If anything is unclear, write to us at info@alphalevel.net (subject: "Cookies").
1. What is a cookie?
A cookie is a small text file that a website places on your device (computer, phone, tablet) when you visit. Browsers store cookies and send them back to the website on each subsequent visit, which lets the site recognise the device, remember preferences, keep you logged in, measure how the site is used and (for advertising cookies) build a profile for targeting.
The same regulatory rules apply to similar technologies that read or write data on your device — localStorage, sessionStorage, IndexedDB, device fingerprinting, pixel tags (1×1 transparent images used for tracking), SDK identifiers, etc. We refer to all of these as "cookies" in this Policy for simplicity.
Cookies are either:
- First-party — set by alphalevel.net itself; or
- Third-party — set by a service the Site embeds (e.g. Google Analytics, the checkout iframe of the payment processor we integrate, an advertising pixel). The third party is the controller for those cookies and is governed by its own privacy policy.
Cookies are also classified by lifetime:
- Session cookies — deleted when you close the browser.
- Persistent cookies — kept for a defined period (hours, days, months, years).
2. Categories of cookies we use
We classify cookies into four categories. The first category is exempt from consent under EU ePrivacy law because it is strictly necessary to deliver a service you have explicitly requested. The other three are set only if you give consent through the cookie banner.
| Category | What it does | Consent required? |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly Necessary | makes the Site usable (login, security, fraud prevention, load balancing, recording your cookie choice itself) | no (legally exempt) |
| Functional | remembers preferences you have chosen (theme, language, dashboard layout) | yes |
| Analytics | measures how the Site is used in aggregate (page views, traffic sources, performance) so we can improve it | yes |
| Marketing | builds an audience profile and measures advertising effectiveness across sites; only set when active campaigns are running | yes |
3. Cookies inventory
The table below lists the cookies we set on alphalevel.net. We re-scan the Site periodically and after any change to a third-party integration, and update this Policy if cookies are added, removed or changed.
3.1 Strictly Necessary
| Name | Purpose | First / Third party | Owner | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
wordpress_logged_in_* | keeps you signed in to the WordPress dashboard / member area | first-party | Alpha Level | session (until logout / browser close) |
wordpress_sec_* | session security — prevents session hijacking | first-party | Alpha Level | session |
wp_test_cookie | tests whether the browser accepts cookies (used during login) | first-party | Alpha Level | session |
wordpress_* (other administrative variants) | dashboard / admin functionality where you have an account | first-party | Alpha Level | session |
cky-consent / cookieyes-consent | records your cookie-banner choice (which categories you consented to) | first-party | Alpha Level (via CookieYes plugin) | 1 year |
3.2 Functional
| Name | Purpose | First / Third party | Owner | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
al-theme | remembers whether you chose the light or dark theme | first-party | Alpha Level | persistent (localStorage) |
wp_lang | remembers the language you selected, where multilingual content is offered | first-party | Alpha Level | 1 year |
3.3 Analytics
| Name | Purpose | First / Third party | Owner | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
_ga | distinguishes unique visitors (Google Analytics 4) | third-party | Google LLC | 2 years |
_ga_<container_id> | persists the GA4 session and traffic source attribution | third-party | Google LLC | 2 years |
_gid | distinguishes users (legacy GA, may appear during transition) | third-party | Google LLC | 24 hours |
_gat_* | throttles request rate (legacy GA) | third-party | Google LLC | 1 minute |
GA4 is configured with: IP anonymisation enabled, regional EU storage where supported by Google, no Google Signals enabled, no advertising features enabled.
3.4 Marketing and payment-processor cookies
This category covers cookies that are only set in two specific situations:
- Checkout cookies — when you reach the payment step, our authorised payment processor (acting as Merchant of Record) loads its checkout iframe and sets short-term, third-party cookies needed to secure the payment session, run anti-fraud checks and determine the correct local tax. These cookies are owned by the payment processor and governed by its own cookie and privacy notices, accessible from the checkout page. They are essential to delivering the payment service you have requested.
- Advertising / retargeting cookies — when an active marketing campaign is running (e.g. via Meta, LinkedIn or Google Ads), the relevant pixel may set third-party cookies for ad attribution and audience building. These are only set after you give consent in the cookie banner.
If you are browsing pages outside the checkout flow and we are not running a marketing campaign, no cookies in this category are set.
4. Third-party services and EU disclosures
4.1 Google Analytics 4 (Google LLC)
We use GA4 to understand site usage in aggregate. GA4 reads the cookies in §3.3 only after you consent to analytics.
- Data sent to Google: truncated IP address, pseudonymous client ID, page URL, referrer, user-agent, screen size, language, approximate location (city level).
- Region of storage: Google routes to the EU region where supported; some processing still occurs in the United States.
- Transfer mechanism: EU-US Data Privacy Framework + Standard Contractual Clauses with Google Ireland Ltd.
- Retention: 14 months (GA4 default we have selected).
- Settings we have applied: IP anonymisation on; advertising features off; Google Signals off; data sharing with Google products limited to what is required for the service.
To opt out of GA4 across all sites, install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. For our Site specifically, withdraw analytics consent via the steps in §5.
4.2 Payment-processor checkout iframe
When you reach the checkout step, the payment form is delivered as an embedded iframe served by our authorised payment processor (acting as Merchant of Record). The processor sets its own cookies inside the iframe to:
- secure the payment session;
- run anti-fraud checks (device fingerprinting, velocity checks);
- determine the correct local tax to apply.
Those cookies are governed by the payment processor's own cookie and privacy notices, accessible from the checkout page. They are set independently of our consent banner because they are essential to delivering the payment service you have requested.
4.3 Other third parties
We do not currently embed Meta, LinkedIn or Google Ads pixels on alphalevel.net. If we add them, this Cookie Policy will be updated and the cookies will only be set after fresh consent.
5. How you grant and withdraw consent
5.1 The cookie banner
The first time you visit alphalevel.net (and again whenever you clear cookies, or whenever this Cookie Policy materially changes), a banner asks for your consent. The banner offers granular choice:
- Accept all — grants consent to Functional, Analytics and Marketing.
- Reject all — refuses everything except Strictly Necessary.
- Manage preferences — opens a panel with one toggle per category.
Strictly Necessary cookies are always on (you cannot turn them off without breaking the Site). Functional, Analytics and Marketing default to off until you actively turn them on.
Your choice is recorded in the cky-consent cookie (see §3.1) and respected for 6 months, after which the banner re-asks. You may also re-open the banner at any time by clicking the floating "Cookie preferences" button at the bottom-left of the Site.
5.2 Withdrawing consent
- Via the Site banner: click the "Cookie preferences" button at any time and turn off the categories you no longer wish to allow. Withdrawal takes effect immediately and we will stop reading or writing the affected cookies.
- Via your browser: delete the relevant cookies through your browser's privacy settings (see §6). When you next visit, the banner will re-appear.
Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal. Strictly Necessary cookies cannot be refused — without them the Site cannot function.
6. Browser-level controls
You can also manage cookies through your browser. Most browsers let you: see what cookies are stored, delete some or all of them, block all cookies, block third-party cookies, and clear storage on close. Doing so may break parts of any site (not just ours) that rely on cookies.
| Browser | Path |
|---|---|
| Google Chrome | Settings → Privacy and security → Third-party cookies / Site settings → Cookies and site data |
| Mozilla Firefox | Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data |
| Apple Safari (macOS) | Safari → Settings → Privacy → Cookies and website data |
| Apple Safari (iOS / iPadOS) | Settings → Safari → Privacy & Security → Block All Cookies |
| Microsoft Edge | Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Manage and delete cookies and site data |
| Brave | Settings → Shields / Privacy and security → Cookies |
You can also use the Global Privacy Control signal (Sec-GPC: 1) — we honour it as a "do not sell or share" signal for marketing cookies on browsers that support it.
7. Children
We do not direct alphalevel.net at children under 16 and do not knowingly set cookies on devices used by children. If you believe a child has been served cookies through our Site, please write to info@alphalevel.net (subject: "Cookies — child").
8. Changes to this Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy when we add or remove cookies, change a third party, or update durations or descriptions. The "Last Updated" date at the top reflects the date of the latest revision.
When the change is material (a new third-party recipient, a new processing purpose, an extension of duration), we will:
- re-prompt you with the cookie banner so you can review and re-consent;
- give at least 30 days advance notice by Site banner for changes that affect existing consents.
(For minor changes — typo fixes, new browser-version steps, formatting — the change takes effect immediately.)
9. Contact
Alpha Level SHPK
NIPT: M36606201D
Rruga "Bardhyl Pojani", Lagjia nr. 2
7001 Korçë, Albania
Email: info@alphalevel.net (subject: "Cookies")
Phone: +355 69 208 8969
Web: alphalevel.net
End of Cookie Policy — Version V1.0, dated 7 May 2026.