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PRIVACY POLICY

LAST UPDATED: 2026-08-29

OVERVIEW

AI Consciousness Tracker ("the Site") is a static single-page application with no user accounts, no server-side database of personal information, and no email capture. Almost everything you do stays on your device. This policy describes what is stored, what leaves the device, and how to control it.

WHAT IS STORED IN YOUR BROWSER

The Site uses your browser's localStorage to persist a small number of state values. Nothing here is transmitted to any server we operate:

• Signal Index adjustments (formerly labelled Consciousness Index) — the values you set on the factor sliders so your settings persist between visits.
• Threat vector adjustments, saved scenarios, research workspace notes, and other tool state — whatever you enter into interactive tools.
• Community-submitted events — anything typed into the "Submit Intelligence" form is stored locally only.
• Ad-consent choice — a single key cookie-consent whose value is either accepted or rejected (see the next section).

You can clear all of it via your browser's site-data controls; nothing on the Site depends on remembering you across devices.

ADVERTISING AND YOUR CONSENT CHOICE

When you first visit a page on the Site that has an advertising slot, you will see a consent banner with two buttons: ACCEPT and REJECT NON-ESSENTIAL. The choice you make is real, not cosmetic:

• Before you decide: no ad tags of any kind are loaded. No requests are sent to any advertising origin. No third-party ad cookies are set.
• If you accept: the current advertising provider (Adsterra) is loaded inside a sandboxed iframe. Adsterra and its ad-network partners may then set third-party cookies on their own domains (primarily highperformanceformat.com) for ad delivery and measurement. Cookies set by third parties are governed by their own privacy policies, linked below.
• If you reject: the advertising script is never loaded on any page for the duration of your choice. No ad cookies are set. Your choice is remembered on this device.
• Changing your mind: a small COOKIE PREFERENCES link is fixed to the bottom-left corner of every page that has an advertising slot. Clicking it clears your saved choice, drops any advertising iframes currently on screen, and re-shows the consent banner so you can choose again.

The Site may switch to Google AdSense as the advertising provider once approval is granted. If and when that happens, this section will be updated to describe AdSense's behaviour, including its use of Google Consent Mode v2. The core rule — no ad tag loads before an explicit ACCEPT — will not change.

THIRD-PARTY SERVICES WE USE

Adsterra (advertising — only after ACCEPT)

The current display-ad provider. Loaded in a sandboxed iframe only if you have clicked ACCEPT on the consent banner. Uses cookies on highperformanceformat.com and related Adsterra network domains for ad delivery and measurement. See Adsterra's Privacy Policy.

Google AdSense (pending — not currently active)

AdSense markup remains in the page source so the provider can be flipped back with a one-line change once approval is granted. It is not currently loaded. If AdSense is enabled in future, it will be subject to the same consent gate above, and this policy will be updated to describe the Google-specific consent signalling (Consent Mode v2). Google's own advertising privacy information is at Google Ads & Policies; you can opt out of personalised advertising via Google Ads Settings or aboutads.info.

Amazon Associates (affiliate links)

The Site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Book links in "The Archive" section carry affiliate tags. Amazon may set cookies on amazon.com only if you click through to Amazon. See Amazon's Privacy Notice.

RSS and public data feeds

The Site fetches publicly available feeds (AI Incident Database, arXiv, Papers With Code, OECD AI Policy Observatory, lab release pages) on a scheduled cron via our own backend, then serves cached JSON to your browser. Your browser does not talk to those sources directly.

Google Fonts

The Site loads Inter, IBM Plex Mono, and Source Serif 4 from Google Fonts. Google may log your IP and User-Agent when the font files load. See Google's Privacy Policy.

Three.js from Cloudflare CDN

The Site loads the Three.js library from Cloudflare's cdnjs. Cloudflare may keep standard server logs. See Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.

COOKIES SET ON YOUR DEVICE

Cookies (as distinct from localStorage) are set only by third parties listed above, and only after the relevant action:

• Advertising cookies (Adsterra network domains) — only after you click ACCEPT on the consent banner.
• Amazon cookies (amazon.com) — only if you click through an affiliate link.
• Google Fonts does not set cookies but does log the font request.

You can manage or block cookies through your browser settings and revoke your ad-consent choice at any time via the COOKIE PREFERENCES link in the bottom-left corner of any ad-serving page.

DATA RETENTION

All data stored by the Site (localStorage) remains on your device and can be cleared at any time through your browser settings. We do not maintain any server-side databases of user information.

CHILDREN'S PRIVACY

The Site is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

YOUR RIGHTS

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

• Access, correct, or delete your personal data
• Opt out of personalized advertising
• Request information about data processing

Since the Site stores data only in your browser's localStorage, you have full control over this data at all times.

CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected in the "Last Updated" date above.

CONTACT

For questions about this privacy policy, contact us through our Ko-fi page.