Cookies
The technical reference for what this site does (and doesn't) put in your browser. For the broader question of what data I collect and what I do with it, see the Privacy page.
A quick refresher
Cookies are tiny text files that websites stash in your browser to remember things between visits. They have a worse reputation than they deserve — most are harmless, some are essential, and a small minority are the surveillance-grade tracking variety that gave the whole concept a bad name.
This page also covers local storage, which is essentially a roomier cookie without an expiry date. EU and UK rules treat the two the same, so I will too.
Here is what happens when you visit this site: nothing lands in your browser. No cookies from me, none from my analytics tool, and none from the comments widget either — not unless you sign in to it. The comments widget does drop a handful of functional crumbs into local storage so it can do its job. Details below.
When the Disqus comments widget loads
Some pages have a Disqus-powered comments section at the bottom. As soon as that section loads, Disqus puts four things into your browser's local storage — on its own disqus.com domain, not mine. They don't follow you across sites, and they exist purely so the widget can work:
Local-storage entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Remembers which comment thread is being shown. |
| Keeps draft comments you've started writing, so you don't lose them. |
| Caches comments you've just posted so they appear immediately. |
| Remembers if you've waved away one of Disqus's prompts, so it doesn't come back. |
I've also turned off a Disqus admin setting called "anonymous cookie targeting." Without going into the weeds, this means Disqus doesn't drop tracking cookies on you just for being on the page. (It used to. I was not thrilled that this was the default.)
When you sign in to Disqus to leave a comment
If you decide to leave a comment and sign in to Disqus, then Disqus sets a small pile of actual cookies on .disqus.com:
Cookie | What it does |
|---|---|
| Keeps you signed in to Disqus. |
| Authenticate your Disqus account. |
| Identifies your Disqus account uniquely. |
| Protects the comment form from a class of attacks called cross-site request forgery. |
| Holds state during the Disqus sign-in flow so the various redirects know who you are. |
| If your Disqus account happens to have moderator privileges, this short-lived cookie is set after re-authentication so you can do admin things. Most people will never see it. |
| Record the consent choices you make in Disqus's own cookie banner. |
These are all set by Disqus, not by me. Disqus collects your consent for them in its own sign-in flow. If you want to dig deeper, see Disqus's privacy policy or manage your data with them directly.
What's not in your browser
For completeness, since these are the things people most often worry about:
Analytics cookies — none. I use GoatCounter for analytics; it's cookieless by design. The Privacy page explains it in more detail.
Advertising or tracking cookies — none. I don't run ads.
Third-party social cookies — none. There are no embedded share buttons or social trackers.
Disqus cookies for anonymous visitors — none, as long as you don't sign in to Disqus.
How to make all this go away
Every modern browser lets you delete or block cookies and clear local storage. The relevant settings live somewhere in your browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, or others).
The site itself works fine with everything blocked. The only thing that breaks is the comments widget — it might forget your draft or fail to load.
Changes to this page
I'll update this page when something changes. The "Last updated" date at the top is the canonical record. The Privacy page covers everything else, including how to contact me.