Cookie Policy

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit our Platform. They help us provide you with a better experience by remembering your preferences, understanding how you use the Platform, and enabling certain features.

This policy explains what cookies we use, why we use them, and how you can control them. We use cookies in compliance with the GDPR, the ePrivacy Directive (2002/58/EC), and Bulgarian data protection law.

Strictly Necessary Cookies:

These cookies are essential for the Platform to function. They cannot be disabled without breaking core features.

• accessToken (DivingBuddy) — User authentication, session duration

• expiryTime (DivingBuddy) — Token expiry tracking, session duration

• NEXT_LOCALE (DivingBuddy) — Language preference, 1 year

• cookie_consent (DivingBuddy) — Stores your cookie consent preferences, 1 year

Legal basis: Strictly necessary (no consent required under Art. 5(3) ePrivacy Directive).

Analytics Cookies:

These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with the Platform by collecting anonymized information.

• _ga (Google Analytics) — Distinguishes unique users, 2 years

• _ga_* (Google Analytics) — Maintains session state, 2 years

• _gid (Google Analytics) — Distinguishes unique users, 24 hours

• _gat (Google Analytics) — Limits request rate, 1 minute

• rum_* (OpenObserve) — Real user monitoring and performance metrics, session

Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). These cookies are only set after you provide consent.

Functional Cookies:

These cookies enable enhanced functionality and personalization.

• preferred_currency (DivingBuddy) — Remembers currency selection, 1 year

• search_preferences (DivingBuddy) — Remembers search filter settings, 30 days

• recently_viewed (DivingBuddy) — Stores recently viewed listings, 30 days

Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR).

Marketing Cookies:

These cookies are used to track visitors across websites and display relevant advertisements.

• _gcl_au (Google Ads) — Conversion tracking, 90 days

• _fbp (Meta/Facebook) — Advertising attribution, 90 days

Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). These cookies are only set after you provide explicit consent.

When you first visit the Platform, a cookie consent banner will ask for your permission to set non-essential cookies. You can:

• Accept all cookies — enables all cookie categories

• Reject non-essential cookies — only strictly necessary cookies are used

• Customize your choices — select specific cookie categories

You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking "Cookie Settings" in the footer of any page.

Strictly necessary cookies do not require consent and cannot be disabled, as they are essential for the Platform to function.

Some cookies are placed by third-party services we use:

• Google (Analytics, Ads, Tag Manager) — Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

• Meta / Facebook (Advertising, Social plugins) — Privacy Policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy.php

• Stripe (Payment processing) — Privacy Policy: https://stripe.com/privacy

• OpenObserve (Performance monitoring) — Privacy Policy: https://openobserve.ai/privacy

We do not control third-party cookies. Please refer to each provider's privacy policy for their data practices.

Through our Platform: Use the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer to update your preferences.

Through your browser: Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies.

• Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies

• Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies

• Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Cookies

• Edge: Settings → Privacy & services → Cookies

Do Not Track (DNT): We currently do not respond to DNT signals, as there is no industry-standard implementation. We rely on our consent-based cookie mechanism instead.

Note: Blocking all cookies may impair Platform functionality, including authentication and language selection.

In addition to cookies, we use browser local storage for:

• accessToken — Authentication token, until logout or expiry

• expiryTime — Token expiry timestamp, until logout or expiry

Local storage items are essential for Platform authentication and cannot be disabled without preventing login functionality.

For questions about our use of cookies:

Email: [PRIVACY_EMAIL_PLACEHOLDER]

Data Protection Officer: [DPO_EMAIL_PLACEHOLDER]

We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date.