Old District · Legal

Cookie Policy

← Back

Last updated: [[LAST_UPDATED]]. This policy explains what cookies and similar technologies Old District (olddistrict.com, operated by [[OPERATOR_NAME]], “we”, “us”) places on your device when you use the game, exactly what each one contains, how long it lasts, and where the related data is stored. It should be read together with our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Contents

  • 1. What cookies are
  • 2. How we use cookies
  • 3. Cookies we set (full list)
  • 4. What the session actually holds
  • 5. Third-party services & their cookies
  • 6. What we do not use
  • 7. Related data stored on our servers
  • 8. Where your data is stored
  • 9. Legal basis (GDPR)
  • 10. How to control or delete cookies
  • 11. Changes & contact

1. What cookies are

A cookie is a small text file that a website asks your browser to store on your device (computer, phone or tablet). On your next request the browser sends the cookie back, which lets the site recognise your browser — for example to keep you logged in as you move between pages. Cookies cannot run programs, read other files on your device, or carry viruses.

Cookies are described by a few properties that we reference in the tables below:

  • First-party vs third-party — a first-party cookie is set by olddistrict.com itself; a third-party cookie is set by another domain (for example a payment provider) whose content is loaded on the page.
  • Session vs persistent — a session cookie is deleted when you close your browser; a persistent cookie stays until its stated expiry date or until you delete it.
  • Security flags — HttpOnly (not readable by JavaScript), Secure (only sent over HTTPS) and SameSite (restricts cross-site sending). All cookies we set use HttpOnly, Secure and SameSite=Lax.

“Similar technologies” such as browser localStorage/sessionStorage can serve comparable purposes. Old District relies on cookies for the functions described here and does not use these storage mechanisms to identify or track you.

2. How we use cookies

We use cookies only for two purposes, both of which are needed for the game to work and to keep your account secure:

  • Strictly necessary cookies — keep your login session alive and protect form submissions against cross-site request forgery (CSRF). The game cannot function without them, so they do not require consent.
  • Functional cookies — remember your choice to stay signed in between visits (the “Remember me” option). These are set only if you actively tick that box.

We do not use analytics, advertising, profiling or social-media tracking cookies of any kind (see section 6).

3. Cookies we set (full list)

The following first-party cookies are set on the .olddistrict.com domain, with path /, and with the Secure, HttpOnly and SameSite=Lax flags.

Cookie Category What it contains Lifetime / retention Where stored
PHPSESSID Strictly necessary A random session identifier. It contains no personal data itself — it is only a key that points to your session record held on our server (your logged-in username and player ID, your IP for the session, the CSRF token, last-activity time, language and onboarding flags). Session cookie (lifetime 0): removed when you close the browser. The matching server-side session data is discarded by PHP session garbage collection after a period of inactivity and is cleared immediately when you log out. Cookie: on your device. Session contents: on our server.
od_remember Functional (“Remember me”) Two random values in the form selector:validator. It stores no username or password. The selector locates a token row in our database; the validator is checked against a hashed copy. The token is single-use: each time it is accepted it is rotated (invalidated and reissued). Persistent: 30 days from the last time it was issued. Set only if you tick “Remember me” at login. Deleted on logout, and the server-side token is also deleted when it expires. Cookie: on your device. Matching token (selector + hashed validator + hashed user-agent + expiry): in our database.
login, validate Legacy (cleared, not set) Names from an older login scheme. The current site does not create these; it only actively deletes them for safety if an old browser still carries them. Expired/cleared on logout and on session cleanup. On your device only, until cleared.

Note on CSRF protection. Our anti-CSRF token is not a separate cookie — it is stored inside your server-side session and is reached through the PHPSESSID cookie above.

4. What the session actually holds

Because PHPSESSID is only a pointer, here is what the session record it points to may contain while you are signed in. This data lives on our server, not in the cookie:

  • your username and player ID;
  • the IP address tied to the current session (used to detect session hijacking);
  • a CSRF token that secures your form submissions;
  • a last-activity timestamp (to expire idle sessions);
  • lightweight preference/onboarding flags such as your language and whether you have passed the entry checklist.

This record is deleted when you log out or when the session expires through inactivity.

5. Third-party services & their cookies

Some pages load resources from third parties. We do not control the cookies those providers may set, and their own policies apply. Loading their content also reveals your IP address to them by the nature of how the web works.

Content delivery networks & fonts

  • Tailwind CSS CDN (cdn.tailwindcss.com) — styling framework.
  • Cloudflare / cdnjs (cdnjs.cloudflare.com) — Font Awesome icons. Cloudflare may set a bot-management cookie such as __cf_bm.
  • jsDelivr (cdn.jsdelivr.net) — the Toastify notification library.
  • Google Fonts (fonts.googleapis.com, fonts.gstatic.com) — our typefaces and Material Symbols. Google states its font files do not set cookies, but the request exposes your IP to Google.

These are used for appearance and delivery only; they are not used by us to track you. Where a provider is capable of setting a cookie, it is generally strictly necessary/security in nature rather than advertising.

PayPal (payments)

If — and only if — you choose to buy premium credits, you are taken to PayPal (paypal.com) to complete payment. PayPal sets its own cookies on its own domain for fraud prevention, security and to process the transaction. We never see your card details. PayPal’s use of cookies is governed by PayPal’s own cookie and privacy notices.

6. What we do not use

To be explicit, Old District does not use:

  • advertising or re-targeting cookies;
  • analytics/measurement cookies (no Google Analytics, Matomo, Hotjar, Clarity, Meta Pixel, etc.);
  • cross-site profiling or data-broker cookies;
  • social-media “like/share” tracking cookies.

7. Related data stored on our servers

The following are not cookies — they are records kept on our server — but we list them here for full transparency about what we collect and for how long, as they are tied to the same login and security functions.

Record What we store Why Retention
Remember-me tokens Random selector, a hashed validator, a hashed user-agent, and an expiry date — linked to your player ID. No password. To let you stay signed in securely and to detect misuse of a stolen cookie. Deleted at expiry (max 30 days) or on logout; expired rows are purged automatically.
Login throttling IP address, the username attempted, a failure counter and a “blocked-until” time. To slow down brute-force and credential-stuffing attacks (a legitimate security interest). Short-lived; cleared on a successful login and as blocks expire.
Security request log (“omnilog”) For certain POST requests: time, username (if any), IP, any forwarded-for header, the script hit and the submitted form/query data. Abuse investigation, fraud prevention and debugging. [[OMNILOG_RETENTION]] — define and enforce a fixed period (e.g. 90 days) and delete older entries.

8. Where your data is stored

  • On your device: the cookies in section 3 (their raw values only).
  • On our servers: your session record, your account data, remember-me tokens, throttling records and security logs. These are hosted by [[HOSTING_PROVIDER]] in [[HOSTING_REGION]].
  • With third parties: any cookies set by the CDNs, Google Fonts or PayPal live on those providers’ own domains and infrastructure under their control.

9. Legal basis (GDPR)

  • Strictly necessary cookies and core security records rely on our legitimate interest in operating the service securely and, where applicable, the exemption for cookies that are strictly necessary to deliver a service you requested; they do not need consent.
  • The “Remember me” cookie is set on the basis of your consent, given by ticking the box at login; you can withdraw it by logging out or clearing the cookie.
  • Payments through PayPal are processed on the basis of contract performance.

10. How to control or delete cookies

You can view, block or delete cookies through your browser settings. Helpful pages are provided by Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge.

Please note: if you block the strictly necessary cookie (PHPSESSID), you will not be able to log in or stay logged in, and secured actions will fail. Blocking or clearing od_remember simply means you will be asked to sign in again.

11. Changes & contact

We may update this policy as the game evolves. Any material changes will be reflected by a new “Last updated” date at the top. If you have questions about cookies or your data, please contact us at [email protected].

© 2026 Old District. All rights reserved.