Cookies Policy
This page explains how BeRef uses cookies and similar storage on this website. The short version: we use only strictly-necessary cookies, we do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies, and our website analytics are cookieless. There is no tracking banner because there is nothing non-essential to consent to. This page sits alongside our Privacy Policy and Impressum.
What cookies (and similar technologies) are
A cookie is a small text file a website asks your browser to store on your device. Similar technologies — such as localStorage, sessionStorage, and pixels — can read or write information on your device in comparable ways. Under EU law the rules below apply to any storing of, or access to, information on your device, not only to cookies in the narrow sense (ePrivacy Directive Art. 5(3), German TDDDG §25).
BeRef’s cookie posture: strictly necessary only
As of the last review of this page, the public BeRef site sets no cookies by default and uses no localStorage or sessionStorage for tracking. The only cookies that may be used are strictly necessary to deliver a function you have actively requested — for example, to operate secure checkout if and when you choose to buy. We do not build advertising profiles and we do not follow you across other websites.
Categories actually used
- Strictly-necessary cookies— used only where essential to operate the site securely and to deliver a feature you request (for example, basic security and load balancing by our hosting provider, or maintaining a checkout session). These are not used to track you and do not require consent. Currently the site relies on essentially none of these at rest until you take an action such as starting a purchase.
- Cookieless analytics (Vercel Web Analytics)— we measure aggregate traffic (such as page views) using Vercel Web Analytics, which is cookieless by design. It does not set a cookie, does not use a persistent identifier, and does not track you across other sites. Because it stores nothing on your device, it falls outside the consent rule in ePrivacy Art. 5(3) / TDDDG §25; the limited aggregate data is covered by our Privacy Policy.
- Paddle checkout cookies (only when you buy)— if you start a purchase, Paddle (our Merchant of Record) may set cookies that are strictly necessary to operate and secure the checkout and to prevent payment fraud. These appear only in the checkout flow, not on the general site. Checkout is currently disabled in production pending payment-provider domain approval, so these cookies are not set today; this section will apply once checkout goes live.
No advertising, no cross-site tracking
We do notuse advertising cookies, retargeting or remarketing pixels, social-media tracking cookies, data brokers, or any technology that follows you across third-party websites. We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising. This is a deliberate product choice, consistent with BeRef’s honesty-first principle.
Legal basis and consent
Under ePrivacy Directive Art. 5(3) and German TDDDG §25, storing or reading information on your device requires your prior consent unless it is strictly necessary to carry out a transmission or to provide a service you have expressly requested. Because BeRef uses only strictly-necessary cookies and cookieless analytics, no consent is requiredfor what we do today — and regulators read the “strictly necessary” exemption narrowly, so we keep our use within it.
If we ever introduce a non-essentialcookie or similar technology — for example, optional analytics that use an identifier, or any advertising technology — we will first ask for your opt-in consent through a clear cookie banner (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a), Art. 7, with ePrivacy Art. 5(3) / TDDDG §25 as the specific rule), and you will be able to refuse or withdraw it as easily as you gave it. Note that legitimate interest cannot replace consent here, because ePrivacy Art. 5(3) is the more specific law.
California & “Do Not Track”
For California visitors, under CalOPPA: because we do not track users across third-party websites and use only cookieless analytics, there is no cross-site behaviour to suppress. We do not currently respond to browser “Do Not Track” (DNT) signals, as there is no cross-site tracking to disable. We do not sell personal information. See our Privacy Policy for the related CCPA/CPRA position.
How to control cookies
You are always in control of cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers let you view stored cookies, block or delete them, block third-party cookies, or warn you before one is set — usually under Settings → Privacy. Useful guides are published by Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. Because we use only strictly-necessary cookies, blocking cookies will not break browsing the public site, though it may affect checkout once that is enabled.
Changes to this policy
We will update this page if our use of cookies changes — for example, when checkout is enabled or if any non-essential technology is added. The review date shown below this page will be updated when that happens.
Contact
Questions about cookies or your data: beref@beref.tech. See also our Privacy Policy, Impressum, and Trust & Compliance.