Last updated: 18 August 2026. This page explains what cookies are, which ones this site uses, what each one is for and how you can control them. It complements our Privacy Policy.
What a cookie is
A cookie is a small text file that a website asks your browser to store. It lets the site remember technical information between page views. Similar technologies such as local storage, session storage and tracking pixels work in comparable ways, and everything said here about cookies applies to them too.
Categories of cookies used on this site
| Category | What it does | Examples of provider | Typical lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Keeps the site working: page caching, load balancing, protection against abusive traffic and remembering your cookie choice. Cannot be switched off. | This site, hosting and CDN provider | Session up to 12 months |
| Preferences | Remembers choices such as whether you have already dismissed a notice, so it is not shown again. | This site | Up to 12 months |
| Statistics | Measures how many people read each article and how far they scroll, always in aggregate, so we can improve the content. | Microsoft Clarity | Up to 12 months |
| Marketing and advertising | Selects the adverts you see, limits how often the same advert appears, measures clicks and, in the reward format, remembers that you already have extended access. | Google AdSense, Google DoubleClick, advertising partners contracted by us | Up to 24 months |
Advertising cookies in more detail
This site is funded by advertising. Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve adverts on the site, and the DoubleClick cookie enables Google and its partners to serve adverts based on your visits here and to other sites. Adverts may be personalised or non-personalised depending on the choice you make. You can review your preferences at Google Ad Settings, and you can opt out of personalised advertising from many networks at once at Your Online Choices or optout.aboutads.info.
How to control cookies
- In your browser: every modern browser lets you block, restrict or delete cookies, and offers a private browsing mode. Look for “Cookies and site data” in Chrome, “Cookies and Site Data” in Firefox, “Privacy and security” in Edge, or “Privacy” in Safari.
- On your device: Android and iOS allow you to reset or limit the advertising identifier used by apps and sites.
- Through the industry tools: the opt-out pages listed above cover a large number of advertising networks in a single step.
If you block strictly necessary cookies, parts of the site may load incorrectly or stop working. Blocking statistics and advertising cookies does not affect your ability to read the articles.
Does blocking cookies remove the adverts?
No. Blocking advertising cookies means the adverts you see are chosen without using your browsing history, so they become less relevant, but they do not disappear. Advertising is what keeps the content on this site free.
Changes to this policy
We review this page whenever we add or remove a provider. The date at the top always shows the version in force. If you have a question about a specific cookie, get in touch through our contact page.