Cookie Policy

Last Updated: April 1, 2026

This is the cookie policy for www.gladlabs.io, operated by Glad Labs, LLC. We try to be straightforward here — no walls of legalese, just an honest explanation of what cookies and third-party services our site uses and why.

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They help sites remember things (like your preferences) and collect usage data. Some are set by us, others by third-party services we integrate.

2. Our Cookie Consent Banner

When you first visit the site, you will see a cookie consent banner at the bottom of the page. You have three options:

• Accept All: Enables essential, analytics, and advertising cookies/services.
• Reject All: Only essential cookies remain active. No analytics or advertising scripts are loaded.
• Customize: Choose exactly which categories to enable or disable.

Your choice is saved in your browser's localStorage (specifically the keys cookieConsent and cookieConsentDate). We do not set a cookie to track your consent — we use localStorage instead.

3. What We Actually Use

Here is an honest breakdown of the cookies and third-party services on this site:

3.1 Essential (Always Active)

These cannot be disabled because the site needs them to function:

• Cookie consent state — stored in localStorage, not as a cookie. Records whether you accepted, rejected, or customized your preferences.
• Vercel hosting — our hosting provider (Vercel) may process your IP address for routing, security, and basic infrastructure purposes. This is standard for any hosted website.

3.2 Analytics (Consent Required)

These are only loaded if you opt in via the consent banner:

• Google Analytics 4 (GA4) — loaded dynamically after consent. Sets cookies like _ga and _ga_* to track page views and usage patterns. These cookies last up to 2 years. If you reject analytics, the GA script is never loaded and no GA cookies are set.

3.3 Advertising (Consent Required)

These are only activated if you opt in:

• Google AdSense — may serve ads and set cookies for ad personalization. The AdSense script is not loaded unless you consent to advertising cookies.

3.4 Third-Party Embeds (No Cookies From Us)

These services are used on the site but are not gated by our consent banner because they do not set tracking cookies through our site:

• Giscus — powers the comment system on blog posts. Loads a script from giscus.app which connects to GitHub Discussions. If you interact with comments, Giscus and GitHub may set their own cookies. We do not control those.
• Pexels — some images on the site are served from Pexels. Loading these images means your browser makes requests to Pexels servers, which may log your IP. Pexels has its own privacy policy.

4. Cookie Reference Table

5. What We Do Not Do

To be clear:

• We do not load Google Analytics or AdSense scripts unless you explicitly consent. If you reject all, those scripts never touch your browser.
• We do not sell your personal data.
• We do not use third-party ad networks without your consent.
• We do not use fingerprinting or any other tracking that bypasses your cookie preferences.

6. Managing Your Preferences

You can change your mind at any time:

• Clear your browser's localStorage for this site — the consent banner will reappear on your next visit.
• Use your browser's built-in cookie controls to delete any cookies set by third parties.
• Contact us at privacy@gladlabs.io if you need help.

7. Your Rights

If you are in the EU (GDPR): You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, port, and object to processing of your personal data. You can withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local Data Protection Authority.

If you are in California (CCPA): You have the right to know what personal information is collected, request its deletion, and opt out of its sale. We do not sell personal information.

8. Data Processors

When you consent to analytics or advertising, your data may be processed by:

• Google LLC — for GA4 and/or AdSense. Data may be processed in the United States under Standard Contractual Clauses.
• Vercel, Inc. — hosts the site and may process IP addresses for infrastructure and security.
• GitHub / Giscus — if you use the comment system on blog posts.

9. Updates to This Policy

If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top. We are not going to email you about cookie policy changes — just check back here if you are curious.

10. Contact

Questions? Reach out: