Cookies & first-party analytics

Private session replay and issue diagnostics

When enabled, we record sampled journeys on selected public and learning pages to understand conversion and learning difficulties. Paid-user journeys may be sampled more frequently. Recordings show masked page structure, clicks and scrolling; form values, private page text, payment frames, media and private account navigation are excluded. A small allowlist of public product labels remains readable. They are linked to first-party product events and account outcomes when you sign in. Browser session continuity can connect a visit before and after signup.

When an editor issue is detected, a separate private snapshot can include your unsaved PLC program, wiring, editor state and recent editor actions so we can investigate it. For sampled journeys, we also collect limited error messages and application stack locations when a browser error occurs outside the editor, linked to a broad page category. URLs and common credential patterns are removed from these messages. Recordings, error details and snapshots are encrypted in our own database, accessible to authorized administrators, and expire after 14 days. They are not sent to MetricFold or advertising services. The analytics opt-out on the cookie policy page disables both recordings and diagnostic snapshots.

Functional cookies and storage

laravel_session keeps account, security, attribution and learning-flow state together. XSRF-TOKEN protects form and API submissions. The default session window is two hours of inactivity and can renew while you use the product. Blocking these can break login, saved progress, checkout handoff and secure forms.

Local browser storage remembers functional interface choices such as theme, editor layout and dismissed guidance. It is not used to create a cross-site advertising identity. plcsim_analytics_optout is set only when you use the control below and remembers that first-party measurement choice.

First-party product measurement

Same-origin requests record page paths, a pseudonymous hash of the functional session, account ID when logged in, referrer host, campaign parameters and bounded device/browser details. Product events record actions such as starting a lesson, running a program, reaching a paywall and beginning checkout. This lets us diagnose broken journeys and compare funnel trends. The same bounded, pseudonymous events are also sent through same-origin MetricFold endpoints for funnel, experiment, performance and friction reporting. These event streams do not contain form values, lesson code, AI conversations or replay footage. Private diagnostic recordings are handled separately as described below.

Page-visit rows are removed after 90 days. Bounded product-event rows are removed after 365 days. Trusted account, learning, subscription and billing records have the separate retention periods described in our privacy policy.

Advertising attribution

No Google or social advertising tag is active. If an advertising URL includes a click identifier, it can remain temporarily in the functional server session with the campaign source. It is not sent from the browser to an advertising or analytics platform. Any future optional advertising measurement will require a separate, explicit control and an updated notice before it is enabled.

Payment processing occurs on Dodo Payments’ domain. Dodo applies its own privacy and cookie terms during checkout; it does not place an analytics pixel on PLC Simulator pages.

Your controls

• Use browser controls to clear this site’s cookies and local storage.
• Use the control below to stop or resume page-visit, product-event, replay and diagnostic measurement on this browser.
• Request access/deletion or object on grounds relating to your situation by emailing us.

Questions

Email privacy@plcsimulationsoftware.com.