Site preferences

Cookies and local choices.

Stolvek uses a small number of browser technologies to remember a reader’s choice and understand basic site operation.

1. What cookies are

A cookie is a small text value stored by a browser. Similar technologies may store a preference in local browser storage. They do not turn an editorial website into a personal profile.

In practical terms, a cookie is a short piece of text, typically only a few characters or a randomly generated identifier, that a website asks the browser to store and return on later visits to the same domain. A concrete example is that stolvek.info does not need to know a reader's name or email address to remember a simple binary choice such as "cookie banner already answered" — a small identifier is sufficient for that purpose. The practical consequence of using minimal, purpose-specific values rather than broad tracking identifiers is that Stolvek cannot reconstruct a detailed browsing history of an individual reader from the technologies described in this policy. An edge case worth noting is private or incognito browsing modes, where cookies are typically cleared automatically at the end of the session, meaning a reader using such a mode may see the consent banner reappear on their next visit even if they interacted with it previously in a normal browsing window. This policy applies under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) as enforced by the ICO, alongside the UK GDPR where any stored value is linked to identifiable information. The scope of this document covers every page served from stolvek.info, including the six article pages, the contact and about pages, and any embedded third-party content such as the Google Maps frame shown on our contact page, which may itself set a cookie controlled by Google under its own separate privacy terms rather than by Stolvek. Where a cookie or similar technology is set by a third party embedded on our pages, this policy names that party and describes the category of technology involved, but the third party remains independently responsible for its own data handling under its own published terms. Our hosting provider and any content-delivery network used to serve stolvek.info's static files may process standard server log data, such as an IP address and requested file path, as part of normal technical delivery; this is treated as necessary infrastructure processing under legitimate interests rather than a cookie, and is described further in our Privacy Policy.

2. Essential choice

The cookieChoice value records whether a visitor selected Accept All or Reject. It is stored for up to 12 months unless removed earlier by the visitor. It exists so the consent banner is not shown on every page.

Concretely, the cookieChoice value is a first-party cookie set only after a reader interacts with the banner shown at the bottom of the screen; no tracking or preference cookie is set before that interaction takes place, consistent with PECR's requirement that non-essential technologies wait for a clear choice. A worked example: a reader who selects "Reject" on their first visit will not see analytics or preference technologies activated on subsequent pages during that same 12-month window, while a reader who selects "Accept All" enables the categories described elsewhere in this policy. The practical consequence of the 12-month lifespan is that a returning reader is not asked to repeat the same choice on every single page load, which keeps the site usable while still respecting the original decision. An edge case: clearing browser cookies manually, switching to a different device, or using a different browser profile will remove or fail to carry over the stored choice, causing the banner to reappear, since the value is stored locally on that specific browser rather than centrally against any reader identity. The lawful basis for this specific value is not consent but a narrow statutory exemption within PECR regulation 6(4), which permits storage that is strictly necessary to provide a service explicitly requested by the reader — in this case, the service of not being shown the same banner repeatedly. No third-party processor receives or reads the cookieChoice value; it is written and read exclusively by code running on stolvek.info's own servers and the reader's browser, with no onward transfer of any kind, domestic or international.

a) Cookie name: cookieChoice — strictly necessary, exempt from consent under PECR because it only remembers the consent decision itself.
b) Lifespan: up to 12 months, or until manually cleared by the reader; after expiry the banner will simply be shown again and a fresh 12-month period will begin once a new choice is recorded.
c) Scope: first-party only, set and read solely by stolvek.info, never shared with a third party, and never combined with any other identifier held by Stolvek.
d) Retention justification: 12 months mirrors the ICO's published guidance figure commonly used by UK websites for consent-record cookies, balancing the reader's convenience against the principle of not storing a value indefinitely without renewed confirmation.

3. Analytics

Stolvek does not require analytics cookies for reading. If an analytics service is introduced, this policy will identify its name, purpose, lifespan and lawful basis before activation.

In practical terms, no analytics identifier is currently set on stolvek.info, meaning a reader who accepts all cookies today will not find a hidden measurement cookie being written in the background, since none is deployed at this time. A concrete example of how this would change: if Stolvek later adopts a privacy-focused analytics tool to understand which articles are most read, this policy would be updated first to name that specific service, describe the cookie or local-storage value it sets, state its typical lifespan (commonly between 24 hours and 24 months depending on the tool), and confirm that it will only run for readers who have selected "Accept All". The practical consequence of this commitment is that analytics activation is never silent; the cookie banner and this policy work together so a reader always has visibility before a new category of technology begins operating. An edge case: aggregate, non-identifying server-level statistics (such as total daily requests) are not classed as cookies and fall instead under the legitimate-interest security logging described in our Privacy Policy, not under this cookie category. Should an analytics cookie be introduced, its lawful basis would be consent under PECR, meaning it would only be activated after a reader selects "Accept All" on the banner, and never before, in line with the essential-versus-non-essential distinction drawn throughout this policy. If the analytics provider selected is based outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, such as a service headquartered in the United States, this policy would additionally disclose the specific international transfer safeguard relied upon, most commonly a UK International Data Transfer Addendum (IDTA) to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, before that provider's technology is switched on for UK readers. Any future analytics cookie name would be published here alongside its expiry, for example a typical first-party analytics identifier lasting 13 months and a session-linking identifier lasting 30 minutes, matching common industry patterns for privacy-conscious measurement tools.

4. Preferences

Preference technologies may remember interface settings where provided. These values are normally short-lived and do not contain a name, email address or article history.

A concrete example of a preference value is a setting that remembers whether a reader has previously dismissed a non-essential on-page prompt, stored so the same prompt is not repeated on every visit during a short window, typically 30 days. The practical consequence of keeping these values short-lived and content-free is that even if such a value were somehow accessed by a third party, it would not reveal which articles a reader has read or any information that could identify them personally. An edge case: some browser interface preferences (such as a reader's chosen font size, where supported by the browser itself rather than the site) are stored entirely on the reader's device through native browser settings and are not cookies set by Stolvek at all, so they fall outside the scope of this policy entirely. Where Stolvek does introduce a genuine preference cookie in the future, it will be listed here by name and lifespan in the same way as the essential cookieChoice value described in Section 2. The legal basis for a genuinely optional preference cookie of this kind is consent, meaning it would only be written after a reader accepts non-essential technologies on the banner, whereas a preference value that is strictly necessary to remember an accessibility setting the reader has actively requested may instead rely on the same PECR necessity exemption described for cookieChoice. A concrete retention example: were a "dismissed prompt" value introduced, 30 days was chosen as a conservative default because it is long enough to avoid repeatedly interrupting a returning reader within the same general browsing period, yet short enough that the value does not persist indefinitely without the reader having revisited the site. No preference value described in this policy, current or prospective, is shared with any advertising network, data broker or analytics processor.

5. Browser controls

Readers can delete cookies through browser settings, block new values or receive a warning before storage. Blocking the consent value may make the banner appear again.

In practice, most modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge) provide a settings menu where a reader can view, delete individually, or block all cookies from a specific site, typically found under "Privacy and security" or an equivalent heading. A concrete example: a reader concerned about any stored value can open their browser's site settings for stolvek.info and choose to clear cookies for that domain specifically, without needing to clear cookies for every website they visit. The practical consequence of blocking all cookies, rather than clearing them once, is that the consent banner will reappear on every visit, since the browser will not retain the cookieChoice value described in Section 2 between sessions. An edge case: browser extensions that block cookies more aggressively than default settings may also interfere with the consent mechanism itself, occasionally causing the banner to display in a loop; disabling such an extension for stolvek.info specifically usually resolves this. Further general guidance on managing cookies is published by the ICO at ico.org.uk. On mobile devices, the equivalent controls are usually found within the browser app's own settings rather than the device's general settings, and a concrete example is that Safari on iOS stores its cookie controls under the Safari section of the device Settings app rather than inside the Safari app itself. The practical consequence of using per-site controls rather than a single global switch is that a reader can permit cookies for stolvek.info while continuing to block them on other websites, allowing a more selective approach than an all-or-nothing setting. An additional edge case worth noting is that some browsers group first-party and third-party cookies differently by default, meaning a reader who blocks only "third-party cookies" will still retain the first-party cookieChoice value described in Section 2 while any embedded third-party content, such as the Google Maps frame on our contact page, may be prevented from functioning correctly until that restriction is relaxed for that specific embed.

6. Contact and review

Questions can be sent to [email protected]. This policy was reviewed on 24 September 2026 and will be updated when the site's technology changes.

A concrete example of our review process: whenever a new script, embed or third-party widget is added to any page on stolvek.info, our editorial team checks whether it sets a cookie or local-storage value before publishing the change, and updates this policy in the same release if it does. The practical consequence is that the date shown above reflects the most recent point at which the site's actual cookie behaviour was checked against the text of this policy, not merely a routine annual review with no underlying technical check. An edge case: if a reader identifies a cookie being set that is not described anywhere in this policy, we treat that as a priority correction and ask that it be reported to [email protected] so the relevant section can be updated and, if the cookie is unnecessary, removed from the site entirely. We aim to acknowledge any such report within five working days. If a reader remains unsatisfied with our response, or believes that a cookie has been used unlawfully under PECR or the UK GDPR, they may raise a complaint directly with the Information Commissioner's Office, the independent UK regulator responsible for data protection and electronic communications, by post at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, by telephone on 0303 123 1113, or via the online complaint form published at ico.org.uk; we would encourage a reader to contact us first so that any issue can typically be resolved more quickly through direct correspondence. A concrete example of our escalation handling: a report describing a specific unexpected cookie name is treated as more urgent than a general enquiry, and we aim to provide a substantive written response, not merely an acknowledgement, within 20 working days for that category of report, consistent with the response timescale referenced in our Privacy Policy.

This policy is reviewed on an ongoing basis as the site's technology changes, and on a scheduled basis at least once every twelve months regardless of whether a change has occurred, with the following dated log of substantive revisions maintained for transparency:

24 September 2026 — policy reviewed and expanded to add named retention periods, international transfer references and the ICO complaints procedure; no new cookie categories were introduced during this review.
Initial publication — the original version of this policy was published alongside the launch of stolvek.info, describing the essential cookieChoice value and the absence of analytics or advertising cookies at that time.

Where a future revision introduces a new cookie, changes a retention period, or adds a new third-party processor, the corresponding entry will be added to this log with the date of that specific change, and where the change is significant, for example the introduction of analytics cookies for the first time, the consent banner will be reset so that returning readers are asked to confirm their preference again under the updated terms.