CosmosLens

Cookie policy

Cookies are small files a website stores in your browser. Here is what is stored when you read CosmosLens.

Last updated

Your choice

On your first visit we ask you to choose one of three options:

  • Accept all allows essential cookies and our analytics cookies.
  • Essentials only allows essential cookies. We add one to an anonymous count of views for the page you are reading, and record nothing that identifies you or your device.
  • Reject all stores only the cookie that remembers this choice, and your visit is not counted.

We also keep a daily total of how many people pick each option, with nothing attached to say who did. You can change your mind at any time.

Essential cookies and storage

  • cl_consent remembers your cookie choice for 12 months.
  • __df_admin keeps our editors signed in. It is set only for staff who sign in, and lasts 7 days.
  • Your theme choice, light or dark, is kept in your browser’s local storage so the site looks the way you left it.

None of these is used to follow you or shared with anyone.

Analytics cookies

These are set only if you choose “Accept all”. They are our own; no outside analytics company receives this data.

  • cl_vid is a random id that lets us tell returning visitors from new ones. It lasts 13 months.
  • cl_sid is a random id that groups the pages of one visit. It ends after 30 minutes without activity.

With them we record which pages you open, how long you actively spend on each, how far you scroll, the website that sent you, your device type and browser, and your country. Country comes from your connection, and we do not store your IP address. We keep this for up to 13 months, then it is deleted automatically.

If you change from “Accept all” to another option, the analytics cookies are removed and what we recorded under them is erased.

Advertising cookies

Ads on CosmosLens are provided by Google AdSense. Google and its partners may set cookies, or read existing ones, to show ads, limit how often you see the same ad, measure performance and, where you allow it, personalize ads based on your interests.

Read how Google uses cookies in advertising and manage personalization in Google’s Ads Settings.

Browser controls

You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The site will still work, though it will ask for your choice again and ads may be less relevant.

For more about how we handle personal information, see our privacy policy.