What we store on your device and why

What is a "cookie" here?

We don't actually set traditional HTTP cookies for tracking. Instead, allaboutspark uses your browser's localStorage to remember a few things between visits. Where this policy says "cookies", read it as "small bits of state stored on your device". For legal purposes the distinction doesn't matter — your consent applies either way.

The three categories

1. Essential (always on)

Things the site can't work without. No tracking. We don't ask consent for these because they're necessary for you to use the site:

• admin_token — only set if you sign into the admin area. Lets you stay signed in across page loads.
• aas_newsletter_popup_seen — remembers you've already seen the newsletter popup so we don't show it again.
• aas_consent — your cookie choices, so we don't keep asking.

2. Analytics

Off by default. Switch on if you're OK with aggregate traffic analytics.

• Google Analytics 4 — page views, session length, traffic sources. Google sets a couple of _ga* cookies and we send it a page-view event on every navigation. We don't share data with advertisers.

3. Personalization

Off by default. Switch on if you want post recommendations tuned to your reading.

• aas_uid — a random identifier generated in your browser on first visit. Tied to nothing about your identity. Used to:
  • Track which posts you've opened and how far you scrolled, so the recommender can rank fresh content against your interests.
  • If you subscribe to the newsletter, your digest is ranked by the same anonymous interest vector — categories you read more often surface first.

You can reset this profile any time. Turning Personalization off deletes the identifier and stops sending interest signals to the server.

What we don't do

• No advertising cookies. We don't run ads.
• No cross-site tracking. Nothing follows you off allaboutspark.
• No data sales. We don't have anyone to sell to and we wouldn't anyway.
• No fingerprinting. We use a random ID, not a device fingerprint.

Changing your mind

Use the Open cookie settings button at the top of this page or the link in the site footer. Untoggling a category instantly stops new tracking. Existing local-storage entries for that category are cleared when you save.

Questions

Email namindu.sanchila@gmail.com.