Cookie Policy

Last updated: 19 August 2026

Short version: Root Notes asks before loading Google Analytics, and loads nothing if you say no. Two counters run either way, neither of which uses cookies or identifies you. We don't run advertising cookies or sell data to anyone.

Your choice

On your first visit a banner asks whether we may load Google Analytics. Until you answer, it is not loaded and no analytics cookies are set. Declining is a real no — the script never runs — and the site behaves identically either way.

Your answer is stored in your browser's local storage, not in a cookie, so it never leaves your device. To change it:

Change my choice

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.

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. Google sets its own cookies (_ga, _ga_*) to do this; 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.

This only applies if you accepted the banner. If you declined, or have not answered, none of it runs. Should you want belt and braces on top of declining, 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.

Counting without cookies

Two things count page views whether or not you accept the banner, because neither sets a cookie, stores an identifier that survives your visit, or follows you to any other site. There is nothing about you in either of them to consent to.

The first is our own view counter. When you open an article, your browser tells our server that this article was opened — nothing else. It is what the “views” number on the site comes from.

The second is Vercel Web Analytics, run by the company that hosts this site. It records the page, the referring site and a country-level location, and it exists because Google Analytics only ever sees readers who pressed Accept, which makes those numbers an unreliable picture of who actually reads this.

Both are served from this site's own domain rather than a third-party one, so a blocklist that works by host will not catch them. Turning JavaScript off for this site stops both, 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.