Cookie Policy
LiveChat reorganized its Cookie Policy and renamed 'cookies' to the broader term 'technologies.' The most consumer-relevant changes are: technologies (including APIs) may now collect information you provide directly, such as contact details, to recognize returning users; the disclosure that third parties acting on Text's behalf must follow Text's instructions and contract was removed in favor of a vaguer statement that third-party-collected data is governed by the provider's own policies; and when a chat widget appears on another company's ('Client's') site, that company — not Text — is now said to be responsible for the cookie notice and choices shown there.
Contact details you type in can now be used to recognize you as a returning user
Previously, recognizing you as a returning visitor relied on technical identifiers tied to your browser or device. Now the policy says contact details you provide directly (like your name or email) can also be used for this, and this falls under 'essential' technologies, which typically aren't optional or subject to an opt-out toggle.
“recognizing returning Users (including through contact details Users provide directly)”
What you can do — Check LiveChat's Privacy Policy for how contact information you submit in chat widgets is used and retained; consider not sharing contact details you wouldn't want tied to tracking.
Weaker promise about how third parties handle your data on Text's behalf
The old policy specifically promised that providers working for Text follow Text's instructions and contract terms. That specific promise is gone, replaced by a more general statement that third-party-collected data is simply governed by the provider's own privacy policy, which is less reassuring about who controls your data when a provider is acting for Text.
“Any information collected through third parties, is governed by their own privacy notices and cookie policies.”
What you can do — Review the list of third-party providers (Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, HubSpot, etc.) and check each one's own privacy policy for how your data is actually used.
Chat widget cookie choices now depend on the website you're visiting, not just Text
If you encounter a Text-powered chat widget on a business's website, that business now may be the one responsible for telling you about cookies and giving you choices, instead of it all being handled by Text's own cookie notice. This can make it harder to know where to go to manage your preferences, since it varies by site.
“If a Client deploys our widget on its property, use that Client's privacy or cookie controls for choices about the Client's deployment.”
What you can do — When managing cookie preferences for a chat widget, check the privacy/cookie settings of the specific website you're on rather than assuming Text's own preference tool covers it.
| 1 | This Cookie Policy explains how **Text** uses cookies and similar technologies in connection with the Engagements, including our public Websites and Services, regardless of the device or technology used to access them. For purposes of this Cookie Policy, "Engagements" means the various ways individuals interact with **Text**, including through our Websites, Services, events, educational initiatives, communications, and other activities offered by **Text.** | |
| 1 | This Cookie Policy explains how **Text** uses cookies and similar technologies in connection with the Engagements, including our public Websites and Services, regardless of the device or technology used to access them. It explains what these technologies do, when we ask for your choice, and how you can change that choice. The technologies used may vary by Website, Services, events, educational initiatives, communications, and other activities offered by **Text**. For information regarding the categories of Personal Data processed through these technologies, the purposes of processing, applicable legal bases, recipients of Personal Data, retention, international data transfers, and your privacy rights, please refer to our [Privacy Policy](https://www.livechat.com/legal/privacy-policy/). | |
| 2 | 2 | |
| 3 | This Cookie Policy also explains the categories of cookies and similar technologies we use, the purposes for which they are used, and the choices available to you regarding their use. For information regarding the categories of Personal Data processed through these technologies, the purposes of processing, applicable legal bases, recipients of Personal Data, retention, international data transfers, and your privacy rights, please refer to our Privacy Policy. | |
| 3 | For purposes of this Cookie Policy, "Engagements" means the various ways individuals interact with **Text**, including through our Websites, Services, events, educational initiatives, communications, and other activities offered by **Text.** All other capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the [Terms of Use](https://www.livechat.com/legal/terms-of-use/) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.livechat.com/legal/privacy-policy/), as applicable. | |
| 4 | 4 | |
| 5 | For the purposes of this Cookie Policy, all other capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the [Terms of Use](https://www.livechat.com/legal/terms-of-use/) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.livechat.com/legal/privacy-policy/), as applicable. | |
| 5 | ## **What cookies and similar technologies are** | |
| 6 | 6 | |
| 7 | ## **What are cookies and similar technologies?** | |
| 8 | ||
| 9 | 7 | Cookies are small data files placed on or accessed from your browser or device that enable our Websites, applications, and the Services to recognize your browser or device and remember information about your interactions with them. |
| 10 | 8 | |
| 11 | Along with cookies, we may use similar technologies, including unique identifiers, URL and pixel trackers, local storage, and scripts. These technologies help us maintain authenticated sessions, support communication workflows, improve the reliability, performance and security of our Website and Services, analyze usage trends, personalize your experience where appropriate, and improve how we deliver and support our Engagements. | |
| 9 | Along with cookies, we may use similar technologies, including unique identifiers, URL and pixel trackers, local storage, and scripts, and APIs, which may also be used to collect information you provide directly (such as contact details) and information about your interactions with our Websites and Services. These technologies help us maintain authenticated sessions, support communication workflows, improve the reliability, performance and security of our Website and Services, analyze usage trends, personalize your experience where appropriate, and improve how we deliver and support our Engagements. | |
± CHANGEDScope widened from 'cookies' to all 'technologies,' including APIs The policy now describes 'technologies' broadly instead of just cookies, and explicitly adds APIs to the list of tools used, alongside unique identifiers, trackers, local storage, and scripts. | ||
| 12 | 10 | |
| 13 | ## **How we use cookies and similar technologies?** | |
| 11 | ## **Where this policy applies** | |
| 14 | 12 | |
| 15 | Not every Engagement involves cookies or similar technologies. Depending on the nature of your Engagements with **Text**, we may use different categories of cookies and similar technologies in connection with our public Websites, our Services, or both. Where used, these technologies generally relate either to your interactions with our Websites ("Website Cookies") or to your access to and use of our Services ("Service Cookies"). | |
| 13 | Not every Engagement involves cookies or similar technologies. Depending on the nature of your Engagements with **Text**, we may use different categories of cookies and similar technologies that relate either to your interactions with our Websites ("Website Cookies") or to your access to and use of our Services ("Service Cookies"). | |
| 16 | 14 | |
| 17 | Website Cookies are used when you visit our public Websites. They help us operate, maintain, and improve our Websites, understand how you use them, remember your preferences, measure the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns, personalize content, and improve the overall user experience. | |
| 15 | Website Cookies help us operate, maintain, and improve our Websites, understand how you use them, remember your preferences, measure the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns, personalize content, and improve the overall user experience. | |
| 18 | 16 | |
| 19 | Service Cookies are used when you access or use our Services under an Agreement with **Text**. They support the provision, operation, maintenance, security, and reliability of the Services by maintaining authenticated sessions, supporting Client SSO and identity continuity, recognizing returning Users, preventing fraud and abuse, securing access to our Services and enabling the proper functioning of client-facing features, applications and widgets. | |
| 17 | In the Services, certain technologies support the provision, operation, maintenance, security, and reliability of the Services by maintaining authenticated sessions, supporting Client SSO and identity continuity, recognizing returning Users (including through contact details Users provide directly), preventing fraud and abuse, securing access to our Services and enabling the proper functioning of client-facing features, applications and widgets. | |
+ ADDEDContact details you provide can now be used to recognize returning users In the Services, technologies that keep you logged in and recognize you as a returning user may now also rely on contact details you've typed in yourself, not just device/browser identifiers. | ||
| 20 | 18 | |
| 21 | This Cookie Policy primarily describes cookies and similar technologies used in connection with our public Websites. Cookies and similar technologies necessary to provide, secure, maintain, and operate the Services are described at a high level in this Cookie Policy. Product-specific implementation details are available in our [Service Cookies Notice](https://www.text.com/legal/service-cookies-notice/). | |
| 19 | When a Client places a **Text** widget or other Services on its own website or application, the Client determines its configuration and may be responsible for the notice and choices offered to visitors there. **Text** and the Client may have different roles for different processing activities. See the Client's notice for its implementation and our [Service Cookies Notice](https://www.text.com/legal/service-cookies-notice/) for product details. | |
+ ADDEDChat widgets on other companies' sites: that company now handles the cookie notice If you interact with a Text-powered chat widget on another business's website, that business (the 'Client'), not Text, is now said to control the setup and may be responsible for telling you about cookies and giving you choices there. | ||
| 22 | 20 | |
| 23 | ## **Categories of cookies and similar technologies** | |
| 21 | ## **Categories and purposes** | |
| 24 | 22 | |
| 25 | ### **Essential cookies** | |
| 23 | ### **Necessary/Essential technologies** | |
± CHANGEDSection headers and category names renamed Headings like 'How we use cookies' and 'Essential cookies' were renamed to 'Where this policy applies' and 'Necessary/Essential technologies,' etc. This is a naming/organization change with no change in substance by itself. | ||
| 26 | 24 | |
| 27 | These cookies are strictly necessary for our Website and, where applicable, our Services to function properly. Depending on the nature of your Engagements with **Text**, they support core functionality necessary to provide, secure, maintain, and operate our Websites and Services. | |
| 25 | These technologies are used to deliver Website, or Service to support core functionality,such as authentication; session management, Client SSO, security protection, fraud prevention, load balancing, and maintaining the availability, integrity, and reliability of our Websites and Services. | |
| 26 | Without these cookies, certain features of our Websites or Services may not function properly. Where you access or use our Services, additional product-specific cookies and similar technologies may also support core Service functionality. They do not serve third-party advertising, cross-site behavioral advertising, or cross-client targeting of End Users or optional analytics purposes. | |
| 28 | 27 | |
| 29 | Essential Cookies enable functionality such as authentication; session management, Client SSO, security protection, fraud prevention, load balancing, and maintaining the availability, integrity, and reliability of our Websites and Services. | |
| 28 | ### **Functional technologies** | |
| 30 | 29 | |
| 31 | Without these cookies, certain features of our Websites or Services may not function properly. Where you access or use our Services, additional product-specific cookies and similar technologies may also support core Service functionality. For more information, please see our [Service Cookies Notice](https://www.text.com/legal/service-cookies-notice/). | |
− REMOVEDLinks to the separate Service Cookies Notice removed throughout Several pointers to a more detailed 'Service Cookies Notice' for product-specific cookie details were removed from the Essential, Functional, Analytics, and Advertising sections; the general Third-party section link was also dropped. | ||
| 30 | These allow us to remember your preferences and settings to improve your experience on our Websites. They help support language or interface preferences, or other choices you make while visiting our Websites, and help maintain optional continuity features across devices and sessions. | |
| 32 | 31 | |
| 33 | Essential Cookies are not used for third-party advertising, cross-site behavioral advertising, or cross-client targeting of End Users. | |
| 32 | In the Services, they may also remember certain user preferences or support continuity of your authenticated experience. | |
| 34 | 33 | |
| 35 | ### **Functional cookies** | |
| 36 | ||
| 37 | These cookies and technologies allow us to remember your preferences and settings to improve your experience on our Websites. They help support language preferences, user interface settings, or other choices you make while visiting our Websites, and help maintain continuity across devices and sessions. | |
| 38 | ||
| 39 | Where you access or use our Services, cookies and similar technologies may also remember certain user preferences or support continuity of your authenticated experience. For more information about product-specific functionality, please see our [Service Cookies Notice](https://www.text.com/legal/service-cookies-notice/). | |
| 40 | ||
| 41 | 34 | Disabling these cookies may affect certain features, personalization, or user preferences, but the core functionality of our Websites and Services will generally remain available. |
| 42 | 35 | |
| 43 | ### **Analytics and Performance cookies** | |
| 36 | ### **Analytics and Performance technologies** | |
| 44 | 37 | |
| 45 | These cookies help us understand how Visitors use our Websites so that we can improve performance, functionality, reliability, and user experience. They may collect information such as page visits, navigation paths, feature usage, clicks, scrolling behavior, browser information, and aggregated usage statistics. | |
| 38 | These help us understand Website use, diagnose problems and improve performance, functionality, reliability, and user experience. They may collect information such as page visits, navigation paths, feature usage, interactions, clicks, scrolling behavior, browser information, and aggregated usage statistics. | |
| 46 | 39 | |
| 47 | Where reasonably possible, analytics information is aggregated or anonymized before being used to improve our Websites, Services, and other operational activities. Where analytics are performed across Client environments, they are based on aggregated and anonymized information and are not used to identify or target individual End Users across Clients or to provide one Client with access to another Client's Data. For more information about product-specific analytics, please see our [Service Cookies Notice](https://www.text.com/legal/service-cookies-notice/). | |
| 40 | Where reasonably possible, analytics information is aggregated or anonymized before being used to improve our Websites, Services, and other operational activities. Where analytics are performed across Client environments, they are based on aggregated and anonymized information and are not used to identify or target individual End Users across Clients or to provide one Client with access to another Client's Data. | |
| 48 | 41 | |
| 49 | ### **Advertising and Marketing Cookies** | |
| 42 | ### **Advertising and Marketing technologies** | |
| 50 | 43 | |
| 51 | These cookies are generally used in connection with our public Websites, marketing pages, campaigns, and other marketing-related Engagements. They help us understand how Visitors find our Websites, measure the effectiveness of our marketing activities, personalize marketing content where permitted by applicable law, understand referral sources, and display advertisements for **Text** on third-party websites and platforms. | |
| 44 | On our Websites and marketing pages, these may measure campaigns and other marketing-related Engagements, personalize marketing content where permitted by applicable law, identify referral sources, and help display **Text** advertisements on other sites and platforms. They may be placed by **Text** or by authorized third-party marketing and advertising providers acting on our behalf. | |
| 52 | 45 | |
| 53 | These cookies may be placed by **Text** or by authorized third-party marketing and advertising providers acting on our behalf. | |
| 46 | **Text** does not use Advertising and Marketing technologies within the Services for third-party advertising, cross-site behavioral advertising, or cross-Client targeting of individual End Users. | |
| 54 | 47 | |
| 55 | **Text** does not use Advertising and Marketing Cookies within the Services for third-party advertising, cross-site behavioral advertising, or cross-Client targeting of individual End Users. For more information regarding cookies and similar technologies used in connection with the Services, please refer to our [Service Cookies Notice.](https://www.text.com/legal/service-cookies-notice/) | |
| 48 | ### **Third-party technologies** | |
| 56 | 49 | |
| 57 | ### **Third-party cookies and other technologies** | |
| 50 | Some technologies are provided by third-party providers that support analytics, security, communications, infrastructure, advertising, social media, customer engagement, and similar services. Depending on the applicable technology and the role performed, third-party providers may process information either on our behalf or in their own capacity, depending on the particular tool and arrangement. Any information collected through third parties, is governed by their own privacy notices and cookie policies. We do not control cookies or similar technologies operated independently by such providers. | |
± CHANGEDThird-party data handling disclosure weakened The policy previously stated that providers working on Text's behalf must follow Text's instructions and contract terms. That specific commitment was removed, and the new text just says third-party-collected data in general is governed by the provider's own privacy notice. | ||
| 58 | 51 | |
| 59 | We may work with third-party providers that support analytics, security, communications, infrastructure, advertising, social media, customer engagement, and similar services. Depending on the applicable technology and the role performed, third-party providers may process information either on our behalf or in their own capacity, as described in their applicable privacy notices and cookie policies. | |
| 60 | ||
| 61 | Where third-party providers act on our behalf, they process information in accordance with our instructions and applicable contractual obligations. Where third-party providers operate independently, their use of cookies and similar technologies, and any information collected through them, is governed by their own privacy notices and cookie policies. We do not control cookies or similar technologies operated independently by such providers. | |
| 62 | ||
| 63 | 52 | Such providers may include, for example, Google Analytics, Google Ads, Meta/Facebook Pixel, Reddit Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, Hotjar, Mixpanel, Microsoft Clarity, HubSpot Tracking Code, Cloudflare, and other similar providers and security tools. The third-party technologies used may change over time depending on the Engagement, applicable functionality, or business needs. Other third-party tools may also be used depending on your interaction with our Websites, Services, or campaigns. We encourage you to review the applicable privacy notices and cookie management tools provided by those third parties and to check which cookies or similar technologies are active in your browser. |
| 64 | 53 | |
| 65 | ## **How to manage cookies?** | |
| 54 | ## **Your choices** | |
| 66 | 55 | |
| 67 | You may manage your cookie preferences through cookie preference tools made available by **Text** (where available), browser settings, or third-party opt-out mechanisms. | |
| 56 | You can change or withdraw your choice at any time through cookie preference tools made available by **Text** (where available), browser settings, or third-party opt-out mechanisms. | |
| 68 | 57 | |
| 69 | 58 | You can manage cookies in your browser settings: |
| 70 | 59 | |
| 71 | 60 | - [Google Chrome](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647) |
| 72 | 61 | |
| 73 | 62 | - [Internet Explorer](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/Search/results) |
| 81 | 70 | - [Opera for Mobile](https://forums.opera.com/topic/36139/view-cookies-of-every-website-on-opera-for-mobile/2) |
| 82 | 71 | |
| 83 | 72 | - [Safari for Desktop](https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/manage-cookies-sfri11471/mac) |
| 84 | 73 | |
| 85 | 74 | - [Safari for Mobile](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201265) |
| 86 | 75 | |
| 87 | Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect functionality, authentication, personalization, security, or availability of some Websites or Services. | |
| 76 | Disabling certain technologies and withdrawal affects future use of the relevant technologies and may affect functionality, authentication, personalization, security, or availability of some Websites or Services. Your browser may allow you to block or delete cookies. Blocking strictly necessary cookies can disrupt sign-in, security, or features you request. Provider controls and browser settings may supplement the **Text** preference tool, but may not change a choice recorded on another device or browser. If a Client deploys our widget on its property, use that Client's privacy or cookie controls for choices about the Client's deployment. | |
± CHANGEDClarified that withdrawing consent only affects future use, and added guidance on blocking essential cookies The 'how to manage cookies' section was renamed 'Your choices' and now explains that disabling a technology only stops it going forward, that blocking strictly necessary cookies can break sign-in or security features, and that browser/provider controls may not sync your choice across devices. | ||
| 88 | 77 | |
| 89 | 78 | You may also use industry opt-out tools and provider-specific controls listed below. |
| 90 | 79 | |
| 91 | 80 | ### **Specific opt-out tools for cookies and other similar technologies** |
| 92 | 81 | |
| 93 | 82 | Facebook Pixel: To opt-out of tracking by the Facebook Pixel, you can set your preferences through the Facebook settings or install a browser extension that blocks tracking. |