Cookie Policy
This policy explains the cookies and similar technologies used on guidedtools.com, who sets them, and how you can control them. The short version: nothing non-essential is stored on your device until you accept it where the law requires consent, ads are never personalized, and you can change your mind at any time. It works alongside our Privacy Policy.
What cookies are
A cookie is a small text file a site stores in your browser. "Similar technologies" include your browser's local storage, which works the same way for our purposes. We group what we use into three categories: strictly necessary (needed for the site to work and for remembering your privacy choice), analytics, and advertising. Only the first is set automatically; the other two are set only after you consent where consent is required.
How we ask for your consent
- We use iubenda, a Google-certified consent management platform, to run our cookie banner and record your choice. In regions that require it (including the EEA, UK, and Switzerland), a banner asks before any non-essential cookie is set, with "Accept" and "Reject" given equal prominence. Declining does not limit your access to anything.
- Analytics and advertising scripts do not load at all until you accept — so no analytics or advertising cookies exist on your device before consent.
- You can review or withdraw your consent at any time — withdrawing is as easy as accepting — using the "Cookie preferences" option in the site footer.
- California / US states:the banner also provides the "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" option required under US state privacy laws.
Cookies we use
Strictly necessary (always active)
| Cookie | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| _iub_cs-* / _iub_* (cookie and local storage) | iubenda | Stores your cookie consent choices so we don't ask on every visit, and records proof of consent. | Up to 1 year |
Analytics — only after you accept
| Cookie | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | Distinguishes unique visitors so we can measure how the site is used. | Up to 2 years |
| _ga_<id> | Google Analytics | Persists the analytics session state for a specific property. | Up to 2 years |
Advertising — only after you accept (non-personalized ads only)
Blog posts may show a small number of clearly labeled ads served by Google AdSense. We only ever request non-personalized ads, so these cookies are used for ad delivery, frequency capping, measurement, and fraud prevention — not to build a profile of you.
| Cookie | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| __gads | Google AdSense | Ad delivery, frequency capping, and fraud prevention. | Up to ~13 months |
| __gpi | Ad delivery and measurement. | Up to ~13 months | |
| IDE, test_cookie | Google (doubleclick.net), set inside the ad frame | Non-personalized ad delivery and measurement. | Session to ~13 months |
Local storage (not cookies)
Some things we store use your browser's local storage rather than cookies. These stay on your device and are not sent to advertisers:
- Sign-in session. Your authentication session token (handled by our authentication provider, Supabase) so you stay logged in.
- Preferences. Your theme choice and onboarding progress.
Services that do not use cookies
We use PostHog for error monitoring only, configured in a cookieless mode: no autocapture, no pageview tracking, no session recording, and nothing stored on your device. Vercel (hosting) and Supabase (authentication and data storage) process requests to run the service under their own data-processing terms but are not used to track you across sites.
How to manage or disable cookies
- Use the "Cookie preferences" option in the site footer to change your consent at any time.
- Your browser also lets you block or delete cookies in its settings. Blocking strictly necessary cookies may mean we have to ask for your cookie choice again on every visit.
Changes
If we change the cookies we use, we'll update this page and the date above.
Contact
Questions about cookies: guidedtools@gmail.com