1. What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. We also use similar technologies such as local storage and pixel tags. Together we call them "cookies" in this policy.
2. Why we use them
We use cookies to:
- Keep you signed in and remember your preferences.
- Keep your booking secure and prevent fraud.
- Understand how the Platform is used so we can improve it.
- Measure the effectiveness of safety alerts and trail recommendations.
3. Types of cookies we use
| Category | Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Sign-in, session security, CSRF protection, load balancing. The Platform cannot function without these. | tekahike_session, XSRF-TOKEN |
| Preference | Remember your language, consent choice, dark/light mode. | tk_consent, tk_theme |
| First-party usage analytics | Understand which trails and events are popular and where users get stuck on the site. Strictly first-party — set, read, and stored only by Tek a Hike's own servers; based on site and platform usage activity, not on personal data; never combined with marketing data, never sold, never shared with any analytics network or advertiser. | tk_metric (first-party only, set if you accept analytics) |
| Security | Detect bots, abuse, brute-force attempts. | tk_bot_signal |
We do not use any third-party analytics service (Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, Segment, Mixpanel, Hotjar, etc.), advertising network, or cross-site tracking cookie.
4. Your choices
When you first visit the Platform you'll see a consent banner. You can:
- Accept all categories.
- Decline non-essential categories — strictly necessary cookies will still be set because the site cannot work without them.
- Change your mind later by clicking "Cookies" in the footer.
You can also block or delete cookies through your browser settings — but doing so may break sign-in or break parts of the Platform.
5. Third-party services
We do not use any third-party analytics service. All site and platform usage analytics are first-party — collected, processed, and stored on Tek a Hike's own infrastructure. We do not share hiker, partner, or participant personal data with Google Analytics, any advertising network, profiling vendor, or data broker. The only third parties that ever see your personal data are the operational sub-processors listed in the Privacy Policy and the Data Sharing & Processing Annex (hosting, transactional email, SMS via Twilio, and the payment gateways Stripe and Scotiabank), each acting strictly on our written instructions.
6. Changes
We may update this policy. The current version is always available at /legal/cookies.
7. Contact
Questions about cookies? Email hello@tekahike.com.