About cookies

1. Quick summary

Cookies are small text files that we and certain partners store in your browser. On Xiqora we use cookies to keep you signed in, remember your settings, measure how the service is used and protect your account against fraud and abuse. It's best to keep cookies on when visiting Xiqora — otherwise core parts of the site won't work, such as signing in, messages and replying to ads.

2. Why Xiqora uses cookies

Our use of cookies on Xiqora has the following specific purposes:

• To keep you signed in to the member area so you're automatically signed back in if you return within a certain time of first signing in.
• To count visitors and get a sense of how many we have, which helps us dimension and optimise our hardware so your visit is as good as possible. Your visits are anonymous — we're not interested in who you are, only how many of you there are.
• To remember your preferences — for example language, search filters, category selection, dark/light mode and whether you've already confirmed the age gate or cookie banner.
• To protect your account — detect suspicious sign-ins, block bots and prevent spam, fraud and abuse of the service.
• To limit how often the same ad is shown.
• To measure and improve the service through anonymous statistics about which pages are visited, for how long, and where errors occur.

3. What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that can be used for both "good" and "bad" purposes. Good uses include keeping track of your personal settings for a website or helping you sign in automatically. A cookie holds a small amount of information that your browser sends each time it visits a page on our site.

A cookie normally contains a name, a value, an expiry date and the domain it belongs to. It can't read information from your device or other websites on its own — only the site that set a cookie can read it back.

Alongside classic cookies we may use similar technologies such as localStorage, sessionStorage and IndexedDB in the browser. We refer to all of these as "cookies" in this document, since the purpose is the same: to store small amounts of information locally on your device.

4. Can cookies harm my device?

No. Because they're text files they can't contain viruses or other malicious code. Most browsers only allow a certain number of cookies to be stored, and a cookie typically has an expiry date after which it's automatically deleted.

Spyware and malicious add-ons that you install yourself are far worse from a security perspective than cookies are. A downside of turning cookies off is that you can no longer sign in to the member area, reply to ads or use the messaging feature.

5. Types of cookies we use

5.1 Strictly necessary cookies

These are required for the service to work at all and can't be turned off in our settings. They're set in response to actions you take — such as signing in, filling in forms or adjusting privacy settings. Without them, sign-in, messaging and replying to ads won't work.

• Session cookie for sign-in and authentication.
• CSRF token that protects against forged requests.
• Cookie that remembers you've confirmed the age gate (18+).
• Cookie that remembers your choice in the cookie banner.
• Load-balancing cookie that keeps you talking to the same server.

5.2 Functional cookies

Used to remember choices you make — for example language, region, dark/light mode, last selected category, saved search filters and whether you prefer list or grid view. If these are turned off, some features may stop working or reset on every visit.

5.3 Analytics and performance cookies

Help us understand how the service is used so we can improve it. These cookies collect information in aggregated, anonymous form — which pages are visited most, where users leave the service, how fast pages load and where errors occur. Xiqora may use third-party providers such as Google Analytics or equivalent to collect this data. IP addresses are anonymised where technically possible.

5.4 Security and anti-fraud cookies

Used to detect and block bots, brute-force attempts, automated registrations and suspicious sign-ins. They may contain a signed device identifier that helps us distinguish trusted returning devices from new devices needing extra checks.

5.5 Advertising and frequency cookies

If ads are shown on the site, cookies are used to make sure the same ad isn't shown too many times and to measure how often an ad has been displayed. We do not use cookies to build personalised advertising profiles tied to who you are as a person on Xiqora.

6. First-party and third-party cookies

First-party cookies are set by Xiqora itself and used for sign-in, settings and security.

Third-party cookies are set by other providers we use — for example payments, analytics, bot protection, maps or embedded videos. These providers have their own privacy policies and cookie practices. Examples of third-party service categories we may use: payment partners, analytics providers, CDN and bot-protection services.

7. How long cookies are stored

• Session cookies — deleted when you close your browser.
• Short-lived cookies (e.g. sign-in) — typically 1 hour to 30 days.
• Functional cookies (language, theme, filters) — up to 12 months.
• Analytics cookies — up to 24 months, often shorter.
• Security cookies — up to 12 months.

Once a cookie passes its expiry date it's deleted automatically by the browser. You can delete cookies earlier at any time.

8. How do I set my browser to refuse cookies?

You can disable cookies in any browser. There are also dedicated security tools and add-ons that automatically turn off or block cookies. A downside of turning cookies off is that you can no longer sign in to the member area or reply to ads.

Here's how to manage cookies in the most common browsers:

• Google Chrome — Settings → Privacy and security → Third-party cookies.
• Mozilla Firefox — Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data.
• Safari — Settings → Privacy → Manage Website Data.
• Microsoft Edge — Settings → Cookies and site permissions.
• Mobile (iOS/Android) — Settings in the respective browser app.

You can also choose to clear all cookies for xiqora.com without affecting other sites. This signs you out and resets your local settings.

9. Withdraw or change your consent

The first time you visit Xiqora we ask for your consent to non-essential cookies via our cookie banner. You can change your choice at any time by opening the cookie settings in the site footer. Withdrawn consent applies going forward — cookies already set can be deleted in your browser.

10. Legal basis

Processing rests on two legal bases under GDPR and the Swedish Electronic Communications Act (LEK):

• Strictly necessary cookies — our legitimate interest in delivering the service you requested. No consent required.
• Other cookies (analytics, ad frequency, certain functional) — your consent, given via the cookie banner and revocable at any time.

11. Personal data and cookies

Most cookies we set don't contain direct personal data, only technical identifiers. When a cookie can still be linked to you as a person — for example the sign-in cookie — it's handled according to our privacy policy, which also describes how long personal data is kept and your rights to access, correct or delete information.

12. Changes to this cookie policy

We may update this page when we add features, switch providers or when the law changes. Material changes are communicated via a banner in the service or by email to signed-in members. The date shown here is updated on every material change.

13. Links and more information

• Swedish Post and Telecom Authority
• Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY)
• Xiqora privacy policy
• Xiqora terms of use

14. Contact

If you have questions about our use of cookies, want to withdraw your consent or want to know exactly which cookies are set on your device — contact our support via the form on the site. We normally respond within a few business days.