Privacy Policy
4. Do we use cookies and other tracking technologies?
Yes, but only if you say yes. We use Google Analytics to understand aggregate traffic and Microsoft Clarity to understand how the site is used. Neither runs until you opt in, and you can change your mind at any time. We use cookies and similar technologies to gather information when you interact with our site. One of them is strictly necessary: it remembers your cookie choice so we do not have to ask you twice. Everything else is optional analytics, and none of it runs until you turn it on. We do not use tracking for advertising, retargeting, profiling, or any form of ad personalization.
4a. Your choice, and how to change it
The first time you visit, we show a short banner. Nothing analytics-related loads until you decide. You can accept everything, decline everything, or open Preferences and turn Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity on or off independently. No analytics cookies are set, and no analytics scripts load, until you give consent for that specific provider. Your choice is stored in your browser's localStorage under the key thrumline_consent_v1. It records only your on or off choice for each provider and the date you made it. It is not a cookie, it is not sent to any server, and it is not shared with anyone. We ask again after twelve months so your choice stays current. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time using the Cookie preferences link in the site footer. Turning a provider off stops future tracking by that provider and clears its first-party cookies from this site. One exception: Microsoft sets a cookie called MUID on bing.com, which is a Microsoft domain we do not control, so that one can only be removed through your browser's own cookie settings.
4b. Where your choice is stored
The consent record described above lives in your browser's localStorage, not in a cookie. Storing your consent choice this way is permitted as strictly necessary, it adds nothing to your network requests, and it is never read by any third party. Clearing your browser storage will erase the record, and we will show the banner again on your next visit.
We use Google Analytics 4 (measurement ID G-D871C7SHL3) to measure aggregate site traffic and understand which pages are read. When you have opted in, Google Analytics collects a limited set of information about your visit, including your approximate location (derived from your IP address, which Google truncates), the pages you view, how you arrived on the site, and your device and browser characteristics. It sets first-party cookies (named _ga and _ga_[container-id]) to distinguish unique visitors and sessions. We do not use this data for advertising, remarketing, or ad personalization, and we have not enabled Google Signals or cross-device tracking. You can opt out at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout, and you can read Google's privacy practices at policies.google.com/privacy.
We use Microsoft Clarity (project ID xrlcdbuleq) to understand how visitors interact with the site through anonymized session replay and click and scroll heatmaps. When you have opted in, Clarity captures a recording of your interactions, such as mouse movements, clicks, and scrolls, along with your approximate location, device and browser characteristics, and referrer. It sets first-party cookies (_clck, _clsk) and reads Microsoft's own cookies (such as MUID on bing.com) to stitch interactions into continuous sessions. Recordings do not capture keystrokes in input fields by default, and sensitive content is masked. Microsoft processes this data on our behalf. We do not use Clarity data for advertising, retargeting, profiling, or ad personalization. You can read Microsoft's privacy practices in the Microsoft Privacy Statement and the Clarity privacy FAQ.