Cookie Policy
The cookies and browser storage NOWScale actually uses, why each one exists, how long it lasts, and how to clear it.
Updated October 12, 2026 · 9 min read
This Cookie Policy explains how NOWScale LLC (“NOWScale”, “we”, “us”) uses cookies and similar browser storage on our websites and in the NOWScale platform. It lists what we set, what each item is for and how long it lasts. It should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which explains how we handle personal data more generally and the rights available to you.
1. What these technologies are
A cookie is a small text file that a website asks your browser to store. When you return, the browser sends it back, which lets the site recognise your session and remember choices. Cookies set by the site you are visiting are first-party cookies; cookies set by another domain loaded within the page are third-party cookies. A session cookie is deleted when you close the browser; a persistent cookie lasts until it expires or you delete it.
We also use browser storage (local storage, session storage and, for staff only, IndexedDB). It is not sent with every request the way a cookie is. Session storage is cleared when the tab is closed; local storage stays until you clear your browser’s site data.
Optional analytics, advertising measurement and session recording are managed by a consent banner from CookieYes, loaded through Google Tag Manager. Rejecting optional collection does not prevent you from using NOWScale.
2. Your choices
- Public pages use
NEXT_LOCALE, set when the language in the address differs from your browser’s language. With analytics consent,ns_ftrecords how you first found us.cookieyes-consentretains your cookie choices for up to one year and is necessary to honor them. - Signing in, connecting a channel, using the support chat or paying sets the cookies needed for that action, listed in section 3.
- Everything else we store remembers a choice you made, such as your language, time zone, workspace or layout.
- Two first-party cookies are not strictly necessary.
ns_form_exp_<id>is set only while we are testing two versions of a newsletter sign-up form, and only on a page that shows that form.ns_ftrecords where you first arrived from, so we can see which channels bring new customers. Both require analytics consent. Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track suppress them.
The banner lets you accept, reject or customize each optional category: analytics, performance (session recording) and advertisement. In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Brazil, optional cookies stay off until you accept them. Elsewhere they are on by default and you can turn them off at any time, including by opting out of the sale or sharing of personal information where your local law provides that right. Use Cookie preferences in the site footer to change your choice later. Your choice applies across our subdomains in the same browser. Email and SMS subscriptions remain separate.
3. Cookies we set
3.1 Public pages
| Name | Purpose | Duration | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
NEXT_LOCALE | Remembers the interface language. Set automatically when the address language differs from your browser’s, or when you pick a language. | Session (automatic) or 1 year (language picker) | Preference |
ns_form_exp_<id> | Keeps showing you the same version of a newsletter sign-up form while we compare two versions. Set only while such a test is running and you have agreed to analytics. | 90 days | Analytics |
ns_ft | Records how you first arrived: the domain of the site that sent you (for example google.com, never the full address), any utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign tags in the link, the first page you opened and when. Set once and never overwritten, for nowscale.com so it is still readable where you sign up. If you create an account, this record is saved with your sign-up. Requires analytics consent and is not set when your browser sends Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track. | 90 days | Analytics |
3.2 Analytics and advertising
These cookies are set only for the categories you allow in the banner, on our public pages, sign-in pages, Help Center and the product (never in our staff administration area).
| Name | Purpose | Duration | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
cookieyes-consent | Remembers the cookie choices you made in the banner. | 1 year | Strictly necessary |
_ga, _ga_<id> | Google Analytics: distinguishes visits and sessions to measure how the site and product are used. | 2 years | Analytics |
_clck, _clsk, CLID | Microsoft Clarity: groups the pages of one visit for usage heatmaps and session recordings, with text in the product masked. | 1 day to 1 year | Performance |
_gcl_au, _gcl_aw | Google Ads: connects a sign-up or purchase to the Google ad that led to it. | 90 days | Advertisement |
_fbp, _fbc | Meta Pixel: connects a sign-up or purchase to the Facebook or Instagram ad that led to it. | 90 days | Advertisement |
_uetsid, _uetvid, MUID | Microsoft Advertising: connects a sign-up or purchase to the Microsoft (Bing) ad that led to it. | 1 day to 13 months | Advertisement |
ns_no_track | Set only in browsers used by NOWScale staff, so their visits are not measured. | 1 year | Strictly necessary |
3.3 Signing in and security
| Name | Purpose | Duration | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
__Secure-better-auth.session_token | Keeps you signed in. | 7 days, renewed while you use the Service | Strictly necessary |
__Secure-better-auth.session_data | Short cache of your session, so each page does not need a database check. | 5 minutes | Strictly necessary |
__Secure-better-auth.dont_remember | Records that you chose not to stay signed in. | Session | Strictly necessary |
__Secure-better-auth.state | Protects sign-in with Google or GitHub against request forgery. | 10 minutes | Strictly necessary |
__Secure-better-auth.two_factor | Links the two steps of a two-step sign-in. | 10 minutes | Strictly necessary |
__Secure-better-auth.trust_device | Skips the second step on a device you marked as trusted. Set only if you choose that option, and tied to your current two-step setup. | 30 days | Strictly necessary |
__Secure-better-auth.better-auth-passkey | Holds the challenge for a passkey sign-in. | A few minutes | Strictly necessary |
ns_signup_terms | Records that you accepted the current Terms of Service on the sign-up page, so your account can be created. Deleted once the account exists. | Up to 30 minutes | Strictly necessary |
ns_signup_newsletter | Carries your newsletter choice from the sign-up page to account creation. Set only if you leave the newsletter box ticked, and deleted once the account exists. | Up to 30 minutes | Strictly necessary |
__Secure-better-auth.admin_session | Used only when an authorised NOWScale staff member views an account for support, to return them to their own session. | Short | Strictly necessary |
3.4 Using the product
| Name | Purpose | Duration | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
yt_, tt_, ig_ and fb_oauth_state_<id>, fb_pick | Protect the connection of a YouTube, TikTok, Instagram or Facebook account, and the choice of Facebook Page or Instagram account. | 10 minutes | Strictly necessary |
ns_checkout_intent | Carries the plan you chose into checkout, including across sign-in. | 30 minutes | Strictly necessary |
ns_product_context | Signed record of the workspace you are working in. | 30 days | Strictly necessary |
ns_dashboard_filter_migration_v1 | Moves saved filters to the current format once. | 5 minutes | Strictly necessary |
ns_channel_workspace | Remembers the workspace you selected. | 1 year | Preference |
ns_dashboard_filter_<scope> | Remembers the dashboard filters you saved. | 1 year | Preference |
NEXT_TIMEZONE | Remembers your time zone for dates and schedules. | 1 year | Preference |
NOWSCALE_DEVICE_MODE | Remembers whether you use the phone or desktop layout. | 1 year | Preference |
NOWSCALE_SIDEBAR_EXPANDED, NOWSCALE_CALENDAR_VIEW, NOWSCALE_CONNECTIONS_VIEW | Remember layout choices: sidebar, calendar view and channels view. | 1 year | Preference |
NS_CONNECTION_LOADING_SHAPE | Matches the loading placeholder to your channels layout. | Session | Preference |
3.5 Support chat
| Name | Purpose | Duration | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
ns_sv | Identifies your support conversation if you use the support chat without signing in. It is set for .nowscale.com so the conversation follows you across NOWScale sites. | 1 year | Strictly necessary for the chat you started |
ns_sg | Gives you access to a support ticket from a confirmation email link. | 24 hours | Strictly necessary |
3.6 Payment screens
| Name | Purpose | Duration | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
__stripe_mid, __stripe_sid | Set by Stripe’s payment form for fraud prevention. They are set only on checkout and billing screens, which load Stripe. | 1 year / 30 minutes | Strictly necessary |
4. Browser storage
These items stay in your browser. They are first-party, and they keep drafts and choices on your device.
| Where | Items | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Public pages, after you use a form or the support chat | newsletter-form:<id>, nowscale:live-chat-sound:*, nowscale:support-message-burst:v1, nowscale-support-search, nowscale-support-draft:<id>, support-operation:<endpoint>:<ticket> | Form progress, chat sound setting, message pacing, recent help searches, unsent support messages and retry safety. |
| Sign-in | nowscale.post-auth-destination.v1 | The page to return to after you sign in. |
| Product, local storage | ns.page-visits, ns.recent-searches, nowscale:video-volume, epr_suggested and drafts | Recently visited pages and searches, player volume, recently used emoji and unsaved drafts. |
| Product, session storage | ns.upgrade:*, ns.support.draft.<ticket>, nowscale:staff-command:<scope>, nowscale:email-change:<user>:<session>, __nowscaleSettingsHubLiveTarget:<user>, nowscale:billing-identity:v1:<actor>:<account>, nowscale:bugs:intake:<actor> | Plan selection in progress, unsent support replies, staff actions in progress, an email change in progress, the open Settings page, a billing profile you have not confirmed yet (which can include name, address and tax ID), and an unsent bug report. All are cleared when the tab is closed. |
| IndexedDB | nowscale-staff-alerts | Alert state for NOWScale staff only. |
5. Third parties in your browser
- Google Tag Manager (
googletagmanager.com) loads on our public pages, sign-in pages, Help Center and the product. It loads the CookieYes banner and, only for the categories you allow, Google Analytics, Google Ads, the Meta Pixel, Microsoft Advertising and Microsoft Clarity. These services receive your IP address, browser details and the pages you visit. Under Google Consent Mode, Google tags that load before you allow a category send only cookieless signals without identifiers. - Stripe (
js.stripe.comand related Stripe domains) loads only on checkout and billing screens. It receives your IP address, browser details and fraud-prevention signals, and the card details you type into its secure form. - YouTube videos inside the product play from
youtube-nocookie.comand load only after you press play. From then on, YouTube receives your IP address, browser details and the video ID, and may store data in your browser under Google’s own policies. - Images from connected platforms: thumbnails and profile pictures in the product load from the platforms that host them (YouTube, Google, GitHub, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok image servers), and default profile pictures load from DiceBear. Those servers receive your IP address and browser details when the image loads.
- “Ask your AI” links on our home page open ChatGPT, Claude or Google only when you click one, and do not send a referrer.
Recipients that process data for us are listed in section 6.1 of our Privacy Policy. When you leave NOWScale to sign in to or connect a YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Google or GitHub account, that service sets its own cookies under its own policies.
6. How to control and clear cookies
- Sign out to end your session. Signing out removes the sign-in cookie for that browser.
- Clear site data for
nowscale.comin your browser’s privacy settings to delete every cookie and storage item listed above. You will need to sign in again, and saved preferences and drafts will be lost. - Block cookies in your browser settings if you prefer. Blocking strictly necessary cookies prevents sign-in and checkout.
Browser choices apply across our Main, Auth and Dash subdomains where they share a cookie domain. Repeat browser choices on other devices. Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track suppress optional collection. Essential security, authentication, support and payment operations continue.
7. Changes to this policy
We update this policy when the cookies or storage we use change. The date at the top of this page shows when the current version took effect.
8. Contact us
Questions about this policy, or about a specific cookie you have seen, can be sent to support@nowscale.com or by post to NOWScale LLC, 30 N Gould St Ste R, Sheridan, WY 82801, United States.
Questions about this document? Contact support@nowscale.com.