Cookie & Storage Policy.

1. Introduction & Scope

This Cookie & Local Storage Policy explains how RARE INC LTD ("Rare Inc.", "we", "us", or "our"), the legal operator of TalkNote from Rare Inc. ("TalkNote"), uses cookies, HTML5 web storage (localStorage, sessionStorage, and IndexedDB), and native on-device storage technologies across:

• Our official marketing, support, and legal website at talknote.co;
• Our browser-based web application at talknote.live; and
• Our native mobile and tablet applications for iOS, iPadOS, and Android (bundle identifier com.rareinc.talknote).

This Policy forms part of our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service and is designed to comply with the UK Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), the EU ePrivacy Directive (2002/58/EC), the UK/EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and applicable US state privacy laws.

2. Zero Third-Party Advertising or Cross-Context Tracking

Unlike ad-supported social networks that monetise your browsing habits across the web, TalkNote is built around authentic voice connection:

• We do not load third-party ad networks, retargeting pixels, or social media tracking beacons on talknote.co or talknote.live.
• We do not track you across apps and websites owned by other companies (and our iOS/iPadOS app does not require Apple App Tracking Transparency prompts because we never engage in cross-app tracking).
• We do not sell or share cookie or device storage identifiers with data brokers.

3. Storage Technologies Used on talknote.co (Marketing & Legal Site)

When you visit talknote.co, client-side storage is limited to essential infrastructure delivery and user-initiated form submissions:

• Firebase Hosting & Cloud CDN Edge Delivery (Strictly Necessary): Google Cloud / Firebase Hosting processes ephemeral HTTP request headers to route HTTPS traffic securely, mitigate DDoS attacks, and deliver static assets.
• Cloud Firestore Client State via IndexedDB (Strictly Necessary): Activated when you submit the waitlist form, a support ticket on talknote.co/support, or a deletion request on talknote.co/delete-account (`support_requests` and `deletion_requests` collections) to transmit your submission reliably.
• Google Fonts Delivery (Functional): Loads the Outfit and Inter web font families from fonts.googleapis.com and fonts.gstatic.com for consistent typography without setting tracking cookies.

4. Storage Technologies Used on talknote.live (Web Application)

When you sign into or use the TalkNote Web Application (talknote.live), your browser stores strictly necessary authentication credentials and functional UI state:

• talknote_jwt_token (localStorage — Strictly Necessary Authentication): Stores your cryptographic JSON Web Token (JWT) required to authenticate API requests to talknote-api. Automatically cleared when you sign out or delete your account.
• firebaseLocalStorageDb (IndexedDB / localStorage — Strictly Necessary Authentication): Used by the Firebase Authentication SDK to maintain your authenticated session when signing in with Google, Sign in with Apple, or Email/Password across tab refreshes. Cleared immediately upon sign-out.
• Audio Playback & Interface State (Functional): Remembers active audio player volume, playback queue position, and UI preferences during your session.

5. On-Device Storage in Native Apps (iOS, iPadOS & Android)

Our native iOS, iPadOS, and Android applications do not use browser cookies. Instead, they rely on secure, sandboxed operating-system storage mechanisms that are strictly necessary for app operation:

• Hardware-Backed Secure Storage (iOS Keychain & Android EncryptedSharedPreferences / Keystore via flutter_secure_storage): Protects your encrypted session tokens and authentication credentials inside hardware-backed secure enclaves.
• Application Preferences (NSUserDefaults / SharedPreferences): Stores your chosen app settings, such as audio autoplay over Wi-Fi (`autoplay_wifi`), haptic feedback (`sounds_haptics`), and appearance preferences.
• Sandboxed Local Cache (Hive & Media Cache): Temporarily caches feed metadata, acoustic waveform peaks, avatars, and streamed voice notes in your device's private application sandbox for smooth playback and reduced mobile data usage.
• Push Notification Tokens (APNs & Firebase Cloud Messaging): Registers a device push token (`user_devices`) solely to deliver notifications you have enabled. Unregistered automatically when you log out (`UnregisterDeviceToken`) or delete your account.

6. Legal Basis & How to Manage Local Storage

Under Regulation 6 of the UK PECR and Article 5(3) of the EU ePrivacy Directive, storage technologies that are strictly necessary to provide an online service explicitly requested by the user (such as keeping you logged in and securing your session) are exempt from prior consent banners. Where personal data is processed in connection with these technologies under the UK/EU GDPR, our lawful basis is performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b)) and legitimate interests in platform security (Article 6(1)(f)).

How to Clear Storage:

• Sign Out: Signing out of talknote.live or the TalkNote mobile app immediately removes your stored authentication tokens.
• Browser Settings: You can clear cookies, localStorage, and IndexedDB for talknote.co and talknote.live at any time in your browser's Privacy & Security settings. Blocking strictly necessary storage on talknote.live will prevent you from remaining signed in.
• Mobile Device Controls: Deleting your account in-app or uninstalling the TalkNote app removes all sandboxed app storage from your iOS or Android device.

7. Contact Information

If you have any questions about our use of cookies or local storage, please contact our Data Protection & Privacy Team:

• Legal Operator: RARE INC LTD (trading as TalkNote from Rare Inc.)
• Email: Support@rareincorporated.com
• Support Center: talknote.co/support