Legal

Cookie Policy

The cookies and browser storage this site uses and how to control them.

Last updated:

This policy explains the cookies and similar browser storage used by www.asifdev.com. It should be read together with the Privacy Policy.

What cookies and local storage are

Cookies are small text files a website stores in your browser and receives back on later requests. Local storage is a similar browser feature that keeps small pieces of data on your device; it is read by the site's own scripts and is not sent to a server automatically. In this policy, "cookies" covers both.

The short version

  • No advertising cookies.
  • Analytics cookies (Google Analytics) are set only if you click "Accept analytics" in the cookie banner. You can change your mind at any time with the "Cookie settings" link at the bottom of every page.
  • All other cookies are either strictly necessary (security, spam protection, remembering your cookie choice) or remember a choice you made (your theme).
  • Google reCAPTCHA, a third-party service, may set its own cookies to protect the site from bots.

Cookies and storage this site uses

public_session_token

  • Type: HTTP cookie (httpOnly, secure)
  • Provider: First party (this site’s API)
  • Purpose: Strictly necessary. Proves your browser passed the reCAPTCHA check, so the site’s API and contact form accept its requests. Holds a signed token, not your data.
  • Duration: About 20 minutes, renewed while you browse; 12 hours at most

public-session-expires-at

  • Type: Local storage
  • Provider: First party
  • Purpose: Strictly necessary. Stores only the expiry time of the session above, so a returning visit can reuse it instead of running reCAPTCHA again.
  • Duration: Until the session expires or is rejected, or you clear site data

theme-preference

  • Type: Local storage
  • Provider: First party
  • Purpose: Functional. Remembers the light, dark or system theme you picked. Set only when you choose a theme.
  • Duration: Until you clear site data

bo_cookie_consent

  • Type: HTTP cookie
  • Provider: First party
  • Purpose: Strictly necessary. Remembers whether you accepted or rejected analytics cookies in the cookie banner, so you are not asked on every visit. Holds only that choice.
  • Duration: 6 months, then the banner asks again

_ga

  • Type: HTTP cookie
  • Provider: Google Analytics (Google), set on this site’s domain
  • Purpose: Analytics, only if you accept. Stores a random ID so Google Analytics can tell visits from the same browser apart and count visitors, not just page views.
  • Duration: 2 years

_ga_<ID>

  • Type: HTTP cookie
  • Provider: Google Analytics (Google), set on this site’s domain
  • Purpose: Analytics, only if you accept. Keeps the state of the current visit (session) for this site’s Google Analytics property. <ID> is this site’s Google Analytics measurement ID without the G-, for example _ga_QSLES6573S.
  • Duration: 2 years

_GRECAPTCHA

  • Type: Cookie, plus _grecaptcha in local storage
  • Provider: Third party (Google reCAPTCHA)
  • Purpose: Strictly necessary for spam protection. Set by Google’s reCAPTCHA script to tell people and bots apart. Names and details are controlled by Google.
  • Duration: Set by Google (the cookie typically lasts up to 6 months)

If you are the site's administrator, signing in to the admin area also sets a pf_session login cookie. Visitors to the public site never receive it.

Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager

I use Google Analytics 4 to understand which pages are read and how visitors find the site, so I can improve it. It is loaded through Google Tag Manager, a tool that loads tags such as Google Analytics and does not set cookies itself. Both are provided by Google Ireland Limited (and Google LLC), which processes this data on my behalf.

The site uses Google Consent Mode. Until you accept analytics cookies (and if you reject them), analytics storage is set to "denied": Google Analytics reads and writes no cookies and stores no identifier on your device. Google may still receive basic, cookieless signals, for example that a page was viewed, the time, your browser type and your consent choice, which it uses only for aggregated, modelled statistics. Advertising storage, ad personalisation and sending data for advertising are always denied: the site has no ads.

If you click "Accept analytics", Google Analytics sets the _ga and _ga_<ID> cookies listed above and records the pages you view, how you arrived (referrer), your approximate location (country and city, derived from your IP address, which Google Analytics does not log or store), and your device, browser and screen size. Google Analytics data is kept for up to 14 months and then deleted; reports show only aggregated figures. Google explains how it uses this data in How Google uses information from sites that use its services.

Google reCAPTCHA

The site uses Google reCAPTCHA v3 to protect its API and contact form from spam and abuse. Google's script is loaded the first time your browser needs to talk to the site's API, for example when you open another page or send a message. It may set cookies and collect information about your device and how you use the page. This is covered by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Google explains its cookies in How Google uses cookies.

On your first visit a cookie banner asks whether you allow analytics cookies. "Accept analytics" and "Reject" are equally easy, and nothing optional is stored until you accept. Your choice is kept in the bo_cookie_consent cookie for 6 months.

To change or withdraw your choice at any time, click "Cookie settings" at the bottom of any page and choose again. Withdrawing consent stops new analytics cookies from being used; to remove the existing _ga cookies straight away, clear this site's cookies in your browser. You can also block Google Analytics on every website with Google's Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

You can also remove or block everything listed here:

  • To remove your saved theme choice, clear this site's data in your browser. Choosing "System" with the theme button makes the site follow your device setting again.
  • Clearing this site's cookies and site data removes the session, consent, analytics and preference entries. The banner will then ask again, and the other entries are recreated only when needed.
  • Blocking cookies or third-party scripts for this site will stop reCAPTCHA from working. The pages will still load, but the contact form may not send. You can always email me directly instead.

Managing cookies in your browser

Most browsers let you view, delete and block cookies and site data in their settings. These guides explain how:

Changes to this policy

I will update this policy whenever the cookies the site uses change. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when it last changed.

Contact

Questions about cookies on this site? Email [email protected].