Cookie Notice
This site uses cookies as sparingly as it is possible to use them. In fact it uses exactly one, and it is essential. This page tells you what it is, what it does, and why we do not need to ask your consent for it.
The cookie we use
| Name | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ostaad_ck | Remembers that you have dismissed the cookie notice, so it does not reappear on every page load. | Persistent, until manually cleared | Strictly necessary (browser localStorage) |
Technically the value we store is held in your browser's localStorage rather than as an HTTP cookie, but for the purposes of this notice and PECR (Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations) we treat it as a cookie because that is what most users understand it to be.
What we do not use
We do not use Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel, Hotjar, or any other analytics or advertising cookie. We do not embed content from third-party services that would set their own cookies (no embedded YouTube videos, no Twitter timelines, no Facebook widgets, no share buttons that call home). If you inspect the network traffic when loading any page on this site, the only requests you should see are for our own HTML, CSS, SVG, and the Google Fonts CSS.
Google Fonts
We load two typefaces — Playfair Display and Inter — from Google Fonts. Google may log the request. This is required to display our chosen typography. If you wish to avoid this, you can use a browser extension that blocks external font loading; the site will fall back to your system serif and sans-serif fonts, and remain fully readable.
How to clear or block cookies
You can clear cookies and localStorage in any modern browser through the browser's own settings. In Chrome and Edge this is under Settings → Privacy and security → Clear browsing data. In Firefox it is under Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data. In Safari it is under Settings → Privacy → Manage Website Data. If you clear our cookie, the cookie notice will reappear on your next visit, which is the intended behaviour.
Consent
Under PECR, essential cookies that are strictly necessary for the operation of a website may be set without user consent. The single cookie we use is essential in exactly this sense: it exists to remember your response to the cookie notice itself, and the site could not present that notice usefully without it. We therefore do not present a consent gate. If you would prefer we not set it, do not click "Understood" and instead configure your browser to reject it.
Questions
Questions about this notice can be sent to editorial [at] ostaadapp.com. See also our full privacy policy.