Cookie Policy
Last updated: September 30, 2026
This Cookie Policy explains how the Socrates AI team ("we," "us," "our") uses cookies and similar storage technologies (like localStorage and sessionStorage) on our website at https://www.socratesai.app (the "Website"). It covers what these technologies are, exactly which ones we use, and the real, working ways you can control them — see our Privacy Policy for the fuller picture of what personal information we collect and why.
What are cookies and similar technologies?
Cookies are small data files placed on your device when you visit a website, used to make the site work or to remember information between visits. localStorage and sessionStorage are related browser storage mechanisms that work similarly but aren't sent to a server automatically the way cookies are — a site's own JavaScript reads and writes them directly in your browser. This policy covers both, since between them they're everything Socrates AI actually stores in your browser.
Most entries below are first-party — set directly by socratesai.app or www.socratesai.app (PostHog's entries are first-party too: its script runs on our pages and stores them under our site). The two Google Analytics cookies are the one exception, set by Google itself, marked accordingly in the table.
What we actually store, and why
This list reflects what's really in the code — not a generic template. Every entry below is real.
| Name | Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
socrates_theme |
localStorage |
Remembers your chosen color theme (dark, light, sepia, and the other built-in themes) so it applies on your next visit. | Persistent |
socrates_custom_theme_colors |
localStorage |
Remembers any custom theme colors you've set. | Persistent |
socrates-user-storage |
localStorage |
Core app state (Zustand store) — keeps your session and app preferences working across page reloads. | Persistent |
sa_classroom_oauth |
http_cookie (first-party, HttpOnly) |
Strictly necessary security cookie, set only when you connect Google Classroom: a random value that proves the Google sign-in coming back belongs to the browser that started it. Deleted when the connection finishes. | Up to 10 minutes |
ph_<project key>_posthog |
http_cookie + localStorage (first-party, PostHog) |
Set by PostHog analytics to recognize the same browser across visits and link events to a session. Not set for an under-13 account (PostHog doesn't load). | ~1 year |
_ga |
http_cookie (third-party: Google) |
Set by Google Analytics to distinguish unique visitors. | ~2 years |
_ga_5X6Z8596YV |
http_cookie (third-party: Google) |
Set by Google Analytics (GA4) to persist session state for this specific property. | ~2 years |
Cloudflare Web Analytics also measures page views and load speed, but sets no cookies and stores nothing in your browser, so it has no row in the table above.
Analytics (PostHog) — the real scope. PostHog records page views, interactions and session recordings so we can improve the app. Every typed input is masked in recordings, your study content (tutor conversations, notes, flashcard text) is excluded, and for an under-13 account PostHog doesn't load at all. Full detail: Privacy Policy §13.
Analytics (Google Analytics) — the real scope, not a generic disclaimer. We use Google Analytics (GA4, gtag.js) to see how the site is used. Unlike PostHog above, Google Analytics here has no consent gate: it loads and records a page view on every visit, for every account type, including an under-13 account before it is deleted — this is a known, disclosed gap, not an oversight, and matches this document's practice elsewhere of stating the real limits of a system rather than a best-case description. It is also not first-party — the two cookies above are set directly by Google, on Google's own retention schedule, not ours. We do not use Google Analytics, or any other tool, for advertising or marketing analytics (that's a separate Google product — Google Ads/Meta Ads pixels — which we don't use). Full detail: Privacy Policy §13.
Do you serve targeted or behavioral advertising?
Not currently, no. Real Google AdSense integration code exists in this app, but it's built "deny by default": an ad can only ever appear on our free public study-guide articles (never inside the logged-in study app), the feature that turns ad display on at all is switched off, and — as of this writing — no advertisement has ever actually been shown to any user, on any page. If that changes, we'll update this policy with the real detail (what Google's advertising cookies would collect, and what consent choice you'd be given) before it happens, not after. Full detail: Privacy Policy §15.
How can I control these?
We don't currently have an in-app cookie-preference toggle — the real, working controls today are:
Your browser's own cookie/site-data settings — every modern browser lets you view, block, or delete cookies and site storage on a per-site basis:
Blocking
localStorage/cookies for this site will sign you out and reset your theme preference, since those are exactly what those entries are for — there's no partial "keep the app working but block storage" mode.PostHog specifically: blocking or clearing this site's cookies and storage removes PostHog's identifier; browser tracking protection and common ad/tracker blockers also block PostHog's requests.
Google Analytics specifically: Google's own opt-out browser extension blocks GA across every site that uses it, not just this one. Blocking
_ga/_ga_*cookies via your browser's own settings also works, same as any other entry above.
We don't have a self-service in-app analytics toggle today, and we're not going to claim one exists — including no toggle that stops Google Analytics from loading for a signed-in account (see the disclosed gap above). If you want your usage data handled a specific way, contact us (below) and we'll address it directly.
Questions?
Contact the Socrates AI team at support@socratesai.app, or use our contact form — both reach the same team.
Changes to this policy
We'll update this page as what we actually store changes — for example, if we add a new analytics/tooling integration, or turn on real advertising. The date at the top reflects the last real update.