Privacy and Analytics Settings

First-party analytics

Each public page uses a new random identifier that is not linked to a logged-in account. We do not send search parameters, full referrer URLs, or private itineraries. The server stores the source IP address and estimates the country offline using a local database, without calling an external geolocation API. VPNs, proxies, and missing data can affect accuracy. IP addresses are used only for restricted database administration and do not appear in standard analytics reports.

Offline country data comes from DB-IP Country Lite (CC BY 4.0). Country results are estimates. If data is unavailable or cannot be matched, the country remains unknown.

Analytics data, including IP addresses and country estimates, is retained for 90 days. Existing backups may retain it for up to 14 additional days. Separate rate limiting to prevent abuse uses an IP hash that changes daily and is retained for about 2 minutes. Other existing service logs are handled under their own policies; this does not mean that no IP addresses are stored anywhere on the site.

User-Agent and separate HTML request records

First-party analytics stores the HTTP User-Agent and uses versioned rules to estimate whether a request comes from a regular browser (possibly human), a general crawler or automation tool, a known AI crawler or agent, or an unknown source. It also estimates whether the device is a desktop, phone, tablet, or unknown. These declarations can be spoofed; they do not verify identity or guarantee a human visitor. Raw User-Agent values and IP addresses are stored only in a restricted database. They do not appear in analytics reports and are not sent as GA4 custom parameters.

For successful GET requests for publicly available production HTML, the server independently records the public path with query parameters removed, a random request identifier, the time the server received the request, the source IP address, and the User-Agent, even if JavaScript does not run. These records do not store cookies, full referrer URLs, or request content, and are counted separately from page views, reading metrics, and click-through rates. The data is retained for 90 days, with backups retained for up to 14 additional days.

HTML request records respect DNT:1, Sec-GPC:1, and the first-party festly_analytics_optout=1 cookie. The opt-out setting below keeps this cookie in sync: opting out sets it, and allowing analytics again deletes it. The cookie uses Path=/ and SameSite=Lax, with Secure on HTTPS. The first load after an upgrade may occur before an existing local preference has been synchronized. If cookies or local storage are blocked, the opt-out may not persist across pages.

Google Analytics

When enabled in the configuration, Festly also uses Google Analytics 4 to analyze public page views, engagement time, and referral events. Google receives network connection information, including IP addresses, and processes it under its own policies. It may use analytics cookies. We do not send email addresses, account information, search parameters, or private itineraries, and we disable ad personalization and Google signals. See the Google Privacy Policy. Retention and processing by Google services follow Google’s policies and our service settings; the first-party backup retention periods above do not apply.

Opting out of analytics

The setting below controls both first-party analytics and Google Analytics. Opting out immediately stops further transmission and clears queued events. Activity during the opt-out period is not sent later. Browser DNT or GPC signals also stop analytics. Private pages, admin screens, and draft previews are not tracked.

Your preference is saved in this browser. If local storage is unavailable, the setting applies only to the current page, and you may need to opt out again when opening another page. This does not delete data already received or existing cookies.