Cookies and similar technologies
This page lists every cookie and similar browser storage (local storage, session storage and the app’s offline cache) that GlobalNews AI and Ask GlobalNewsAI use, what each one stores and how long it lasts.
We use no analytics, advertising or tracking cookies and load no third-party trackers, so there is nothing optional to accept or reject. Images inside news stories load directly from their publishers.
Strictly necessary
Needed for sign-in, security, guest conversations and finishing what you started. They cannot be switched off without breaking those features, and none is set just because you opened a page.
gna_session · Cookie
- Purpose
- Keeps you signed in.
- What it stores
- A random token (we store only its hash).
- How long
- 30 days
- When it is set
- After you sign in with Google.
gna_csrf · Cookie
- Purpose
- Protects your requests against forgery by other sites.
- What it stores
- A random security token.
- How long
- Up to 30 days (signed in) or 7 days (guest)
- When it is set
- When you sign in or send your first guest question.
gna_oauth_flow · Cookie
- Purpose
- Completes a Google sign-in safely.
- What it stores
- Signed sign-in state and the page to return to.
- How long
- 5 minutes, removed when sign-in finishes
- When it is set
- When you press Sign in.
gna_guest · Cookie
- Purpose
- Links your guest questions into one conversation.
- What it stores
- A random token (we store only its hash).
- How long
- Up to 7 days
- When it is set
- When you send your first guest question — never on page load.
globalnews-ai:ask-kept-question · Session storage
- Purpose
- Keeps your unsent question while you sign in.
- What it stores
- The text of the unsent question.
- How long
- This tab only; removed once read
- When it is set
- When you sign in with a question still in the box.
gna.storyTask.v1 · Session storage
- Purpose
- Returns you to the story action you started before signing in.
- What it stores
- The story reference, title and source, and any comment draft.
- How long
- This tab only; removed once read
- When it is set
- When a story action needs sign-in.
gn.map.signInReturn · Session storage
- Purpose
- Returns you to the same map view after signing in.
- What it stores
- The map view settings.
- How long
- This tab only; removed once read
- When it is set
- When you sign in from the map.
gna:analysis-compute-consent · Session storage
- Purpose
- Remembers, for one minute, that you confirmed running an analysis.
- What it stores
- Which analysis and when.
- How long
- 60 seconds
- When it is set
- When you confirm an analysis.
gn-conflict-return-v1 · Session storage
- Purpose
- Restores your place on the Conflict page when you come back.
- What it stores
- The selected conflict and view.
- How long
- This tab only
- When it is set
- When you use the Conflict page.
gna-pwa-v7-precache · Offline cache
- Purpose
- Offline page and app icons.
- What it stores
- Static app files only — no questions, answers or pages.
- How long
- Until the app version changes
- When it is set
- After the page loads (installable app support).
gna-pwa-v7-runtime · Offline cache
- Purpose
- Faster loading of the app’s own files.
- What it stores
- Static app files and images only — never API responses or pages.
- How long
- Until the app version changes (max 100 files)
- When it is set
- As app files load.
Preferences
Your language and appearance. They are set when you choose them and you can remove them below at any time; the site then falls back to English and your device’s light or dark setting.
globalnews-ai-language · Cookie
- Purpose
- Shows pages in your language.
- What it stores
- A language code: “en”, “pl”, “fr”, “de”, “es”, “pt” or “ar”.
- How long
- 1 year
- When it is set
- When you choose a language. On the Map and Conflict pages it can also be set from your browser’s language.
globalnews-ai:language · Local storage
- Purpose
- Remembers your language in this browser.
- What it stores
- A language code: “en”, “pl”, “fr”, “de”, “es”, “pt” or “ar”.
- How long
- Until you remove it
- When it is set
- Together with the language cookie.
globalnews-ai-theme · Cookie
- Purpose
- Remembers your appearance (light, dark, system or scheduled).
- What it stores
- Your choice and, for Scheduled, your day hours.
- How long
- 1 year
- When it is set
- Only when you change the appearance.
Your preference settings
Your guest data
You can use Ask without an account. This is exactly what happens to what you send as a guest.
Without signing in you can get 3 answers. A question we cannot answer does not use one of them.
Your first guest question sets a guest cookie (gna_guest) and a security cookie (gna_csrf). The guest session lasts at most 7 days from that moment and is never extended — not by using Ask and not by signing in.
Your guest questions and answers are stored on our servers, not only in your browser, until the guest session ends. They are then deleted automatically within about 72 hours. This guest clean-up runs whenever the service is running and does not depend on any other setting.
“Sign in to continue” moves all guest conversations from this browser to your account, not only the one you were in. Guest answers you have left do not carry over.
Signing in any other way moves nothing. Guest conversations stay with this browser, are not added to your account, and are visible again in this browser after you sign out, until they are deleted. On a shared device, delete them before you leave.
You can delete your guest conversations from this browser at any time with “Delete my guest data now”. It deletes them from our servers immediately and removes both guest cookies. The daily network counters that limit abuse of free questions hold no questions or answers and are kept for their own period.
Checking this browser for guest data…