Cookie Policy
Table of Contents
What cookies are
Cookies are small text files a website stores on your device. They let a site remember things between pages and visits — that you are signed in, what you put in a cart, or which options you chose.
This policy also covers similar technologies with the same effect: local storage, session storage, pixels and tracking scripts. Where we say “cookies”, we mean all of these.
The categories we use
Every cookie on this site falls into one of four categories. Only the first is set without your consent.
Strictly necessary
Required for the site to function — security, load balancing, remembering your cookie choices. These cannot be switched off and do not require consent, because the site cannot work without them.
Functional
Remember preferences such as language or previously submitted form details, to save you repeating yourself. Switching these off degrades convenience but not function.
Analytics
Help us understand how the site is used in aggregate — which pages are read, where people arrive from, where they leave. We use this to improve the site, not to identify you individually.
Marketing
Set by advertising platforms to measure whether our campaigns work and, in some cases, to show you our advertising elsewhere. These are the ones most people want to decline, and declining them costs you nothing.
The specific cookies on this site
The table below lists what we set. It is maintained from an actual scan of the site rather than a generic template, and is reviewed when we change our tooling.
| Cookie / technology | Set by | Category | Purpose | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cookie name | Us | Strictly necessary | Stores your cookie consent choices so we do not ask again on every page. | duration |
| cookie name | provider | Strictly necessary | Security and abuse prevention on forms. | duration |
| _ga, _ga_* | Google Analytics | Analytics | Distinguishes visitors and sessions to produce aggregate usage reporting. | Up to 2 years |
| _fbp | Meta | Marketing | Measures whether our advertising leads to enquiries, and supports advertising elsewhere. | Up to 3 months |
| add or remove rows to match your actual scan | — | — | — | — |
Your consent, and how to withdraw it
When you first visit, you are asked to accept or decline each non-essential category. Nothing in the functional, analytics or marketing categories is set before you choose, and declining is a single action rather than a menu you have to fight through.
You can change your choices at any time using the COOKIE SETTINGS LINK / WIDGET NAME control in the footer. Withdrawing consent stops further collection; it does not retroactively delete data already collected, though you can request deletion under our Privacy Policy.
You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Blocking strictly necessary cookies will break parts of the site.
Consent signals we honour
We respect the following browser and platform signals:
- Google Consent Mode v2 — where analytics or marketing consent is declined, tags are loaded in a restricted state that does not set identifying cookies.
- Global Privacy Control (GPC) — treated as a valid opt-out of sale or sharing of personal information where applicable law recognises it.
- Do Not Track — there is still no agreed industry standard for DNT, so we do not represent that we respond to it. GPC is the signal that carries legal weight, and we honour it.
Third parties and international transfers
Some cookies are set by third parties who act as independent controllers of the data they collect — notably Google and Meta. Their own privacy policies govern that processing and we do not control it.
These providers may process data outside your country, including in the United States. Where required, transfers rely on appropriate safeguards such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses or an applicable adequacy decision.
Changes and contact
We update this policy when our tooling changes. The “last updated” date at the top shows when it last changed, and material changes will be signalled through the consent banner.
Questions about cookies or a request relating to your data: contact@aqsashahzad.com. See also our Privacy Policy and Data Processing Agreement.
