1. What cookies and similar technologies are
Cookies are small text files that a website stores in your browser to remember things such as whether you are signed in and which language you chose. Similar technologies include the browser’s local storage and session storage: they also keep a small amount of data on your device, except that local storage stays until you clear it, while session storage is cleared when you close the tab.
This policy calls all of these “cookies and similar technologies”. It supplements, in more detail, the “Cookies and similar technologies” section of the Privacy Policy.
2. How we use them
The website uses only two kinds of cookies and similar technologies:
- Essential: needed to keep you signed in, to remember your language and your cookie choice, and to keep online support and the payment flow working. The features they support do not work without them, so they do not require your consent and cannot be switched off within the website;
- Usage statistics: record how the website is used (the pages you visit, the features you click and how far you get in the purchase flow) so that we can see what is useful and improve the product. You can refuse this kind — see “Consent and your choices” below.
The website has no advertising or cross-site tracking cookies, and we do not sell your personal information. Usage statistics are received and processed by our own servers; no third-party advertising or analytics platform is used. A few features, such as payment and third-party sign-in, are provided by third-party providers — see “Third-party services” below.
3. Cookies and browser storage list
The tables below list every cookie and browser storage item the website currently uses, and are updated whenever one is added or changed. An asterisk (*) in a name stands for a part that varies, such as an order, session or question.
| Name | Purpose | Category | Lifetime | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| anbo_session | Keeps you signed in. Set when you sign in and removed when you sign out. | Essential | 7 days | Us |
| NEXT_LOCALE | Remembers the interface language you choose in the language menu. Set only after you choose a language yourself. | Essential | 1 year | Us |
| _an_consent | Remembers your choice about usage statistics. Set when you click “Accept” or “Reject”. | Essential | 1 year | Us |
| _an_vid | A randomly generated visitor ID that links multiple visits from the same browser for aggregate statistics; once you sign in it is linked to your account. Set only when usage statistics are allowed. | Usage statistics | 1 year | Us |
| chat_session_anbo | Stores the online support session ID so you can continue the conversation after closing the page. Set only when you use online support. | Essential | 30 days | Us |
| anbo_pay | At checkout, records that payment has been started for an order so the payment page can show the right status. Contains no payment link or card details and can be read only by the server. | Essential | 1 hour | Us |
| anbo_checkout_src | Set when you reach the checkout from the “Buy” button in the AnboVPN client or app, so that after payment you see a prompt to return to the client. Can be read only by the server. | Essential | 6 hours | Us |
| token, userinfo | Written by our server after you sign in with Google or GitHub, to hand the sign-in result to the website, which then copies it into anbo_session and immediately deletes these two cookies. | Essential | Deleted right after sign-in completes | Us |
| Payment provider cookies | The checkout page is provided by the payment provider, which may set cookies for payment security and fraud prevention. | Third-party service | Set by the provider | Third party (payment provider) |
| Google and GitHub cookies | If you choose to sign in with Google or GitHub, you are taken to that provider’s page, which may set its own cookies. | Third-party service | Set by the provider | Third party (Google, GitHub) |
Besides cookies, the website keeps a small amount of data in your browser’s local storage and session storage:
| Name | Purpose | Category | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| _an_sid, _an_sid_last | Usage-statistics session ID and the time of your last activity; a new ID is created after 30 minutes without activity. Written only when usage statistics are allowed. | Usage statistics | Session storage: cleared when you close the tab |
| _an_oauth | Remembers which third-party sign-in button you clicked, to count sign-in results; deleted when you return to the website. Written only when usage statistics are allowed. | Usage statistics | Session storage: deleted when you return to the website, at the latest when you close the tab |
| anbo:livechat-greeting-seen | Records that the welcome message on the online support page has already been shown, so that it is not replayed. | Essential | Session storage: cleared when you close the tab |
| anbo-pay-opened-* | On mobile, marks that the checkout page has already sent you to the payment page once, so that you are not sent there again when you come back. | Essential | Session storage: cleared when you close the tab |
| chat_lastread:* | Records which online support reply you have read up to, to show the unread indicator. | Essential | Local storage: kept until you clear your browser data |
| anbo_faq_vid | A random ID written when you vote on a Help center answer, so that one browser counts only one vote per question. Not linked to your account. | Essential | Local storage: kept until you clear your browser data |
| anbo_faq_voted:* | Records your vote on each question so that you are not asked to vote again after refreshing. | Essential | Local storage: kept until you clear your browser data |
4. Consent and your choices
How the website handles usage statistics depends on where you are:
- European Economic Area, United Kingdom and Switzerland: we ask for your consent first. Until you click “Accept”, or if you choose “Reject”, the website does not set usage-statistics cookies and does not start collecting statistics;
- Elsewhere: usage statistics are on by default; you can choose “Reject” at any time, and statistics stop immediately;
- Essential: not affected by this choice, because the website cannot work properly without them.
On your first visit, a cookie banner appears at the bottom of the page where you can choose “Accept” or “Reject”. You can choose again at any time via “Cookie settings” in the footer; the change takes effect immediately, with no need to refresh the page.
You can also view, delete or block cookies in your browser settings and clear site data (including local storage and session storage). Blocking essential cookies prevents you from signing in or saving your language choice; deleting _an_vid means that your next visit is treated as a new visitor; deleting _an_consent makes the website ask for your choice again.
5. Data and linking
The visitor ID _an_vid is generated at random and contains neither your email address nor your name. When usage statistics are allowed, we record the pages you visit, the features you click, how far you get in the purchase flow, and your device type, system, language and IP address, in order to understand how the website is used and to improve the product. We do not record what you type or the content of your chats.
Once you sign in, these records are linked to your account.
How long statistics records are kept, and how you can access, correct or delete your information, is described in the parts of the Privacy Policy on retention and your rights.
6. Third-party services
The website itself uses no third-party advertising or analytics platform. The two features below are provided by third parties, which may set their own cookies. Those cookies are set and controlled by the respective providers and are subject to their own privacy and cookie policies:
- Payment provider: the checkout page is provided by the payment provider and may set cookies for payment security and fraud prevention;
- Third-party sign-in (Google, GitHub): if you choose to sign in with them, you are taken to the provider’s page, which handles your data under its own rules.
We cannot control third-party cookies. To learn about or manage them, see the provider’s notices and your browser settings.
7. Policy updates
We may update this policy as our product, the law or our operations change (for example when a cookie is added or changed), and we will update the effective date at the top of the page. Where reasonable, we will give notice of material changes through the website.
If you have any questions about this policy, please contact us using the details below.
8. Company and contact information
Operator: Anbo Technology LLC
Entity type: Wyoming limited liability company
Company address: 75 E 3rd St, Ste 7, Sheridan, WY 82801, USA
Contact email: [email protected]
Company website: www.anbollc.com