Cookie Policy

1. What cookies and similar technologies are

A cookie is a small text file that a website places on your device and that is sent back to the server on your subsequent visits. Cookies can be session cookies (deleted when you close your browser) or persistent cookies (kept until they expire or are deleted).

PPN World also relies on browser local storage (localStorage). Technically, localStorage is not a cookie: it is a browser-side storage area that is not automatically transmitted to the server with each request and that stays on your device until you clear it. We disclose it here for transparency, because it is used to remember interface preferences.

In this policy, the word "cookie" is used broadly to refer to cookies proper and to similar storage technologies, except where a distinction is made.

2. Our approach: essential technologies by default

By default, PPN World enables only technologies that are strictly necessary for the Service to function (authentication, security, remembering your preferences). We use no advertising cookies, no marketing tracking pixels, and no cross-site trackers.

The only other category that may apply is privacy-friendly audience analytics, described in Section 5. When used in a cookieless manner, such analytics does not require your prior consent under most applicable frameworks; we nonetheless describe it transparently.

3. Essential cookies (strictly necessary)

These technologies are essential to sign you in, secure your session, and deliver the features you request. Without them, the Service cannot function properly. Under most applicable frameworks (including Quebec's Law 25 and the EU/UK GDPR), they do not require prior consent, but we inform you about them.

Authentication session cookies (Supabase) — Purpose: keep you signed in after you log in with email/password or via Google or GitHub (OAuth), and protect your session. Type: first-party cookies set as part of authentication managed by our provider Supabase. Duration: the lifetime of the session and its renewal (short-lived access tokens, typically on the order of an hour, plus a refresh token persisting until you sign out or it expires). Effect of declining: you cannot stay signed in or use account-gated features.

Cookie notice acknowledgement (localStorage) — Purpose: remember that you have seen our cookie-notice banner so it is not shown again on every visit. Type: a browser local-storage entry (key "ppn:cookie-notice-ack"), not a cookie. Duration: persistent until you clear your browser's local storage. Data stored: a timestamp of your acknowledgement.

Security and operational stability — Our host Vercel may set first-party technical cookies necessary for request routing, load balancing, or platform security. These cookies are not used for marketing tracking.

4. Preferences (browser local storage)

To give you a consistent experience, PPN World stores certain interface preferences in your browser's local storage (localStorage). Reminder: these are not cookies, and this data is not automatically transmitted to our servers with each request. It stays on your device until you clear it.

Preferences stored: the interface display language (French, English, or Spanish), the display theme, and certain display preferences tied to your use of the Service. When you are signed in, some preferences (for example, the interface language) may also be saved to your profile so they follow you across devices; that processing is described in the Privacy Policy.

Effect of clearing: if you clear local storage, your local preferences revert to defaults and the cookie-notice banner may reappear. No essential functionality is permanently lost.

5. Audience analytics (privacy-friendly)

To understand overall use of the Service (pages viewed, performance, aggregate trends), we use Vercel Web Analytics, provided by our host Vercel. This tool is designed to be privacy-friendly and is used in a cookieless manner: it does not place a tracking cookie on your device and is not used to identify you personally or to track you across other sites. Measurement is based on aggregate statistics.

PostHog (conditional — not currently enabled): in the future, we may enable a product-analytics tool such as PostHog to better understand feature usage. As of the date of this policy, PostHog is not enabled on the Service. If it were enabled, and if its configuration involved cookies or non-essential processing, we would update this policy and, where required, obtain your prior consent in accordance with applicable laws before activating it.

6. No advertising cookies or cross-site trackers

PPN World does not serve behavioural advertising and does not use advertising cookies, third-party marketing pixels, or cross-site tracking networks. We do not sell or "share" your personal information for targeted advertising within the meaning of California law (CCPA/CPRA). Because we do not engage in this kind of tracking, no advertising opt-out mechanism is needed.

7. Technologies from our service providers

To provide the Service, we rely on service providers (sub-processors) that may process certain technical data. Most do not operate via browser cookies, but we disclose them for transparency. This list overlaps with the Privacy Policy and should not be read as any certification claim.

List of providers and their role: • Vercel (Inc., USA) — application hosting, serverless functions, CDN, edge, and Vercel Web Analytics. • Supabase (USA; data hosted per project region) — authentication, Postgres database (profiles, bookmarks, watchlists, saved searches, teams), and file storage. • OpenAI (USA) — summaries, entity extraction, country classification, and draft generation. • Anthropic (USA) — Claude models powering the "Ask the World" agent and AI-generated briefs. • Resend (USA) — delivery of transactional emails and digests. • Upstash (USA) — IP-based rate limiting (Redis). • Stripe (USA / Ireland) — payment processing and subscription billing (card data is handled by Stripe and is never stored by us). Stripe may set its own cookies on checkout pages for fraud prevention. • MapTiler / MapLibre — map tiles for the globe and map views. • Sentry (USA) — error monitoring (may capture limited diagnostic data).

Several of these providers are located in the United States, which may involve a transfer of personal information outside Quebec, Canada, the EU, or the UK. The terms and safeguards applicable to these transfers are described in the Privacy Policy.

8. The cookie-notice banner and your consent

On your first visit, PPN World shows a cookie-notice banner (the "CookieBanner"). Because by default we use only essential technologies and cookieless audience analytics, this banner is primarily an informational notice: it tells you that we use a session cookie to keep you signed in and local storage to remember your preferences, and that there are no advertising trackers. The "Got it" button (Compris / Entendido) records your acknowledgement and hides the banner.

Important: closing or acknowledging the banner does not trigger any non-essential cookie. Essential cookies are set because they are necessary for the Service to operate. If, in the future, we introduce non-essential cookies that require consent (for example, product analytics with cookies), we will replace this notice with a consent mechanism offering a genuine choice (accept, decline, configure) before any cookie is set.

9. How to change or withdraw your consent

Because by default we use only essential technologies and cookieless analytics, there is, to date, no consent to non-essential tracking to withdraw. You nonetheless retain full control over the data stored on your device:

• Re-show the notice: clear your browser's local storage for PPN World (which removes the "ppn:cookie-notice-ack" key); the banner will reappear on your next visit. • Clear cookies and storage: use your browser settings (see Section 10). Clearing essential cookies will sign you out; you can sign back in at any time. • If we ever enable non-essential technologies that require consent, you will be able to change or withdraw it through the consent mechanism we then put in place, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

10. Browser and device controls

Most browsers let you view, block, or delete cookies and local storage, and set per-site preferences. See your browser's help section (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, etc.) or your mobile device's privacy settings. You can also browse in private/incognito mode.

Please note that blocking or deleting essential cookies will prevent the Service from working properly: in particular, you will not be able to stay signed in. Blocking local storage will reset your local preferences.

11. "Do Not Track" and "Global Privacy Control" signals

Some browsers emit a "Do Not Track" (DNT) or "Global Privacy Control" (GPC) signal. There is no universally recognized standard for DNT. Because PPN World engages in no advertising tracking and does not sell or "share" personal information for targeted advertising, in practice these signals have no advertising processing to switch off. If we ever introduce relevant non-essential processing, we will state how these signals are handled.

12. Legal framework

Bollé Communications inc. is responsible for processing the personal information related to the cookies and technologies described here. For strictly necessary cookies, the basis is the legitimate interest in providing a secure, functional service that you requested (and, under Canada's Law 25 and PIPEDA, they are necessary to deliver the Service). For cookieless audience analytics, where it does not require consent under the applicable framework, the basis is the legitimate interest in measuring and improving the Service; any future analytics based on non-essential cookies would rely on your prior consent.

Depending on where you live, rights may apply under Law 25 (Quebec), PIPEDA (Canada), the GDPR (EU/UK), or the CCPA/CPRA (California). Exercising those rights, as well as international transfers and detailed retention periods, are described in our Privacy Policy. Retention periods specific to cookies are stated in Sections 3 and 4.

13. Press-wire content

The indexing and redistribution of public press releases does not rely on cookies and is not governed by this policy. Those matters are addressed in our separate "Press Wire Content & Fair Use" page.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect technical, legal, or practice changes. The "Last updated" date shown at the top of the page reflects the version in force. For material changes, in particular the introduction of non-essential cookies, we will display a prominent notice and, where the law requires, obtain your consent before any cookie is set.

15. Contact us

For any question about this Cookie Policy or about how we process your personal information, write to info@ppnsource.com. For legal or contractual questions, write to info@ppnsource.com. For technical support, write to info@ppnsource.com. Controller: Bollé Communications inc., Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Governing law: Province of Quebec, Canada.