Cookie Policy

Last updated: 1 October 2026

Short version: Root Notes uses Google Analytics, which sets cookies, to see which articles get read, and you can turn it off for your browser on this page. Vercel Web Analytics counts page views as well, without cookies. We don't run advertising cookies or sell data to anyone.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics (GA4) to understand which articles get read and how visitors find the site — page views, referrers, approximate location (country/city level), and device type. It loads on every page for every visitor who has not turned it off, and Google sets its own cookies (_ga, _ga_*) to recognise your browser from one visit to the next; see Google's cookie policy for what they store and how long. We don't see or store your individual browsing activity ourselves — Google Analytics only gives us aggregated numbers.

Turning it off

This switch turns Google Analytics off in this browser. It deletes the cookies Google Analytics has already set here and stops the script loading on any later page. The choice is kept in your browser's local storage, not in a cookie, so it never leaves your device; clearing this site's data undoes it.

If you pressed Decline on the banner this site used to show, that choice still stands in the browser you made it in, and Google Analytics does not load there. To block it on every site rather than just this one, a browser extension like Google Analytics Opt-out or blocking *.google-analytics.com and *.googletagmanager.com in your browser's tracking-protection settings will do it.

Theme preference

Your light/dark mode choice is saved in your browser's local storage, not a cookie, and never leaves your device.

Admin login

The site's CMS login uses a secure session cookie for authentication. This only applies to logged-in site administrators, not regular visitors.

Counting without cookies

Vercel Web Analytics, run by the company that hosts this site, counts page views too. It sets no cookie, stores no identifier that survives your visit and does not follow you to any other site; it records the page, the referring site and a country-level location. It is there because ad blockers and browsers' tracking protection stop Google Analytics for some readers, which leaves Google's numbers short.

It is served from this site's own domain rather than a third-party one, so a blocklist that works by host will not catch it, and the switch above does not turn it off. Turning JavaScript off for this site stops it, and every article remains readable without it.

No advertising cookies

We don't run ad networks or retargeting scripts. If that changes, this page will be updated first to say what's added and why.