1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that a website stores on your device — computer, tablet or smartphone — when you visit it. They allow the website to remember information about your visit, such as your preferred language, login state, or whether you have seen a particular notice. Cookies are not programs and cannot run code; they are simple data files. A related technology called localStorage performs a similar role in modern browsers, storing key-value pairs without any expiry date until the user clears them.
Cookies are widely used because the HTTP protocol — the fundamental language of the web — is stateless. Without cookies, a website would forget who you are on every page load. Cookies solve that by giving the browser a small piece of identifying data to send back on each request.
2. Cookies Used by the Forge Itself
The Forge is a client-side web application. It does not set any first-party authentication cookies, session cookies or tracking cookies of its own. It uses one localStorage entry — key forge_reg_emails — to remember the email addresses you voluntarily register to unlock download formats. This entry never leaves your browser, is never transmitted to any server, and is removed automatically when you clear your browser's site data. There is no server-side account and no login session.
Because the Forge stores everything client-side, you can block all first-party cookies through your browser settings and the tool will continue to work without any loss of functionality.
3. Third-Party Cookies
The Forge loads several third-party services to render its user interface and monetize the free tool. These third parties may set their own cookies according to their own privacy policies. The following table summarizes the categories of cookies you may encounter:
| Provider | Purpose | Typical Cookie Names |
|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics | Aggregate traffic measurement, page views, session duration, referrer analysis | _ga, _gid, _gat |
| Google AdSense | Ad delivery, frequency capping, ad personalization | __gads, __gpi, IDE, NID |
| Google Tag Manager | Loading and sequencing analytics and marketing tags | Uses cookies set by the tags it loads |
| Google Fonts | Font delivery; may log IP address to enforce rate limits | No persistent cookies |
| Font Awesome CDN | Icon-font delivery; may log IP address | No persistent cookies |
We do not control which specific cookies these providers set. Please refer to Google's Privacy Policy and Ads Settings for detailed information about Google's data processing practices.
4. Why These Cookies Exist
The Forge is completely free to use. To cover the cost of hosting, bandwidth and ongoing development, we display advertisements and collect aggregate analytics. Analytics help us understand which converters are most used, which pages need improvement, and whether the site is performing well on different devices. Advertising revenue funds the ongoing maintenance of the tool.
We deliberately avoid invasive tracking. There are no Facebook Pixel, TikTok Pixel, session-recording or fingerprinting scripts on this site. The only tracking present is Google Analytics for aggregate traffic statistics, and Google AdSense for advertising.
5. Managing Cookies
You have complete control over cookies. Every modern browser provides settings to view, block, allow-list or delete cookies and site data. Common locations for these settings:
- Chrome — Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data
- Firefox — Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
- Safari — Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data
- Edge — Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Manage and delete cookies
Blocking all cookies will not affect the Forge's converters, the Revert engine or the local download system, because those features run entirely in JavaScript without relying on cookies. Blocking cookies may affect the personalization of advertisements and the accuracy of aggregate analytics, but it will not break any part of the tool.
6. Opt-Out Options
If you would like to specifically opt out of the tracking used by the Forge's third-party services, the following options are available:
- Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on — install the official browser extension provided by Google.
- Google Ads Settings — visit adssettings.google.com to disable personalized advertising across Google properties.
- Your Online Choices — visit youronlinechoices.com to manage interest-based advertising preferences across multiple networks.
- Network Advertising Initiative — visit optout.networkadvertising.org for an additional opt-out mechanism.
7. Do Not Track Signals
Some browsers send a "Do Not Track" (DNT) header with each request. There is currently no industry-wide consensus on how websites should respond to DNT signals. The Forge respects the spirit of DNT by avoiding invasive fingerprinting and by keeping all image processing local. However, third-party services such as Google Analytics may still set cookies regardless of the DNT signal, according to their own policies. If you require strict tracking protection, use a browser extension such as uBlock Origin or a privacy-focused browser such as Firefox with Enhanced Tracking Protection enabled.
8. Impact of Disabling Cookies
Disabling cookies has no effect on the Forge's core functionality. All converters, the revert engine, the download system, the info-icon modal and the System Logs panel continue to work exactly as before. You will simply be shown non-personalized advertisements instead of personalized ones, and aggregate analytics will count your visit anonymously. This is by design — the Forge was built to be a lightweight, privacy-respecting tool that does not depend on tracking to function.
9. Children and Cookies
The Forge is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly set cookies targeted at children. If you are a parent or guardian and you believe your child has used the tool in a way that has resulted in personally identifying cookies being set, please contact us and we will help you clear them from your device.
10. Changes to This Cookies Policy
We may update this Cookies Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the third-party services we use, changes in legal requirements, or changes in best practices. The current version is always published on this page with a revised "last updated" date. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Continued use of the Forge after any change constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
11. Contact
If you have questions about this Cookies Policy or about how cookies are used on the Forge, please contact us:
- General enquiries — contact@startknowledge.in
- Technical support — support@startknowledge.in
- General hello — hello@startknowledge.in
localStorage entry stores your download-unlock email. Google Analytics, AdSense, Fonts and Font Awesome may set their own cookies according to their policies. All cookies can be blocked without breaking the tool.
12. Related Pages
- Home — Convert your first image
- About — Project background
- Contact — Reach the team
- How to Use — Step-by-step guide
- Documentation — Technical reference
- FAQ — Frequently asked questions
- Support — Troubleshooting steps
- Privacy Policy
- Terms & Conditions
- Disclaimer
- Changelog
- Additional Resources
- Blog