What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files a website asks your browser to store. When you come back, the browser sends them back so the site can remember you (e.g. keep you logged in) or measure how the site is used. Some cookies are essential for the site to function; others are optional.
This notice also covers similar technologies— local storage, session storage, web beacons. We use the same consent model for all of them.
Cookie categories we use
UK PECR (the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003) splits cookies into categories based on purpose. We use only the first three; we never use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.
Always on
Required for the site to work — login, security, CSRF. Don't need consent under PECR.
Opt-in
Remember your settings (e.g. light/dark mode). Off until you change a preference that needs them.
Opt-in
Aggregated, pseudonymised usage metrics so we know which features matter. Off until you opt in.
Strictly necessary cookies
Set the moment you visit. Without them you can't log in or make POST requests safely, so they don't require consent under PECR.
| Name | Purpose | Lifetime | Set by |
|---|---|---|---|
PHPSESSID | Keeps you logged in and links form submissions back to your session. | Session | swiftbookspro.co.uk (1st party) |
sbp_csrf | Cross-site request forgery token. Stops other sites submitting forms on your behalf. | Session | swiftbookspro.co.uk (1st party) |
sbp_remember | Set only if you tick "Stay signed in" on login. Long-lived auth token. | 30 days | swiftbookspro.co.uk (1st party) |
sbp_consent | Records which optional categories you've consented to so we don't ask again. | 12 months | swiftbookspro.co.uk (1st party) |
Preferences cookies
Only set if you change a preference that needs them. None are set automatically.
| Name | Purpose | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|
sbp_theme | Light vs. dark theme preference (if/when we ship dark mode). | 12 months |
sbp_fy | Remembers which financial year you last viewed. | 30 days |
sbp_nav_state | Whether the sidebar is collapsed or expanded. | 30 days |
Analytics cookies
Off by default. Set only if you click "Accept analytics" in our cookie banner. We use a self-hosted Matomo instance — no data leaves our UK infrastructure.
| Name | Purpose | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|
_pk_id.* | Pseudonymous visitor identifier (no email/name attached). Returning sessions in aggregate. | 13 months |
_pk_ses.* | Marks a single browsing session for accurate session counts. | 30 minutes |
anonymizeIp=2(last two octets dropped) and we never link the Matomo visitor ID to your SwiftBooks Pro account ID. Aggregated data tells us "Feature X gets used twice as much as feature Y" — not "User Alice did X".
Advertising cookies (we don't use these)
SwiftBooks Pro is a paid SaaS product — our business model doesn't depend on ads. Accordingly we do not:
- Embed Google Ads, Meta Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, TikTok Pixel, X (Twitter) Pixel, Pinterest Tag, Reddit Pixel, or any other advertising tracker.
- Sell or share your behavioural data with any advertising network.
- Run remarketing or "look-alike audience" campaigns based on your activity on our site.
If you spot any third-party tracker on our site that isn't documented here, please email info@swiftbookspro.co.uk— it would be an error and we'd want to know.
Third-party cookies
The marketing site itself is first-party only. Inside the app, a few integrations may set their own cookies on your browser only when you actively use them:
- Stripe(on the billing page) — sets
__stripe_mid/__stripe_sidfor fraud prevention. See stripe.com/cookie-settings. - Google reCAPTCHA(on the sign-up form only) — bot protection. See Google's privacy policy.
- Open Banking provider(when you connect a bank feed) — the bank's authentication page may set cookies during the OAuth handshake. Governed by the bank's own policy.
How to control cookies
Three ways, in order of granularity:
- Cookie banner— appears on your first visit. Click "Customise" to toggle Preferences and Analytics individually. Click "Accept essential only" to keep only the required cookies.
- Inside the app— Settings → Privacy → Cookie preferences. Change your choices any time.
- Your browser settings— every modern browser lets you block all cookies, block third-party cookies, or clear cookies on exit. See:
Do Not Track & Global Privacy Control
We honour Global Privacy Control (GPC) as an opt-out signal for analytics. If your browser sends Sec-GPC: 1, we treat that as the equivalent of declining the analytics category in our cookie banner — even on your first visit. Required cookies still load (they have to for the site to work).
We do not honour the older DNT header as a legal opt-out, as it lacks a consistent meaning across browsers and isn't recognised under UK PECR. Use GPC or our in-app preferences instead.
Changes to this notice
If we add a new cookie or change what an existing one does, we'll update this page and refresh the "Last updated" date at the top. Material changes that introduce a new tracking category will re-trigger the cookie banner so you can re-consent.
Contact
Questions about cookies, the consent banner, or anything tracking-related? Email info@swiftbookspro.co.uk. Full processing details are in our Privacy Policy.