Cookie and browser storage policy
Last updated: September 9, 2026
The short version
UniSell uses no advertising cookies, no analytics cookies, no social media pixels, and no cross-site tracking. We store a small number of items in your browser so the site can sign you in and remember how you like it to look. We do not sell or share this information, and it is not used to build a profile of you.
We do count visits, using Cloudflare Web Analytics. It sets no cookies and stores nothing in your browser, which is why it does not appear in the table below — but it is still a third party seeing that a visit happened, so we would rather say so plainly than hide behind the technicality. The privacy policy sets out exactly what it records and how to opt out.
What we store, and why
Everything below is stored by your browser, not as a traditional cookie, and is readable only by this site. By default your sign-in session is kept in sessionStorage, which the browser discards when you close the tab — so walking away from a shared library or lab computer does not leave you signed in on it. If you tick Keep me signed in on this device when you sign in, it is stored in localStorage instead and survives closing the browser. The remaining items use localStorage and persist until you clear site data.
| Name | Purpose | Category | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
| sb-<project>-auth-token | Keeps you signed in after you verify your UT Dallas email, so you are not asked for a new code on every page. Held in sessionStorage unless you ask us to keep you signed in, in which case it moves to localStorage. Only ever one copy exists. | Strictly necessary | Until you sign out or the session expires — and also when you close the tab, unless you ticked “keep me signed in” |
| unisell-remember | Records that you asked to stay signed in on this device, so we know where to keep your session token. Written only if you tick that box, and removed when you sign out. | Strictly necessary, if you choose it | Until you sign out or clear site data |
| unisell-theme | Remembers whether you chose light or dark mode. Written only if you accept optional storage below. | Optional preference | Until you clear site data or decline below |
| unisell-storage-choice | Records whether you accepted or declined optional storage, so we do not ask again and so there is a record of your decision. | Strictly necessary | Until you clear site data |
Your choice
Of the items above, one is genuinely optional and one is a choice you make at sign-in, so those are the two you get to decide about.
- Session token — not optional, but you choose how long. Staying signed in is the thing you asked for by signing in; there is no version of a logged-in session that does not store one. What you do control is whether it outlives the tab: the box is unticked by default, so unless you say otherwise, closing the tab signs you out. Tick it only on a device that is yours. Signing out clears the token and the preference together, whichever you chose.
- Theme preference — optional. Decline and your light/dark choice applies to the page you are on but is not saved; next visit follows your operating system setting instead.
- Your choice itself — kept either way. Recording that you declined is what stops us asking again on every page, and it is the only record that you said no. Declining also deletes any theme preference already saved.
This is a narrower choice than the banners you see on most sites. We would rather offer one real control than a row of toggles that do nothing.
To be straight about the limit of it: visit counting is inserted by Cloudflare at the network edge, not by our code, so this control cannot turn it off and we will not pretend otherwise. It sets no cookies and does not identify you. A content blocker or your browser’s tracking protection will stop it, and nothing on the site breaks if you do.
If optional analytics or advertising are ever introduced, this page will be updated and consent will be collected before any such technology loads. We will not treat an earlier “accept” here as permission for tracking that did not exist when you chose.
Cookies set by our service providers
Cloudflare hosts and delivers this site, and sets its own security cookies. You may see __cf_bm (bot management, roughly 30 minutes) or cf_clearance (records that a security challenge was passed). These are set by Cloudflare rather than by UniSell, are used to tell automated traffic from real visitors, and are not used for advertising or cross-site profiling.
Our hosting and authentication providers may also process technical data such as IP addresses and request logs in order to route traffic, balance load, and defend against attacks. These are security and delivery functions, not marketing. See the privacy policy for who those providers are and what they process.
How to remove this storage
Unless you asked to stay signed in, closing the tab discards your session automatically; signing out clears it immediately either way. You can remove everything at any time through your browser’s “Clear browsing data” or “Cookies and site data” settings for this site. Blocking site data entirely will prevent you from staying signed in even within a single tab, and the theme choice will fall back to your operating system’s light or dark setting.
Most browsers also honour a “Do Not Track” or Global Privacy Control signal. Because UniSell performs no cross-site tracking, there is no tracking for those signals to disable.
Questions
Email unisell.utd@gmail.com with any question about this policy. See also the contact page.