What cookies are
Cookies are small text files that a website places on your device. They let the site remember things about your visit — like whether you have dismissed a banner or which pages you have viewed — and enable analytics and (where used) advertising.
We also use similar technologies — local storage, session storage, pixels — for the same purposes. In this policy "cookies" means all of these.
Types of cookies we use
Strictly necessary
Required for the Site to function. These do not need consent. Examples: session cookies that keep you logged in to areas that require it, security cookies that protect against CSRF, cookies that remember you have dismissed the cookie banner.
Analytics
Help us understand how the Site is used so we can improve it. We use Google Analytics 4 with IP anonymization. On EU/UK/CA traffic these cookies fire only after consent.
Functional
Remember your preferences — dark/light mode (if enabled), language, region.
Advertising (once ads are enabled)
When we run display ads via a network like Ezoic or Mediavine, that network sets cookies to measure ad performance and (if you have consented) to personalise ads. You can opt out of advertising cookies via your region's official opt-out tool — see below.
Specific cookies we set or allow
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | Distinguish users | 2 years |
| _ga_<ID> | Google Analytics | Session state | 2 years |
| cf_clearance | Cloudflare | Bot / DDoS protection | 30 minutes to 1 year |
| __cf_bm | Cloudflare | Bot management | 30 minutes |
| ss_consent | skillsandservers.com | Remember cookie-banner choices | 12 months |
| ss_theme | skillsandservers.com | Remember dark/light preference | 12 months |
| Beehiiv cookies | Beehiiv (only when subscribing) | Attribute your subscription | Varies — see Beehiiv |
| Ezoic / Mediavine cookies | Ad network (once enabled) | Ad measurement and (with consent) personalisation | Varies — see their notice |
Your consent choices
When you first visit the Site from a region where consent is required (EU, UK, EEA, Switzerland, California), we present a cookie banner. You can:
- Accept all — allow analytics and (once enabled) advertising cookies.
- Reject non-essential — only strictly-necessary cookies will be set.
- Choose per category — via the Cookie settings link in the banner or in the footer.
You can change your choice at any time by clicking the Cookie settings link in the footer.
How to opt out further
- Google Analytics — install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
- Advertising cookies — use the tools at YourOnlineChoices (EU), AboutAds (US), or AdChoices (Canada).
- Global Privacy Control — if your browser sends a GPC signal we treat it as an opt-out for advertising cookies.
- Browser controls — every modern browser lets you block cookies globally or per site. Note that this may break parts of the Site that rely on functional cookies.
Changes to this policy
We update this policy when we add or remove tracking technologies. Material changes are announced in the newsletter and posted here.
Questions
Email privacy@skillsandservers.com.