Cookie and Device-Storage Policy
Version 1.3 · Effective May 21, 2026 · Last updated August 20, 2026
This page is the current inventory of cookies, localStorage entries, service-worker caches, and IndexedDB databases used by the public site. The tools are one-time-use and store none of your editing work, so there is no session or project database. Non-essential analytics and advertising storage is disclosed below. Manage your consent at any time via “Manage cookies” in the footer.
Most of these entries exist only if you have used the feature that writes them. A key you have never triggered is simply absent.
Essential
Always active — required for the site to function. Cannot be disabled.
Cookies and localStorage
| Key / Name | Storage type | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| nss-consent-v1 | localStorage | Stores your analytics and advertising consent choices and the time you made them. | Until you clear site data or change preferences |
| theme | localStorage | Stores your light, dark, or system colour-scheme preference. | Until cleared |
| nss-visit-count | localStorage | Counts visits used to decide when to offer PWA installation. | Until cleared |
| nss-pwa-dismissed | localStorage | Records that you dismissed the PWA install prompt. | Until cleared |
| nss-offline-prompt-dismissed | localStorage | Records that you dismissed the installed-app offer to pre-download background-removal models. | Until cleared |
| nss-model-banner-dismissed | localStorage | Records that you dismissed the background-model download banner. | Until cleared |
| nss-canvas-quickbar-pos | localStorage | Stores x/y coordinates for the image-editor quick-action bar; it contains no image data. | Until cleared |
| nss-video-quickbar-pos | localStorage | Stores x/y coordinates for the video-editor quick-action bar; it contains no video data. | Until cleared |
| nss-tools-filter:<hub> | localStorage | Stores category and sort preferences for each tool directory. | Until cleared |
| nss-ai-tier-v1 | localStorage | Legacy model-download preference retained for compatibility. | Until cleared |
| nss-ai-model-quality-v1 | localStorage | Stores global and per-tool model-quality preferences. | Until cleared |
| nss-ai-workflow-recordings | localStorage | Stores up to 50 local AI workflow recipes when recording is used; recipes contain operation names and settings, not source media. | Until cleared |
| nss-byo-models | localStorage | Stores model URLs and labels that you explicitly add in the bring-your-own-model manager; it never stores model weights or media. | Until cleared or removed in the manager |
| nss:blog-helpful:<slug> | localStorage | Stores your local yes/no helpful choice and the time it was made for an article. The choice is not sent to a first-party feedback endpoint. | Until cleared |
| nss:help-helpful:<slug> | localStorage | Stores your local yes/no helpful choice for a help guide. The choice is not sent to a first-party feedback endpoint. | Until cleared |
| nss-flag-<name> | localStorage | Stores browser-local flags used only by the internal feature-flag page. | Until cleared |
| nss-locale | cookie | Stores the interface language you selected. | 1 year |
| nss-region | cookie | Stores only whether prior advertising consent is required for the detected country; it stores no IP address or finer location. | 30 days |
| nss-admin-token | cookie | Internal operator authentication cookie, created only after a successful /admin-login request. It is HttpOnly, SameSite=Strict, and is not used by public tools. | 8 hours |
Model-download decisions
Each entry below stores a decision for one large model. Allowing face restoration, deblurring, captioning, colourisation, 4× upscaling, LaMa removal, replacement-asset cut-out, or Whisper transcription does not allow any other model. Most entries hold yes or no; Whisper stores only a revision-specific granted value and removes it after a decline. Background-removal quality modes and smaller task-specific assets for interactive selection, privacy detection, and crop assistance are not saved consent decisions: they download only after the explicit operation described in the tool and Privacy Policy.
| Key / Name | Storage type | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| nss_gfpgan_consent | localStorage | Your yes/no decision for the GFPGAN face-restoration model. | Until cleared |
| nss_nafnet_consent | localStorage | Your yes/no decision for the NAFNet deblurring model. | Until cleared |
| nss_caption_consent | localStorage | Your yes/no decision for the image-captioning model. | Until cleared |
| nss_replacement_birefnet_consent | localStorage | Your yes/no decision for the BiRefNet replacement-asset cut-out model. | Until cleared |
| nss_ddcolor_consent | localStorage | Your yes/no decision for the DDColor colourisation model. | Until cleared |
| nss_sr4x_consent | localStorage | Your yes/no decision for the Real-ESRGAN 4x upscaling model. | Until cleared |
| nss_lama_consent | localStorage | Your yes/no decision for the LaMa image and video object-removal model. | Until cleared |
| novus:ai-consent:whisper:64da57285918e20ea79ea5c88eed7197933abaa8:q8 | localStorage | Your revision-specific approval for the Whisper Base q8 transcription model. | Until cleared or the pinned model revision changes |
Deleting the downloaded weights in Downloads & storage frees the disk space but leaves these decisions in place. Clearing this site’s localStorage resets every one of them back to unasked.
Service Worker Caches
The service worker and model runtimes cache application and model files locally so repeat use is faster and supported assets can work offline. These files contain no user media; ordinary network request information may be processed when a file is first fetched.
| Key / Name | Storage type | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| nss-shell-v5 | Cache Storage | Caches the application shell for faster and offline use. | Managed by the service worker |
| nss-assets-v5 | Cache Storage | Caches content-hashed JavaScript, CSS, fonts, and static assets. | Until a new version is deployed or site data is cleared |
| nss-models-v5 | Cache Storage | Caches pinned background-removal model weights; it never contains user media. | Until deleted in Downloads & storage or site data is cleared |
| transformers-cache | Cache Storage | Caches Transformers.js model files, including captioning and Whisper transcription weights; it never contains user media. | Until deleted in Downloads & storage or site data is cleared |
| nss-managed-onnx | Cache Storage | Caches pinned managed ONNX weights for model-powered tools; it never contains user media. | Until deleted in Downloads & storage or site data is cleared |
IndexedDB
The ordinary image, video, GIF, and editor workflows do not persist media in IndexedDB. The optional local AI assistant does use WebLLM-managed IndexedDB storage after explicit opt-in, and two internal-only databases also exist:
| Key / Name | Storage type | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| WebLLM-managed IndexedDB databases | IndexedDB | Created only after you explicitly enable the separate local AI assistant. WebLLM stores the selected 500 MB to 2.2 GB language-model weights here; prompts and media are not persisted by NSS. | Until browser site data is cleared |
| bg-eval | IndexedDB | Internal /internal/bg-eval fixture storage. If that non-public harness is used, its explicitly added test images persist until deleted. | Until fixtures or site data are deleted |
| nss-bgremover | IndexedDB | An empty database created only by /internal/debug while testing browser storage support. | Until cleared |
Analytics
Only active if you accept analytics cookies. Helps us understand how the tool is used so we can improve it. An enabled Global Privacy Control signal overrides a saved acceptance and keeps Google Analytics off.
| Key / Name | Storage type | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics (_ga, _ga_*) | cookie | Measures page and tool usage with a randomised client identifier only after analytics consent and only while Global Privacy Control is off; it never receives source media. | Set by Google; typically up to 2 years |
Advertising
To keep the tools free, Adsterra serves display, native, and Social Bar ads on eligible public pages, and an export may open a sponsor page in a new tab. Legal, consent, and full editor workspaces carry no ad units. Adsterra and its advertising partners may set cookies to serve, frequency-cap, and measure ads. If you are in the EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland none of this runs until you opt in: no advertising script is loaded and no ad cookie is set until you tick “Advertising” in the consent banner and save. In other countries advertising runs by default and stops as soon as you decline it. In every region, an enabled Global Privacy Control signal overrides stored permission and prevents advertising scripts and export sponsor links from loading. You can limit interest-based advertising at aboutads.info and manage preferences via “Manage cookies” in the footer. Cookie names and lifetimes are set by the ad network and may change.
| Key / Name | Storage type | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adsterra advertising storage | cookie | Serves and measures display, native, Social Bar, and export sponsor advertising on eligible pages. Route, regional consent, explicit opt-out, and Global Privacy Control gates run before ad code or links are used. | Set by Adsterra and its advertising partners; varies by cookie and region |
Outbound map links
Our Contact page shows a static, first-party city card and links to OpenStreetMap and Google Maps. It embeds no map, iframe, tile, script, cookie, or storage entry. A third-party map sees ordinary request information such as your IP address only if you choose one of those outbound links; the destination then opens in a new tab.
Managing your preferences
- Consent:Click “Manage cookies” in the footer at any time to review or change your analytics and advertising consent.
- Your editing work: Nothing is saved — closing or reloading the tab discards the current images and edits entirely.
- Cached models & preferences:Delete downloaded model weights from Downloads & storage in the app, or clear all localStorage, Cache Storage and IndexedDB for this site via your browser settings (Settings → Privacy → Site Data → bgremover.novusstreamsolutions.com).
- Model downloads:Each heavy model is allowed or declined separately and the answer is stored on your device, not ours. Downloads & storage removes the files; clearing site data removes the answers as well.
Questions? bgremover@novusstreamsolutions.com