Tracking Preferences & Privacy Signals

Overview

This document explains how Network Pro™ handles analytics tracking in a privacy-aware, user-consented, and standards-compliant manner. It covers:

• Tracking preference storage (cookies)
• Browser signals (DNT and GPC)
• Reconsent logic
• Reactive store architecture

🔐 Principles

• Privacy by default: Tracking is disabled when browser signals indicate user preference (DNT/GPC).
• Explicit consent: Users may opt-in or opt-out manually, overriding signals.
• Persistent choice: Consent state is remembered via first-party cookies.
• Transparency: The tracking status is shown to users in the UI.

🧠 Architecture Summary

• Store: src/lib/stores/trackingPreferences.js
  • Consolidates logic for cookie preferences, browser signals, and consent state.
  • SSR-safe, reactive, and fully declarative.
• Deprecated:
  • utils/privacy.js → replaced by derived store logic.
  • utils/trackingCookies.js → merged into the store with SSR-safe cookie APIs.

Reactive State

Store	Type	Description
trackingPreferences	Readable<TrackingState>	Contains current tracking metadata (opt-in/out, DNT, GPC, status, etc).
trackingEnabled	Writable<boolean>	Exposed to toggle or query PostHog tracking state reactively.
remindUserToReconsent	Readable<boolean>	Indicates whether a consent renewal prompt should be shown.
showReminder	Writable<boolean>	Used by PostHog to conditionally display a reminder or banner.

⏳ Reconsent Logic

The derived store remindUserToReconsent evaluates whether a user should be reminded to re-consent to tracking.

It checks for:

• Manual opt-in or opt-out
• A valid tracking_consent_timestamp cookie
• Whether 6+ months have elapsed since that timestamp

⚙️ Developer Notes

• Changes to tracking preferences update cookies and reactive state
• Reconsent timestamp is written/cleared via store utility functions
• Use $trackingPreferences and remindUserToReconsent wherever reactive values are needed

💡 Related Components

File	Purpose
+layout.svelte	Initializes PostHog client and service worker; references trackingPreferences.
PrivacyDashboard.svelte	UI control panel for opt-in/out toggles and consent status display.
PrivacyContent.svelte	Informational content rendered in modals, footers, and standalone pages.
stores/trackingPreferences.js	Primary source of truth; tracks and derives tracking state.
stores/posthog.js	Encapsulates privacy-safe analytics setup and event capture logic.