ALIGN.AI legal
Cookie policy
Every cookie this site can set, what each one does, and how you change your mind. The full list fits on one page, which is how we intend to keep it.
Last updated: 23 July 2026
The basics
What cookies are
A cookie is a small text file a website stores in your browser so it can recognise you between pages and visits. Some do jobs you'd genuinely miss, like keeping you signed in, and some exist to measure and to advertise. We use the first kind automatically, and the second kind only after you've said yes in the banner.
Essential
Always on, and here's why
These come from Clerk, our authentication provider, and they do one job: proving you're you, so your account stays yours and you stay signed in. The service can't work without them, which is why the law doesn't require consent for them and the banner doesn't offer a toggle.
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| __session | Clerk | Your active sign-in session | Always on |
| __client, __client_uat | Clerk | Recognising your browser so sign-in stays secure | Always on |
One honest footnote: your cookie choice itself is remembered in your browser's local storage, under the name align-consent. It never leaves your device, and it exists so we don't ask you the same question on every visit.
Analytics
One cookieless, one asked first
We measure how the site is used with Umami, an analytics tool chosen precisely because it sets no cookies, stores nothing on your device, and collects no personal data. It counts page views and shows us which pages people read, without ever knowing who's visiting or following you anywhere else. It runs on our own server, so your visit data never goes to a third-party analytics company at all.
Because nothing is stored on your device and nobody can be identified, UK law treats this as measurement that doesn't need a consent pop-up, so it runs on every visit. We're telling you about it here anyway, because you deserve the whole picture.
With your consent, and only then, we also run Google Analytics. It sets cookies such as _ga and _ga_*so it can tell one visit from the next, and it shows us the journeys people take through the site... which pages lead where, and where people wander off. Until you say yes to analytics cookies in the banner, the script doesn't load and nothing is sent to Google. Say yes and later change your mind, and it stops from that moment. Google processes this data under its own privacy policy.
Advertising
Only after you say yes
We run ads to tell women founders this product exists, and the Meta Pixel is how we learn whether those ads are working. With your consent, and only then, it sets cookies such as _fbp and _fbcand tells Meta which pages you visited here, so we can measure our ads, stop showing them to people who've already joined, and reach people similar to the founders this was built for.
Until you say yes in the banner, none of this loads: no script, no cookies, nothing sent to Meta. If you say yes and later change your mind, the pixel stops sharing from that moment. Meta processes this data under its own privacy policy, which is worth a read before you decide.
What the pixel never sees, under any setting: your conversations, your uploads, or anything you tell ALIGN.AI inside the product.
Changing your mind
Your choice, revisitable
Use the link, here or in any footer, to reopen the banner and change your answer whenever you like. The change applies immediately.
Your browser gives you a second lever: its settings let you block or delete cookies for any site, including this one. Delete ours and the banner will simply ask you again next visit. The essential ones will come back when you sign in, because signing in is what they're for.
Contact
Reach a human
Questions about cookies or anything in this policy go to Support: support@jodiehayward.com. It reaches a human, and you'll get a human back.
And if you want Jodie herself... jodie@jodiehayward.com. It goes to her directly.