Cookie Policy

Last updated: 20 August 2026

This Cookie and Tracking Technologies Policy explains how Instant Agony Aunts uses cookies and similar technologies when you use our website, mobile applications and related services.

It should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which explains more generally how we collect, use, share and protect personal information.

1. Who We Are

Instant Agony Aunts is operated by:

Purple Dot Digital Limited
Company number: 07699951
Registered office: 167-169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor, London - W1W 5PF, UK
Email: [email protected]

References to “Instant Agony Aunts”, “we”, “us” or “our” mean the operator identified above.

2. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small pieces of information that websites can store on your browser or device.

Cookies can perform many different functions.

For example, they can help us:

• keep you signed in;
• maintain secure sessions;
• remember preferences;
• protect accounts from fraud and abuse;
• understand how our website is being used;
• measure website performance; and
• understand whether advertising or marketing campaigns are effective.

Some cookies exist only for the duration of your browsing session, while others remain on your device for a specified period or until they are deleted.

3. Cookies Are Not the Only Technologies We Use

The term “cookies” is commonly used to describe online tracking technologies generally, but our Services may use other technologies as well.

These may include:

• browser cookies;
• local storage;
• session storage;
• software development kits (“SDKs”);
• application identifiers;
• device identifiers;
• analytics identifiers;
• pixels;
• tags;
• scripts;
• APIs;
• advertising identifiers;
• attribution technologies;
• crash-reporting technologies;
• security technologies; and
• similar technologies that store or access information on a device.

This Policy applies to these technologies where relevant, even where the technology is not technically a cookie.

4. Website and Mobile Applications

Different technologies may be used depending upon whether you access Instant Agony Aunts through our website or one of our mobile applications.

Website

Our website may use cookies, browser storage, scripts, tags, pixels and similar web technologies.

Mobile applications

Mobile applications do not necessarily use traditional browser cookies in the same way as websites.

Instead, apps may use SDKs, app-instance identifiers, device identifiers, advertising identifiers, local application storage and similar technologies.

For the purposes of this Policy, references to cookies should therefore be understood to include comparable technologies used within our applications where appropriate.

5. Categories of Technologies We Use

We may use the following categories.

Strictly Necessary Technologies

These technologies are required for the Services to operate properly or securely.

They may be used for purposes including:

• account authentication;
• maintaining login sessions;
• security;
• preventing fraud;
• preventing abuse;
• protecting accounts;
• remembering privacy choices;
• maintaining account and transaction functionality;
• processing payments;
• balancing server traffic;
• maintaining application functionality; and
• providing features specifically requested by you.

Because these technologies are necessary to provide or secure a service you have requested, they may not require consent where an applicable legal exemption applies.

Disabling them through your browser or device may cause parts of the Services to stop functioning correctly.

Functional Technologies

Functional technologies allow us to remember choices or provide additional functionality.

These may include remembering:

• display preferences;
• interface settings;
• language;
• certain account preferences; or
• other optional customisation.

Where consent is legally required for a particular functional technology, it will only be used after the necessary consent has been obtained.

Analytics and Performance Technologies

Analytics technologies help us understand how people use our Services.

They may help us measure things such as:

• number of visitors or users;
• pages viewed;
• screens viewed;
• app opens;
• sessions;
• general geographical region;
• device and operating-system type;
• browser type;
• app version;
• navigation patterns;
• feature usage;
• engagement;
• conversions;
• transaction events;
• performance;
• errors;
• crashes; and
• technical problems.

We use this information to understand and improve our website, applications and Services.

Where consent is required, analytics technologies will not be activated until you have provided the appropriate consent.

Advertising and Attribution Technologies

We may use technologies to understand whether advertising or promotional campaigns are effective.

Depending upon the technologies we use and your choices, these may process information concerning:

• advertisement interactions;
• campaign source;
• referrals;
• app installations;
• conversions;
• advertising identifiers;
• device information; and
• other attribution information.

If we use technologies for personalised advertising, cross-site tracking, cross-app tracking or advertising profiling, we will obtain consent where required by applicable law.

You can refuse optional advertising technologies without losing access to the core Instant Agony Aunts service.

6. Google Analytics

We use or may use Google Analytics to understand how our website is used.

Google Analytics may use cookies and similar technologies to collect information concerning interaction with our website.

Depending upon our configuration, this may include information such as:

• pages visited;
• approximate location;
• browser and device information;
• session information;
• referral source;
• interaction events;
• general engagement information; and
• conversion events.

This information helps us understand how users find and interact with Instant Agony Aunts and how we can improve the Services.

Where consent is legally required, Google Analytics will only be enabled after you have accepted analytics technologies through our consent controls.

7. Google Analytics for Firebase

Our mobile applications may use Google Analytics for Firebase.

Google Analytics for Firebase may collect information about how users interact with our applications.

Depending upon our configuration, this may include:

• app-instance identifiers;
• application opens;
• sessions;
• screens viewed;
• application version;
• operating system;
• device model;
• approximate geographical information;
• events;
• engagement information;
• acquisition information;
• purchases or transaction events; and
• other application usage information.

We use this information to understand application performance and improve our Services.

We do not intentionally send the contents of private conversations between customers and Advisors to Google Analytics for Firebase as analytics event data.

8. Firebase and Other Google Technologies

In addition to Google Analytics, our mobile applications or website may use other Google or Firebase technologies.

Depending upon our implementation, these may include technologies for:

• application infrastructure;
• push notifications;
• authentication;
• crash reporting;
• performance monitoring;
• security;
• analytics;
• application configuration;
• cloud services;
• attribution; and
• other technical functionality.

Different Google services may process different categories of information.

For further information about Google’s processing, you should review Google’s applicable privacy documentation and controls.

9. Firebase Crashlytics and Crash Reporting

Our applications may use Firebase Crashlytics or another crash-reporting service.

Crash reporting helps us identify technical problems such as application crashes and software errors.

Information processed may include:

• device model;
• operating system;
• application version;
• crash time;
• technical state of the application;
• diagnostic information;
• crash traces;
• installation or application identifiers; and
• other technical information required to investigate the problem.

We use this information to maintain the reliability and security of our applications.

We do not intentionally include the contents of private conversations in crash reports.

10. Push Notifications

Our mobile applications may use push-notification services provided by Apple, Google or other technology providers.

These technologies allow us to send notifications such as:

• new-message notifications;
• account notifications;
• security alerts;
• service information; and
• other notifications you have enabled.

Push-notification systems may process device or application tokens necessary to route a notification to your device.

You can control push notifications through your device settings.

Where possible, we aim to avoid unnecessarily revealing sensitive conversation information in notifications displayed on a locked device.

11. Payment Technologies

When you purchase account credit or another paid Service, our payment providers may use cookies or similar technologies necessary to:

• process the transaction;
• authenticate payment;
• prevent fraud;
• maintain payment security; and
• comply with legal or regulatory requirements.

Some payment-related technologies may be strictly necessary for completing a transaction you request.

Third-party payment providers may also process information independently under their own privacy and cookie policies.

12. Security and Fraud Prevention

We may use storage and access technologies to protect:

• accounts;
• payments;
• our infrastructure;
• customers;
• Advisors; and
• the Services generally.

These technologies may help us detect:

• suspicious login attempts;
• fraudulent transactions;
• automated attacks;
• malicious traffic;
• abuse;
• account compromise; and
• other security threats.

Where a technology is strictly necessary for security, fraud prevention or another exempt purpose, consent may not be required.

Where the same technology is also used for another non-exempt purpose, we will apply the appropriate consent requirements.

13. Private Messages and Tracking

Because Instant Agony Aunts is designed for private conversations, we take particular care regarding analytics and tracking around messaging.

We do not intentionally use Google Analytics or advertising technologies to analyse the actual text of private conversations for advertising purposes.

For example, we may record an analytics event indicating that a message feature was used where lawful and appropriate, but we do not intend to include the contents of that message in the analytics event.

We also seek to avoid sending unnecessary sensitive personal information through:

• analytics event parameters;
• URLs;
• page titles;
• screen names;
• user properties;
• advertising parameters; or
• tracking identifiers.

Private message content is handled as described separately in our Privacy Policy.

14. Advertising Identifiers

Mobile operating systems may provide advertising identifiers or similar technologies.

Depending upon our application configuration, consent choices and device settings, advertising or attribution providers may be able to access such identifiers.

Where an operating system requires specific permission before tracking across applications or services, we will use the relevant operating-system permission framework where applicable.

You can also control certain advertising and tracking settings through your device.

15. Apple Devices

If you use our application on an Apple device, Apple provides privacy controls that may affect tracking and advertising technologies.

Where Apple’s App Tracking Transparency framework applies to our use of a technology, the application will request the required permission before carrying out tracking covered by that framework.

You can change relevant permissions through your iOS privacy settings.

Apple may independently process information concerning your use of its platform and services under Apple’s own privacy terms.

16. Android and Google Play

Android devices and Google Play services provide privacy and advertising controls that may affect the operation of analytics, attribution and advertising technologies.

You can manage certain permissions and privacy settings through your Android device and Google account.

Google may independently process information concerning its services under Google’s own privacy terms.

17. First-Party and Third-Party Technologies

Some technologies are set or controlled directly by Instant Agony Aunts.

These are generally referred to as first-party technologies.

Other technologies may be provided or controlled by third parties whose services we use.

These are generally referred to as third-party technologies.

Third parties may include, depending upon our current technology stack:

• Google;
• Firebase;
• payment providers;
• hosting and infrastructure providers;
• security providers;
• analytics providers;
• crash-reporting providers;
• attribution providers; and
• other technology suppliers.

Third-party providers may process information according to their own privacy policies as well as contractual arrangements with us where applicable.

18. Session and Persistent Cookies

Cookies may be either session-based or persistent.

Session cookies

Session cookies generally expire when you close your browser or end the relevant session.

They may be used for functions such as authentication, security and navigation.

Persistent cookies

Persistent cookies remain on your device after the browsing session ends until they expire or you delete them.

They may be used for purposes such as remembering preferences, consent choices or analytics where permitted.

19. How Long Technologies Remain on Your Device

Different cookies and technologies operate for different periods.

Some expire at the end of a browsing session.

Others may remain for days, months or longer depending upon their purpose and configuration.

We periodically review the technologies used by our Services and aim to avoid retaining identifiers for longer than reasonably necessary for their stated purpose.

Third-party technologies may have retention periods determined partly by the relevant provider.

Where appropriate, details of individual website cookies and their approximate duration may be displayed through our cookie preference centre or cookie declaration.

20. Our Cookie Consent Banner

When required, visitors to our website are presented with controls allowing them to make choices about optional technologies.

Our consent interface may provide options such as:

Accept All
Allows the optional categories presented in the consent interface.

Reject Optional Cookies
Rejects technologies that require consent while allowing strictly necessary technologies to operate.

Manage Preferences
Allows you to choose particular categories.

Rejecting optional technologies should be as straightforward as accepting them.

Strictly necessary technologies cannot generally be disabled through our consent tool because they are required to operate or secure the Services.

21. We Do Not Treat Continued Browsing as Consent

Simply continuing to browse Instant Agony Aunts does not, by itself, constitute consent to optional cookies or tracking technologies where consent is legally required.

We require an appropriate affirmative choice before activating technologies that require consent.

22. No Pre-Ticked Consent

Where consent is required, optional categories should not be enabled using pre-ticked boxes or equivalent mechanisms that assume consent.

You must actively choose to enable the relevant optional technologies.

23. Withdrawing or Changing Your Consent

You can change your cookie choices at any time through the Cookie Settings or equivalent privacy control available through our website.

Withdrawing consent will prevent relevant optional technologies from being used in the future to the extent technically applicable.

Withdrawal does not affect processing that occurred lawfully before consent was withdrawn.

You may also delete existing cookies through your browser.

24. Browser Controls

Most browsers allow you to:

• view stored cookies;
• delete cookies;
• block particular cookies;
• block third-party cookies;
• block all cookies; or
• configure how websites handle cookies.

The exact controls depend upon your browser.

Blocking all cookies may prevent parts of Instant Agony Aunts from functioning correctly, particularly authentication, security, account and payment functionality.

25. Mobile Device Controls

Mobile devices provide additional privacy controls.

Depending upon your operating system, you may be able to control:

• application permissions;
• notifications;
• advertising personalisation;
• tracking permissions;
• location access;
• background activity; and
• other privacy settings.

Changing these settings may affect the operation of some application features.

26. Consent Records

Where we rely upon consent for cookies or similar technologies, we may maintain a record of your consent choice.

The record may contain information such as:

• consent status;
• categories accepted or rejected;
• date and time;
• consent-policy version; and
• a technical identifier necessary to remember the choice.

Maintaining this record allows us to respect your preferences and demonstrate our compliance obligations.

27. How Often We Ask for Consent

We may ask you to review your preferences again where appropriate, including when:

• our use of technologies materially changes;
• we add a new purpose or significant provider;
• your existing consent expires;
• legal requirements change;
• we can no longer reliably determine your previous preference; or
• it is otherwise appropriate to refresh your choice.

28. Changes to Our Technology Providers

The technologies and suppliers used to operate an online service change over time.

We may therefore add, remove or replace technology providers.

Where a change introduces a new use requiring consent, we will update our consent controls as appropriate and obtain the required consent before using that technology for the relevant purpose.

We will update this Policy where a change materially affects the information provided here.

29. International Data Transfers

Some third-party technology providers may process information outside the United Kingdom.

Where use of cookies or similar technologies results in an international transfer of personal information, we handle those transfers as described in our Privacy Policy and in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.

30. UK GDPR and PECR

Our use of cookies and similar technologies is subject to applicable UK privacy legislation, including the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (“PECR”) and, where personal information is processed, the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.

Where consent is required for a technology, we seek to obtain that consent before using it.

Certain technologies may be used without consent where an applicable legal exception applies, including technologies that are strictly necessary to provide a service requested by you.

31. Do You Have to Accept Analytics or Advertising Cookies?

No.

Where analytics, advertising or other optional technologies require consent, you can refuse them.

Refusing optional technologies will not prevent you from accessing the core Instant Agony Aunts service.

Some optional functionality associated specifically with a rejected technology may, however, be unavailable.

Strictly necessary technologies may continue to operate because they are required to provide or secure the Services.

32. Sensitive Information

Instant Agony Aunts recognises that customers may discuss highly personal matters.

We therefore do not intend to use the contents of private Advisor conversations to create advertising profiles or to target advertising based upon the subjects discussed in those conversations.

We also do not intentionally transmit private conversation text to Google Analytics or similar general-purpose analytics platforms.

For more information about how conversation data is processed, please read our Privacy Policy.

33. Third-Party Websites

Our Services may contain links to external websites.

Once you leave Instant Agony Aunts, the external website may use its own cookies and tracking technologies.

We do not control cookies or technologies used independently by third-party websites.

You should review the privacy and cookie information provided by the relevant third party.

34. Cookie Audit and Review

We periodically review the cookies and similar technologies used by our Services.

This review may include:

• identifying technologies currently in use;
• confirming their purpose;
• determining whether they are first-party or third-party;
• reviewing their duration;
• determining whether consent is required;
• reviewing information shared with third parties;
• removing unnecessary technologies; and
• ensuring our consent controls and documentation remain accurate.

35. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie and Tracking Technologies Policy from time to time.

Changes may be required because of:

• changes to our website;
• changes to our mobile applications;
• new features;
• changes to third-party providers;
• changes to analytics or advertising technologies;
• changes to applicable law or regulatory guidance; or
• changes to our privacy practices.

The latest version will be published on our website with the date on which it was last updated.

Where a material change requires new consent, we will request that consent before using the relevant technology where required by law.

36. Your Privacy

For information about:

• what personal information we collect;
• our lawful bases;
• special category personal data;
• private conversations;
• data sharing;
• international transfers;
• retention;
• security; and
• your data protection rights,

please read our Privacy Policy.

37. Contact Us

If you have questions about cookies, tracking technologies or your privacy choices, please contact us.

You may also contact us if you believe a technology described in this Policy is operating contrary to your privacy preferences.