Cookie Policy

This Cookie Policy explains how Spoken Past ("we", "us") uses cookies and similar technologies on spokenpast.com. It works together with our Privacy Policy.

We use browser storage for site preferences and guide progress, first-party cookies for account sessions, and third-party services for checkout, analytics, performance monitoring, security, and advertising.

1) What are cookies and similar tech?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We may also use similar technologies such as local storage and device identifiers to keep the site secure and functional.

2) How we use cookies

• Strictly necessary: required for account security, checkout, and abuse protection (including account session cookies, Stripe Checkout, and Cloudflare Turnstile during registration). Without these, core features won't work.
• Performance and analytics: to understand aggregate usage and improve the site. We use Google Analytics, Vercel Analytics, and Vercel Speed Insights, which generally operate without traditional cookies.
• Advertising: Google AdSense and advertising partners may use cookies or similar technologies to serve ads, prevent fraud, limit how often you see an ad, measure ad performance, and personalize ads where permitted.
• Local browser storage: remembers light or dark mode and, when you use an interactive guide, which stops have been visited.

3) Providers we use (and typical cookies)

Exact names and lifetimes can change as providers update their services. The examples below are typical.

• Account session: strictly necessary for login and account access.
  Cookie: __Host-sp_session securely maintains a signed-in account for up to 30 days. It is host-only, Secure and HTTP-only, and cannot be read by page scripts.
• Stripe (Checkout): strictly necessary for purchases and donations.
  Typical cookies: __stripe_mid (~1 year), __stripe_sid (~30 minutes), and related cookies set on stripe.com / checkout.stripe.com for fraud prevention and session management.
• Cloudflare Turnstile: strictly necessary to block abusive registration attempts.
  Turnstile may use cookies or similar security signals to verify that registration requests are legitimate.
• Google Analytics: analytics used to understand site usage and improve the site.
  Typical cookies: _ga (2 years), _ga_* (2 years), _gid (24 hours).
• Google AdSense: advertising, ad measurement, fraud prevention, frequency capping, and ad personalization where permitted.
  Third-party vendors, including Google, may place and read cookies in your browser or use web beacons, IP addresses, and other identifiers as a result of serving ads. Google and its partners may use advertising cookies based on your visits to this site and/or other sites. Read how Google uses information from sites that use its services and manage Google ad personalization at Google Ads Settings.
• Vercel Analytics & Speed Insights: performance metrics, generally cookie-less.
  These tools help measure performance and reliability without relying on traditional cookies.
• Browser local storage: theme stores the selected colour scheme, and guide-specific progress keys store visited map stops on that device.

4) Your choices

• Google ad settings: manage Google ad personalization at Google Ads Settings.
• Browser controls: you can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Doing so may affect site functionality, especially for login, checkout, and forms.
• Do Not Track: many browsers offer DNT; there is no single industry standard for responses. We minimize tracking and honor consent where required.

5) Region-specific notes

Privacy, cookie, and consent requirements differ by location. Google advertising storage is sent a denied default signal by the site; Google and other providers may also apply regional controls and browser privacy signals.

6) Updates to this policy

We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect changes in technology or law. The effective date above will be updated, and we may provide a notice on the site if changes are material.

7) Contact

Questions about this Cookie Policy: [email protected]