Cookie Policy

Last updated: May 2025

      The short version: Sideline uses a small number of strictly necessary cookies to keep you signed in and remember your preferences. We do not use advertising cookies or sell cookie data to third parties.
    

Table of Contents

What Are Cookies
How We Use Cookies
Types of Cookies We Use
Cookie List
Local Storage and Session Storage
Third-Party Cookies
Your Choices and Opt-Out
Do Not Track
California Residents
European Users (GDPR)
Updates to This Policy
Contact Us

1. What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently, remember your preferences, and provide information to website owners.

Cookies set by the website you are visiting are called "first-party cookies." Cookies set by parties other than the website operator are called "third-party cookies." Third-party cookies may be set by services embedded in a webpage — such as payment processors or analytics platforms.

In addition to cookies, websites can use similar technologies such as web beacons, pixel tags, localStorage, and sessionStorage to store and retrieve data in your browser. This policy covers all such technologies collectively.

2. How We Use Cookies

Sideline uses cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

Authentication: To keep you signed in across page loads and browser sessions so you do not have to sign in repeatedly.
Preferences: To remember settings such as your selected sport or last-used team so the app opens in a familiar state.
Security: To protect your account and our service from unauthorized access and abuse.
Usage limits: To track the number of free exports you have used, so we can apply the free tier limit consistently across sessions.
Payment processing: Stripe, our payment processor, sets cookies necessary to operate the checkout flow securely.
Infrastructure: Our hosting provider, Vercel, may set cookies necessary to route requests and maintain service performance.

We do not use cookies for behavioral advertising, cross-site tracking, or the sale of your browsing data to third parties.

3. Types of Cookies We Use

Cookies can be classified by duration and by purpose:

By duration:

Session cookies — exist only while your browser is open. They are deleted automatically when you close your browser tab or window.
Persistent cookies — remain on your device for a set period of time (or until you delete them). They are used to remember you on return visits.

By purpose:

Strictly necessary — essential for the website to function. The site cannot operate properly without them. They do not require your consent.
Functional — remember your choices and preferences to provide a more personalized experience. They are not essential but improve usability.
Analytics — help us understand how visitors interact with the website by collecting and reporting information anonymously.
Third-party — set by external services embedded in our site, such as payment processors, subject to their own policies.

The following table describes the specific cookies and storage keys used by Sideline:

Name	Type	Duration	Purpose
`ss_token`	Necessary	30 days	Stores your JWT authentication token in localStorage to keep you signed in across sessions. Contains your user ID and account tier — no passwords are stored.
`ss_anon_exports`	Functional	Until cleared or upgrade	Tracks the number of free exports used in your current browser. Cleared automatically when you upgrade to Pro. Used to enforce the free tier limit of 3 exports.
`gcal_pending`	Functional	Session	Temporarily stores the Google Calendar sync state (sport and pending action) during the OAuth redirect flow. Deleted after the sync completes.
`gcal_sport`	Functional	Session	Stores your selected sport temporarily during the Google Calendar OAuth flow to restore your session state after the redirect.
Stripe cookies	Third-Party	Varies	Set by Stripe to enable secure payment processing, fraud prevention, and checkout session management. Subject to Stripe's Privacy Policy.
Vercel cookies	Necessary	Session	Set by our hosting provider (Vercel) for load balancing and routing. These are infrastructure cookies and do not contain personal data.
Google OAuth cookies	Third-Party	Varies	Set by Google during the OAuth sign-in and Calendar authorization flow. Subject to Google's Privacy Policy. Sideline does not store the Google access token — it is used only during your active session.

5. Local Storage and Session Storage

In addition to cookies, Sideline uses your browser's localStorage and sessionStorage to store small amounts of data. Unlike cookies, these are never transmitted to our servers — they exist only in your browser.

localStorage (persists until cleared):

ss_token — your authentication token (described above)
ss_anon_exports — your free export count (described above)

sessionStorage (cleared when you close the tab):

gcal_pending — temporary Google Calendar sync state during OAuth redirect
gcal_sport — selected sport saved during OAuth redirect

You can view, edit, or delete any localStorage or sessionStorage values at any time using your browser's developer tools (typically found under Application → Storage).

6. Third-Party Cookies

The following third-party services may set cookies or use similar technologies when you interact with Sideline:

Stripe — used for payment processing. Stripe may set cookies to enable secure checkout and fraud prevention. For details, see stripe.com/privacy.
Google — used for Sign-In with Google and optional Calendar sync. Google may set cookies during the OAuth authorization flow. For details, see policies.google.com/privacy.
Vercel — our hosting provider may set infrastructure cookies for routing and performance. For details, see vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy.
Anthropic — our AI processing provider. Anthropic's API is called server-side and does not set cookies in your browser. For details, see anthropic.com/legal/privacy.

We do not use advertising networks, social media tracking pixels, or any behavioral targeting technologies.

7. Your Choices and Opt-Out

You have several options for controlling cookies and similar storage technologies:

Browser settings: Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies, delete existing cookies, or alert you when cookies are being set. Visit your browser's help section for instructions:

Impact of disabling cookies: Disabling strictly necessary cookies will prevent the service from working correctly. Specifically:

Clearing ss_token will sign you out and require you to sign in again
Clearing ss_anon_exports will reset your free export count (this is a known limitation of browser-based enforcement)
Blocking all cookies may prevent the Stripe checkout from functioning

localStorage: You can clear localStorage at any time via your browser's developer tools (Application → Local Storage → sidelinestudioco.com → right-click → Clear).

Opt out of Google: To disconnect your Google account from Sideline, sign out of Sideline and revoke access at myaccount.google.com/permissions.

8. Do Not Track

Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you do not want to be tracked. Because there is currently no industry-wide standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals, Sideline does not alter its behavior in response to a DNT browser signal.

However, Sideline does not engage in the kind of cross-site behavioral tracking that DNT is designed to prevent. We do not use advertising cookies, cross-site trackers, or sell browsing data regardless of DNT status.

9. California Residents

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), California residents have specific rights regarding their personal information, including data collected via cookies.

Sideline does not sell personal information collected via cookies or any other means. We do not share cookie data with third parties for cross-context behavioral advertising.

California residents have the right to:

Know what personal information is collected, used, shared, or sold
Delete personal information held by businesses (subject to certain exceptions)
Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information
Non-discrimination for exercising their CCPA rights

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@sidelinestudioco.com. We will respond within 45 days as required by law.

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or equivalent laws may apply to your use of Sideline.

Our legal basis for using strictly necessary cookies is legitimate interest — these cookies are required for the service to function. Our legal basis for functional cookies is consent, which you provide by continuing to use the service after being informed of this policy.

We do not use cookies that require explicit opt-in consent under GDPR (such as advertising or tracking cookies). If this changes in the future, we will implement a cookie consent mechanism before setting any non-essential cookies.

You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing of, or port your personal data. To exercise these rights, contact us at info@sidelinestudioco.com.

Note: Sideline is operated from the United States. If you access the service from the EEA, your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States. By using the service, you acknowledge this transfer.

11. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Material changes — such as the introduction of new third-party cookies or advertising technologies — will be communicated via a notice on the site or by email if you have an account.

12. Contact Us

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

Sideline Studio Co.
Email: info@sidelinestudioco.com
Website: sidelinestudioco.com