COOKIE NOTICE

1. What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the website operator.

Similar technologies include local storage and device identifiers, which serve comparable purposes.

2. How we use cookies

We use cookies for the following purposes:

2.1 Strictly necessary cookies

These cookies are essential for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They include cookies for:

• User authentication and session management;
• Security features (e.g. CSRF protection);
• Remembering your cookie preferences.

Legal basis: These cookies do not require consent as they are strictly necessary for the operation of the website.

2.2 Functional cookies

These cookies enable enhanced functionality and personalisation, such as:

• Remembering your language and region preferences;
• Remembering display settings (e.g. dark mode).

UK: Under the Data Use and Access Act 2025 (effective 5 February 2026), functional cookies are exempt from prior consent but you may opt out. EU: Consent is required before these cookies are set.

2.3 Analytics cookies

These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with the website by collecting information such as:

• Pages visited and time spent on each page;
• How you arrived at our website;
• Technical information such as browser type and screen size.

This data is aggregated and anonymised where possible and is used solely to improve the performance and usability of our website.

The following analytics cookies are used on our website:

Google Analytics (GA4):

• _ga — Distinguishes unique users. Duration: 2 years. Set by Google Analytics.
• _ga_* — Maintains session state. Duration: 2 years. Set by Google Analytics.

Google Tag Manager:

• _gcl_au — Stores a unique user ID for conversion tracking. Duration: 90 days. Set by Google Tag Manager.

Microsoft Clarity:

• _clck — Persists the Clarity user ID and preferences. Duration: 12 months.
• _clsk — Connects pageviews into a Clarity session recording. Duration: 1 day.
• CLID — Identifies returning visitors. Duration: 12 months.
• MR — Checks whether to refresh MUID. Duration: 1 day.
• ANONCHK — Indicates whether MUID is transferred to ANID (used to serve ads). Duration: session.
• SM — Synchronises MUID across Microsoft domains. Duration: session.

These analytics cookies are only set after you grant analytics consent via our cookie banner.

UK: Under the Data Use and Access Act 2025, analytics cookies are exempt from prior consent but you may opt out. EU: Consent is required before these cookies are set.

2.4 Advertising and tracking cookies

We do not currently use advertising cookies on the Platform. Analytics cookies are listed in section 2.3 above. If we introduce advertising cookies in the future, we will update this notice and obtain your consent where required by law.

3. Third-party cookies

Some cookies on our website are set by third-party services that we use:

• Stripe: Our payment processor may set cookies to process payments securely and to prevent fraud. These are strictly necessary for payment functionality. See Stripe's Privacy Policy.
• Video session provider: Our live video session provider may set cookies or use similar technologies to facilitate real-time video communication. These are strictly necessary for video functionality.

We do not control third-party cookies and recommend reviewing the relevant provider's privacy policy for more information.

4. Mobile application

The NForge mobile application does not use cookies. However, the app uses device identifiers and similar technologies for the following purposes:

• Push notifications: We use Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) and Apple Push Notification service (APNs) device tokens to deliver push notifications. You can manage notification permissions in your device settings.
• Authentication: Secure tokens are stored locally on your device to keep you signed in.

For more information about how we use data in the mobile app, please see our Privacy Policy.

5. How to manage cookies

You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:

• View what cookies are stored and delete them individually;
• Block third-party cookies;
• Block cookies from particular websites;
• Block all cookies; and
• Delete all cookies when you close your browser.

Please note that blocking or deleting cookies may affect the functionality of the website. In particular, strictly necessary cookies are required for you to log in and use core features.

For more information on managing cookies in your browser, visit aboutcookies.org.

6. Your rights by region

UK users

Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) as amended by the Data Use and Access Act 2025 (effective 5 February 2026), certain cookies — including analytics and functional cookies — are exempt from prior consent requirements. However, you have the right to opt out of these cookies at any time through your browser settings or any cookie preference tool we provide.

For more information about your data protection rights, see our Privacy Policy or visit ico.org.uk.

EU users

Under the ePrivacy Directive (as implemented in EU Member States) and the EU GDPR, your prior consent is required before we set any cookies that are not strictly necessary for the operation of the website. This includes functional and analytics cookies.

You can manage your cookie preferences using the cookie banner that appears when you first visit our website, or by clearing your browser's local storage to reset your preferences.

7. Changes to this notice

We may update this Cookie Notice from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use or for other operational, legal or regulatory reasons. We will post the updated version on this page and change the "Last updated" date above.