Cookie Policy
Last updated: 16 May 2026 -- Effective immediately
TL;DR: We use only essential cookies + privacy-friendly analytics that don't require consent. No third-party advertising cookies, ever.
What is a cookie
A cookie is a small text file stored by your browser when you visit a website. It can be used for legitimate purposes (remembering your login, your language preference) or invasive ones (cross-site tracking, advertising profiling). Different cookies have different purposes; not all cookies require consent.
Cookies we use
1. Essential technical cookies (no consent required)
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| tech_sensei_locale | Remembers your language preference (EN/IT) | 1 year |
| __cf_bm | Cloudflare bot management (DDoS + abuse prevention) | 30 minutes |
| cf_clearance | Cloudflare challenge clearance (security) | 30 days |
2. Privacy-friendly analytics (no consent required per ePrivacy)
| Provider | Purpose | Cookie? |
|---|---|---|
| Plausible Analytics (self-hosted EU) | Aggregated page-view counts, country, referrer. No PII, no fingerprinting. | No (cookie-less) |
Plausible doesn't use cookies and doesn't collect personal data. Aggregated only.
3. Affiliate tracking cookies (third-party, only if you click)
When you click an affiliate link (Amazon, NordVPN, ProtonVPN, etc.), the destination merchant may set their own cookies per their policy. We don't control these cookies and don't share PII with merchants. Each merchant link includes our tracking ID so they can attribute the referral.
If you decline these: you can use browser private mode or block third-party cookies in browser settings. The article content remains fully accessible.
Cookies we DON'T use
- Google Ads / DoubleClick
- Meta Pixel (Facebook / Instagram tracking)
- TikTok Pixel
- LinkedIn Insight Tag
- Hotjar / Mouseflow / session recording tools
- Retargeting / remarketing pixels
- Advertising networks (Google AdSense, Mediavine -- not in Phase 1; Mediavine Journey may be considered Q1 2027 with consent banner)
Manage cookies
Browser settings let you delete or block cookies:
- Chrome: Settings -> Privacy and security -> Third-party cookies
- Firefox: Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Cookies and Site Data
- Safari: Settings -> Privacy -> Block all cookies
- Brave: Settings -> Shields (default-strict)
Future changes
If we add advertising-related cookies in the future (e.g., Mediavine Journey display ads in Phase 3+), we'll add a GDPR-compliant consent banner with clear opt-in/opt-out and update this policy.
Contact
Cookie or privacy questions: [email protected]