Cookie notice

1. How ShowCar uses cookies

ShowCar uses first-party cookies and session storage to operate sign-in/security and remember privacy choices. Where you agree, ShowCar also uses its own usage analytics and Google Analytics to measure site usage. Optional cookies are controlled through Cookie Settings.

ShowCar does not use browser fingerprinting for analytics or advertising.

2. Cookies currently used

Cookie / storage	Purpose	Typical life	Category
PHP session cookie	Keeps your browser session, sign-in state, CSRF/security state and temporary workflow information.	Session	Strictly necessary
carlink_consent	Stores analytics, personalisation and advertising-measurement choices together with the policy version/date.	1 year	Strictly necessary preference cookie
carlink_remember	Only set when you choose "Remember me". Contains a selector and one-time rotating token, not your password.	Up to 90 days	Strictly necessary when requested
carlink_analytics	Creates a first-party analytics session ID used with coarse site analytics.	30 days	Optional analytics
_ga, _ga_*	Google Analytics cookies used to distinguish visits and measure page usage after analytics consent.	Typically up to 2 years	Optional analytics
car_ref	Remembers a referral code so signup can credit the referrer later.	30 days	Optional personalisation
sessionStorage: showcar_menu_filter	Remembers which dashboard menu category you were viewing on that browser tab.	Browser-tab session	Functional / necessary for requested UI state

3. Optional analytics

If you consent to analytics, ShowCar records a first-party analytics identifier plus coarse browser family, operating system, device class, language, timezone, screen-size group, page path, event type and referring host. Public profile views and outgoing social/sponsor link clicks can also be measured.

The Google tag uses Consent Mode and starts with analytics and advertising storage denied. Google Analytics page-view measurement and _ga cookies are enabled only after analytics consent. ShowCar does not send account names or email addresses to Google Analytics through this tag and has enabled IP anonymisation in its configuration.

4. Advertising and personalisation

Ads may still be displayed without optional advertising cookies. The site can select ads using the vehicle being viewed and broad country/region context. If advertising consent is enabled, ShowCar may add a first-party visitor identifier to ad impression/click records so repeated activity can be measured more accurately. If advertising consent is off, that visitor identifier is not stored.

If personalisation consent is enabled, ShowCar may store the referral cookie described above. Other page functionality may use information already provided in your account/profile without placing an optional cookie.

5. Necessary cookies

Necessary cookies are used for functions such as sign-in, session security, CSRF protection, remembered-login where requested and storing your consent choice. Because these are required to provide the requested website/security functions, they cannot be disabled through the ShowCar cookie controls.

6. Third-party websites and map tiles

ShowCar's public pages can link to third-party social networks, sponsors, events and advertisers. A third party may set its own cookies after you follow one of those links. Those cookies are controlled by that third party, not ShowCar.

When an authorised administrator opens the signup-location map, map tiles are loaded from the configured map provider (currently OpenStreetMap by default). The administrator's browser therefore makes requests to that provider.

7. Changing your choice

You can accept, reject or customise optional processing at any time using Cookie Settings. Rejecting optional cookies does not prevent normal account/profile use, although optional analytics/personalisation measurement will be reduced.