Privacy Policy

1. Information sent to third-party services#

When you view a page on this blog, your browser may send information to the services below. The author cannot identify you personally from this information alone.

Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity and Google AdSense are loaded only when the author has enabled them. giscus is loaded only when you scroll near the comment box of a post. Fonts, icons, search and images are served from this blog’s own server (Cloudflare); no external service such as Google Fonts is contacted for them. However, if the author embeds an image or similar content hosted on another site in a post, opening that page sends your IP address, browser type, this blog’s domain (as the referrer) and similar information to that host.

2. Analytics#

This blog uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect traffic data. This data is collected anonymously and does not identify you personally. You can refuse collection by disabling cookies or by installing the opt-out add-on linked above.

This blog also works with Microsoft Clarity and Microsoft Advertising to understand how you use and interact with the site, through behavioral metrics, heatmaps and session replay, and uses that information to improve the blog. Usage data is captured with first- and third-party cookies and other tracking technologies. Text you type into form fields is masked and not recorded. The decrypted text of password-protected posts is masked as well. For how Microsoft collects and uses your data, see the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

3. Advertising (Google AdSense)#

This blog may show ads served by Google AdSense, a third-party ad service.

• Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this blog or other websites.
• Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this blog and/or other sites on the Internet.
• You may opt out of personalized advertising in Ads Settings. You can also opt out of third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalized advertising at https://optout.aboutads.info/.

4. Visitors from the EEA, the UK and Switzerland#

For visits from these regions, the default of Google Consent Mode is “denied”: analytics and advertising cookies are not used until you give consent (limited, cookie-less measurement data may still be sent). This blog has no consent banner of its own. When ads (Google AdSense) are shown, consent is collected through the message of a Google-certified consent management platform (CMP), which you can review at any time with “Cookie settings” at the bottom of the page. In all other regions analytics is on by default; you can turn it off at any time in “Cookie settings”.

5. Advertising and affiliate disclosure#

Some posts may contain promotions, including affiliate links. Such posts are clearly labeled “Advertisement” or “PR” at the top of the post or next to the relevant content.

6. Comments#

Comments use giscus, which is built on GitHub Discussions (it loads when you scroll near the comment box of a post, and only then connects to giscus.app and GitHub). You need to sign in with a GitHub account to comment. Your comment, GitHub username and avatar are published on GitHub. Comments the author considers inappropriate may be removed without notice.

7. Information you send when contacting the author#

Your name, email address and other details you provide when contacting the author are used only to reply to you. They are not shared with third parties except where required by law.

8. Cookie settings and disabling cookies#

“Cookie settings” appears in the footer only when analytics or advertising tags are enabled.

• Allow analytics: changing it reloads the page so the choice takes effect at once. When switched off, this browser does not load Microsoft Clarity and sends no measurement data to Google Analytics (the Google Analytics script itself is still downloaded from Google’s servers, but it sends no measurement data). When ads are shown, Google AdSense is loaded regardless of this switch (use “Open advertising settings” below for ad consent). The choice is stored in your browser’s local storage (key analytics-optout); it is not sent to the author or to any third party. Clearing your browser data resets it.
• Open advertising settings: shown only when ads (Google AdSense) are displayed. It re-opens Google’s consent message.
• Opening any page with ?analytics=off at the end of the address has the same effect (?analytics=on undoes it).
• Display settings such as theme color, light/dark mode and the post-list layout are also stored in your browser’s local storage. They are not sent anywhere.
• The password you enter on a password-protected post is kept in your browser’s session storage (key pw:<post slug>) so you can read the post again in the same tab without retyping it. It is deleted when you close the tab and is not sent anywhere.
• When you sign in with GitHub in the comment box, giscus stores your sign-in session in this blog’s local storage (key giscus-session). Signing out in the comment box deletes it.

You can also disable or delete cookies in your browser settings. The blog remains readable without cookies; only signing in to comment requires them.

9. Changes to this policy#

This policy may change when laws change or when services are added or changed. Changes take effect when they are posted on this page.

10. Contact#

Questions about this policy: [TODO: contact address, e.g. email or contact-form URL]