Cookies Policy

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile) when you visit our website. They help us provide you with a better experience by remembering your preferences and understanding how you use our site.

Similar technologies include web beacons, pixels, and local storage, which work in comparable ways to cookies.

2. How We Use Cookies

Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the website to function properly:

• Theme Preference: Remembers your dark/light mode choice
• Reading Progress: Saves your position in longer stories
• Form Data: Temporarily stores form information to prevent data loss
• Security: Protects against spam and malicious activity

Analytics Cookies

These help us understand how visitors interact with our website:

• Google Analytics: Tracks page views, user behavior, and site performance
• Reading Analytics: Measures which stories are most popular
• Performance Monitoring: Helps us identify and fix technical issues

Advertising Cookies

These cookies support our advertising and help make ads more relevant:

• Google AdSense: Delivers personalized advertisements based on your interests
• Ad Performance: Measures the effectiveness of our advertising
• Frequency Capping: Prevents you from seeing the same ad too many times
• Cross-site Tracking: May track your browsing across other websites for ad targeting

3. Third-Party Cookies

Some cookies are set by third-party services we use to enhance your experience:

4. Managing Your Cookie Preferences

Browser Settings

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Here's how to manage cookies in popular browsers:

• Chrome: Settings → Privacy and Security → Cookies and other site data
• Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
• Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data
• Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Cookies and site data

Advertising Preferences

You can opt out of personalized advertising:

• Google Ad Settings - Manage Google ad personalization
• Digital Advertising Alliance - Industry opt-out tool
• Your Online Choices - European opt-out platform

5. Cookie Retention

Different cookies have different lifespans:

• Session Cookies: Deleted when you close your browser
• Persistent Cookies: Remain on your device for a set period (typically 30 days to 2 years)
• Essential Cookies: Remain until you manually delete them or change your preferences
• Advertising Cookies: Usually expire after 30-90 days but may be refreshed on return visits

6. International Users

If you're visiting from the European Union or other regions with strict privacy laws, you have additional rights:

• Consent: We'll ask for your consent before setting non-essential cookies
• Withdrawal: You can withdraw consent at any time through your browser settings
• Data Access: You can request information about the data we've collected
• Data Deletion: You can request deletion of your data, subject to legal requirements

7. Changes to This Policy

We may update this cookies policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We'll notify you of any significant changes by posting the updated policy on this page and updating the effective date.

8. Contact Us

If you have questions about our use of cookies or this policy, please contact us: