Legal
Cookie Policy
Last updated: June 2026
The short version
RealTime.Photos does not use tracking cookies or third-party advertising cookies. We use browser localStorage and sessionStorage — not cookies — to remember small preferences on your device. None of this data is sent to our servers or shared with anyone.
What we store and why
All storage is local to your browser. It is never transmitted to our servers and contains no personally identifiable information.
Guest gallery
| Key | Storage | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|
| liked_[photoId] | localStorage | Records which photos you have liked so you cannot like the same photo twice. Stored per photo ID — no user identity attached. | Until you clear browser data |
| rtp_sort | sessionStorage | Remembers your preferred sort order (newest first / most liked) for the duration of your browser session. | Session end |
| rtp_auth_[eventSlug] | sessionStorage | Records that you have successfully entered the password for a password-protected gallery, so you are not prompted again. | Session end |
Photographer dashboard
Photographer authentication is handled entirely by Clerk. Clerk sets session cookies required for secure login. These are strictly necessary for the authenticated dashboard to function. Refer to Clerk's privacy policy for details.
No tracking or advertising cookies
We do not use Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, or any other third-party tracking or advertising technology. We use Vercel Analytics to understand general traffic patterns — it is cookieless and collects no personally identifiable information. We do not build profiles of guests or photographers for advertising purposes.
Why there is no cookie consent banner. The only cookies set on this platform are strictly necessary session cookies placed by Clerk for authenticated dashboard access. Strictly necessary cookies are exempt from consent requirements under the EU ePrivacy Directive (2002/58/EC), the UK Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), and equivalent applicable law. Because we set no analytics, tracking, or advertising cookies, no consent banner is legally required or displayed.
Your choices
Since we do not use cookies for tracking, there is nothing to opt out of. You can clear your browser's localStorage and sessionStorage at any time through your browser's privacy or storage settings. This will reset your liked photos and sort preferences but will not affect your account or any data on our servers.
Managing cookies. You can manage or delete cookies — including the Clerk session cookie used for dashboard login — through your browser's privacy or settings menu. Most browsers allow you to block cookies from specific sites or delete all cookies at once. Note that blocking or deleting Clerk authentication cookies will prevent access to the photographer dashboard; guest gallery browsing is unaffected as it uses no cookies.
Erasure requests and localStorage. If you exercise a right to erasure under GDPR or applicable US privacy law, we will delete any personal data we hold on our servers. However, localStorage and sessionStorage entries are stored exclusively on your own device — we have no technical ability to clear them remotely. You can remove them manually at any time via your browser's privacy or developer settings.
Changes to this policy
If we introduce new storage mechanisms or cookies, we will update this policy and notify photographer account holders by email at least 14 days before the changes take effect. The current version of this policy is always available at realtime.photos/cookies.