install browser extensions that block tracking, such as uBlock Origin or Privacy Badger. The industry-standard "Do Not Track" header is supported where technically feasible.

GDPR and Cookie Consent

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires that websites obtain consent before setting non-essential cookies for EU users. "Essential" cookies that are strictly necessary for the service you requested don't require consent. For analytics and advertising cookies, consent must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous.

Similar regulations exist in other jurisdictions: California's CCPA gives consumers the right to opt out of the "sale" of personal information, which can include advertising cookies. Brazil's LGPD, Canada's PIPEDA, and other laws impose various requirements around cookies and tracking.

Beyond Cookies: Other Tracking Technologies

While cookies are the most common tracking mechanism, other technologies exist. Local storage and session storage work similarly to cookies but can store more data. Fingerprinting identifies users based on browser configuration, installed fonts, and other device characteristics—without setting any cookies at all.

Media-Compute uses standard cookie-based tracking and does not employ fingerprinting or other invasive techniques. We believe in transparent, industry-standard approaches to analytics and advertising that users can easily understand and control.

We are committed to transparency about our data practices. This policy explains what cookies we use and why. If you have questions or concerns about cookies on our website, please contact us—we're happy to provide additional information.