This policy lists the cookies and similar storage used on UnblockedTech. It is written to satisfy the UK Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations and the transparency requirements of the UK GDPR, and it should be read alongside our Privacy Policy.
What a cookie is
A cookie is a small text file that a website asks your browser to store and send back on future visits. Related technologies do the same job by different means: local storage keeps values in your browser without sending them anywhere, and pixels or beacons are tiny requests used to record that something was viewed.
We refer to all of these as cookies here, because the rules that apply to them are the same.
Your choices
If you visit from the UK, the European Economic Area or Switzerland, you will see a consent message on your first visit before any advertising cookies are set. The message is provided by Google's certified consent management platform and offers three choices at the same level:
Consent. Advertising cookies may be used to personalise the adverts you see and to measure them.
Do not consent. No advertising personalisation. You will still see adverts, but they are chosen from the page you are reading and your approximate location rather than your browsing history. Rejecting is one click, the same as accepting.
Manage options. Choose purpose by purpose, and see the list of advertising partners and what each one asks to do.
To change or withdraw your choice later, use the Privacy & cookie settings link in the footer of every page. It re-opens the same message with your current choices shown. Withdrawing consent takes effect for future page views; it does not delete cookies already set, which you can do from your browser.
Visitors from outside those regions are not shown the message. Google serves adverts there under the regional rules that apply, and the Google advert-settings and industry opt-out tools described below work everywhere.
You can also control cookies globally in your browser settings, including blocking third-party cookies entirely. The site works correctly with third-party cookies blocked.
Strictly necessary
These are set because the site cannot function properly without them. Under UK rules they do not require consent.
| Name | Set by | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| ut-theme | This site | Remembers whether you chose the light or dark theme | Until you clear site data, in local storage |
| Consent record (names begin FC) | Google consent platform | Remembers the choice you made in the consent message so it is not shown on every page | Up to 13 months |
The theme preference is stored only in your browser and is never transmitted to us. The consent record is read by Google's advertising code to apply your choice; it contains your choices, not your identity.
Analytics
Used to understand which articles people read, so we know what to write more of.
| Name | Set by | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analytics identifier | Our analytics provider | Distinguishes one visit from another to count page views | Up to 24 hours, or cookie-free depending on configuration |
We deliberately use a privacy-focused analytics service that does not track you between websites and does not build an advertising profile. The reports we see are aggregate: page views, referring sites, approximate country, and device category. We cannot identify an individual reader.
Advertising
This site is funded by advertising. Advertising cookies are set by Google and its advertising partners, not by us.
| Set by | Purpose | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|
| Google (AdSense, DoubleClick) | Selecting adverts, limiting repetition, measuring performance, detecting invalid traffic | Up to 24 months |
| Google advertising partners | Selecting and measuring adverts from specific advertisers | Varies by partner |
What these cookies enable:
- Personalised advertising. Adverts selected using your previous browsing on this and other sites. This requires your consent, and it is not enabled unless you choose "Consent" in the message.
- Frequency capping. Stopping the same advert being shown repeatedly.
- Measurement. Recording that an advert was displayed or clicked, so advertisers know what they paid for.
- Fraud prevention. Detecting automated or invalid clicks.
If you decline, Google serves non-personalised adverts, which are chosen based on the content of the page and your approximate location rather than your history. Non-personalised advertising still involves limited cookie use for frequency capping and fraud prevention, which is permitted without consent under current guidance.
Controlling this directly. Google provides its own advert settings page where you can turn off advert personalisation across every site using Google's advertising products. That control is more comprehensive than anything we can offer, and it persists regardless of what you choose here. Industry opt-out tools from the Network Advertising Initiative and Digital Advertising Alliance cover many other advertising companies at once.
Embedded content and fonts
Google Fonts. The typefaces on this site are served from Google's font servers. Loading a page therefore sends a request to Google that includes your IP address and browser details. No cookie is set by this request.
Third-party embeds. Some articles may embed content from external services such as video platforms. Where they do, that service may set its own cookies once the embed loads. We note this in the article where it applies, and we prefer static images over embeds specifically to avoid it.
No social media tracking. We do not include social network buttons or tracking pixels from social platforms. Sharing links on this site are plain links that set nothing.
Managing cookies in your browser
Every major browser lets you view, delete and block cookies. The relevant setting is usually under Privacy or Site Settings, and all of them let you:
- Delete all cookies now, including ours
- Block all third-party cookies, which prevents advertising cookies while leaving the site working
- Block everything from a specific site
- Clear cookies automatically when you close the browser
Blocking all cookies on all sites will break login on most other websites. Blocking third-party cookies is the more practical setting and is the default in several browsers already.
You can also browse in a private or incognito window, which discards all cookies when you close it.
Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
This site sets no non-essential first-party cookies of its own, so there is nothing on our side for a Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control signal to switch off. Advertising consent is handled by the consent message described above, and the choice you make there is what Google's advertising code applies.
If you would rather not rely on the message, the most reliable options are the ones you control directly: block third-party cookies in your browser (the site works normally with them blocked), or turn off advert personalisation in Google's own advert settings, which applies across every site using Google advertising.
Changes to this policy
If we add, remove or change a cookie, we will update the tables above and change the date at the top of this page. If a change requires new consent, the consent message will be shown again so you can make a fresh choice.
If you have a question about anything listed here, or you think we have set a cookie that is not documented on this page, please tell us. We would like to know.