Cookie and Storage Technologies Policy

1. What these technologies are

Cookies are small data files stored by a website or service. Browsers and apps may also use local storage, session storage, tokens and similar technologies to remember information or provide a feature.

Some technologies are necessary for communication, security or a feature you request. Others are optional and are used only according to the choice or legal basis explained below.

2. Essential storage

Watchmora uses essential storage to:

• maintain sessions and sign-in state;
• protect forms and requests from forgery;
• remember language and core display choices;
• secure accounts and reduce abuse;
• remember your privacy choice;
• operate account features you request;
• route and protect traffic through infrastructure providers.

You cannot disable essential storage through the Watchmora analytics choice because the service may not work securely without it. You can still block storage in your browser, but this may break sign-in, forms or preferences.

Statistical analytics and your choices

Last updated: 26 September 2026.

For reliably identified UK visitors, Watchmora operates its own limited statistical measurement by default. Its sole purpose is to produce aggregate statistics about use of Watchmora so we can improve the service. We rely on the statistical purposes exception in paragraph 5 of Schedule A1 to PECR, as amended following the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. Prior consent is not required only where all conditions of that exception are met. We give clear information and a simple, free means to object through Privacy choices. An existing analytics rejection is respected.

For EEA visitors and any location we cannot reliably identify, this measurement is off until you expressly allow Site statistics. Interface language never determines this choice. For temporary information that is personal data, our UK GDPR basis in the UK is our legitimate interest in measuring and improving this service, with minimisation and a right to object. Where we ask permission, the basis is consent. We do not use these statistics to profile you, personalise recommendations or advertising, make individual decisions, monitor other services or send conversion data to advertising platforms.

We count page views, temporary sessions, landing and last-observed exit pages, approved referrer domains, source/medium, approved campaign/content/placement/term labels, approved campaign/ad-set/ad labels, route family, locale, device/browser/OS category and country where available from our trusted delivery service. We count searches without search text, title and collection opens, provider-link clicks, successful watchlist additions and a limited engagement signal. A provider click or watchlist-add is counted once per page and event type, not as an exact transaction count. The same session identifier is never reused for account features, recommendations, advertising or security. Unrecognised campaign values are grouped as “other”; click identifiers such as fbclid and gclid are not collected.

Statistical analytics does not store your name, email, password, payment information, account ID, authentication token, raw IP, full user-agent string, fingerprint, advertising identifier or cross-site browsing history. A random first-party analytics cookie lasts 30 minutes of inactivity. Temporary database state contains counters, initial acquisition dimensions and the last observed public path, not a browsing-event history. Closed sessions are aggregated every five minutes; active temporary records and retry markers are retired after 23 hours, within a 24-hour maximum under the scheduled cleanup. Long-term aggregates have no session identifiers and are retained for 24 months. Separate dimensional breakdowns are not joined into visitor profiles. These statistics can undercount when browsers block requests, visitors object or requests fail.

Site statistics and Google Analytics have separate controls in Privacy choices. Turning Site statistics off stops further statistical storage/access, removes the temporary analytics cookie and discards the current temporary session. Existing anonymous aggregates remain. Turning it on applies to future activity only, without reconstructing earlier visits. The necessary preference cookies contain only on/off values, are first-party, Secure, HttpOnly, SameSite=Lax and last 180 days. Essential sessions, CSRF protection, security logs and requested account features continue.

Google Analytics is optional

Google Analytics 4 runs only after separate explicit permission in Privacy choices, including in the UK. We do not rely on the UK statistical exception for GA4. There is no Google tag or cookieless measurement before that permission. Public page URLs sent by our code omit all query parameters, page titles are reduced to a route category, and our event code does not send raw search text or account identifiers. Google still receives connection/device information when you permit its service. Our tag denies ad_storage, ad_user_data and ad_personalization, disables Google Signals and advertising personalisation signals, and does not set User-ID. Property-side data sharing, linked services, enhanced measurement and retention are controlled in Google's account settings; their exact current values have not been verified in this release.

With permission, Google can use _ga and the measurement-specific _ga cookie as pseudonymous identifiers. Our tag requests a 180-day cookie lifetime without renewal on every activity. Google's standard property user/event retention choices are two or fourteen months; its aggregate reporting has different retention. These are not the first-party 24-hour raw-data rules. Declining Google Analytics prevents future Google measurement and removes accessible Google Analytics cookies. Google may process data internationally; its privacy information is at https://policies.google.com/privacy. Applicable contractual and transfer safeguards must be maintained with Google; we do not claim an unverified account configuration.

No Meta Pixel, Google Ads remarketing or other advertising tracker is installed by this release. Advertising technologies are outside the statistical exception and require their own consent. Campaign source labels describe arrivals at Watchmora for service improvement; they are not advertising IDs, cross-site attribution or permission for ad targeting.

Separate account and search functions

Existing account privacy controls, consent-based audience-ranking analytics and internal search-quality diagnostics are separate from this statistical layer. They do not receive its session identifier. Search diagnostics may retain search text for product debugging under the existing search controls; do not enter private information into public search. The new 24-hour statistical retention does not describe account, support, security, consent-based audience records or search-diagnostic records. You can use account privacy controls and the Privacy form for those functions.

4. YouTube trailers

Watchmora does not create the YouTube player until you choose to play a trailer. After that action, the player uses the privacy-enhanced youtube-nocookie.com domain where implemented, and Google or YouTube may receive IP address, browser, referrer and playback information.

Playback may start automatically after your click. YouTube applies its own terms and privacy practices.

5. Google sign-in

If you choose registration, login or account linking with Google, your browser is redirected to Google and Google may set or read its own storage. Google controls that process under its own terms and privacy information.

Watchmora does not load the Google OAuth flow merely because you browse an ordinary catalogue page.

6. Cloudflare and security technology

Watchmora uses Cloudflare for DNS, proxy, delivery and security functions. Cloudflare may process request, IP, browser and security information and may use necessary storage or challenge technology to distinguish legitimate traffic from abuse.

Security technology is separate from optional Watchmora audience analytics.

7. Other providers

A third-party provider page or external link may use its own cookies or storage after you visit it. Watchmora does not control storage set on an independent provider’s website.

Storage and choices

wm_stat_session: random statistical session; 30 minutes inactive, maximum 23-hour server state. wm_stat_choice and wm_google_choice: necessary on/off preferences, 180 days. Existing wm_analytics_consent and wm_audience_id belong to the separate consent-based audience system (up to 365 days), not exempt statistics. _ga and the property-specific _ga cookie: optional Google analytics, requested 180 days. Essential watchmora-session and XSRF-TOKEN retain the existing session lifetime; watchmora_locale and watch_region retain language/region choices. The streamit sessionStorage entry and catalogue new-content display markers support interface preferences. These are separate from analytics; no new advertising storage is introduced.

Use Privacy choices to switch Site statistics or Google Analytics on or off. Blocking essential storage in your browser may affect sign-in, forms or preferences.

10. Changes

We will update this Policy and the verified inventory when storage technologies or their purposes materially change. Where a new use requires permission, we will ask before using it.

11. Contact

Use the Privacy form if you have a question or complaint about cookies, device storage or analytics.

Discovery, browser saves and trailer feed

Where available, explicit saved titles, Interested, Not for me and preferences are kept in this browser’s IndexedDB (wm.discovery.v1). These are distinct from ratings and watched status. Explicit saves are not evicted to free space; browser storage failure may limit use to the current session. You can remove individual saves or clear this browser’s discovery data in Privacy choices. Browser clearing does not delete account data.

Optional visited-title history is off until enabled separately. It is limited to 200 unique titles over 90 days; expired entries are removed when the feature is next used. Revoking history permission removes that history without removing explicit saves. Neutral navigation is not a dislike.

Recommendations send title identifiers, language, region and explicit preferences to Watchmora using private requests. Optional history is sent only when enabled. A session-isolated continuation cache expires after 15 minutes; it is not a permanent guest behavioural profile. A minimal session navigation position may be retained to return from details or switch views.

New registrations import browser saves and choices after the registration disclosure. Signing into an existing account asks for confirmation. Import merges saves without duplication and preserves existing account restrictions. Browser records are cleared only after acknowledgement of their unchanged revision. Failed or conflicting records remain available locally. Account import receipts retain deduplication identifiers and acknowledgements, not full browsing history, until the account is deleted.

Opening the trailer feed immediately loads the YouTube player and sends connection and playback information to YouTube under its own policies, like normal trailer embeds. Playback attempts to start with sound; if the browser blocks autoplay, the open native player remains available for manual Play. This does not enable analytics or optional visited-title history. Native YouTube controls remain available.