Legal
Cookie Policy
Specula uses only the cookies and browser storage it needs to work, and preferences you choose. No analytics, advertising or tracking cookies.
Effective 19 October 2026
1.Why there is no cookie banner
Cookies that are strictly necessary for a service you asked for — keeping you signed in, applying usage limits, remembering a choice you made — don't need a consent banner. Specula uses nothing else: no analytics, no advertising, no tracking pixels, no third-party cookies of its own. If Specula ever adds something optional, it will ask you first and let you change your mind at any time.
2.Cookies
| Cookie | Purpose | Lasts |
|---|---|---|
specula_guest_id | A random identifier for this browser, so guest research can be kept and guest usage limits applied. Moves your guest research to your account when you sign in. | 1 year |
better-auth.session_token | Keeps you signed in (named __Secure-… on secure connections). | Up to 30 days, or until you sign out |
better-auth.session_data | A short-lived signed copy of your session, so pages load without checking the database every time. | 5 minutes |
| Sign-in cookies | Short-lived security cookies used only during Google sign-in. | Minutes |
specula_age | Records that you confirmed you are 18 or over (signed so it can't be changed). | 1 year |
specula_terms | Records, on this device, that you agreed to the Terms of Use and confirmed the Privacy Policy, and which version (signed). With an account, this is also stored on your account. | 1 year |
specula_theme | Your light, dark or system theme choice. | 1 year |
sp-report-…, sp-board-… | Remembers that you entered the password of a protected shared link. | 7 days |
3.Browser storage
Some features keep data in your browser's local storage, on your device only:
- Xavi: your notebook work and its sync state, solved problems, replays, and preferences (voice, speaking speed, pen, where the Xavi bot sits).
- Learning modules: your answers and notes when you aren't signed in.
Clearing it removes those preferences and any unsynced work on that device.
4.Content from other services
Some pictures in Specula load from other services: player photos from Wikimedia, video thumbnails from YouTube and website icons from Google. Those services see your IP address, as with any image on the web, and Specula sets no cookies for them. YouTube videos (using YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode) and Sofascore widgets load only when you click them, and may then use their own cookies or storage under their own policies.
5.Your choices
You can block or delete cookies in your browser's settings. Because Specula's cookies are necessary, blocking them will sign you out, reset guest limits and preferences, and stop Specula working properly. The Privacy Policy explains how your data is handled.
6.Contact
The contact address for questions and data requests will be published here before Specula's public launch. Until then, signed-in users can export or delete their data themselves in Settings.