Effective: July 2026 · Last updated: July 2026
This page explains what cookies and similar browser-storage technologies grumpycapy.com — operated by Data Sauna LLC, a Wyoming (USA) limited liability company — uses, the legal basis for each, and how you can control them. Read it together with our Privacy Policy. Short version: the site runs on a few strictly-necessary, first-party storage entries plus two cookieless traffic counters. We also use optional analytics and one advertising tool, but those load only after you accept cookies in the banner.
When you first visit, a banner asks you to accept or reject non-essential cookies. Nothing in the "analytics" or "advertising" categories below runs until you press Accept. If you press Reject, or ignore the banner, only the strictly-necessary storage and the cookieless counters are used. You can change your mind at any time using the Cookie settings link in the footer (see section 5).
1. What cookies are
Cookies are small text files placed on your device by a website. Similar technologies include localStorage, sessionStorage, pixels, and SDKs. Under the EU ePrivacy Directive, the UK Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), and similar laws elsewhere, storing or accessing information on a user's device generally requires either prior consent or the "strictly necessary" exemption.
2. Cookie and storage categories on grumpycapy.com
Strictly necessary (no consent required)
These are first-party localStorage entries set by grumpycapy.com. None contain an email, name, or cross-site identifier.
| Name | Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
cookie-consent | localStorage | Stores whether you accepted or rejected non-essential cookies, so we honor your choice and don't ask again. Contains the word granted or denied only. | Persistent (until you clear browser data) |
gc_subscribed | localStorage | Set after you successfully sign up for the newsletter from any form on the site, so the popups stop showing on later visits. A boolean flag only. | Persistent |
gc_popup_shown_at | localStorage | Timestamp of when we last showed you a popup, used to make sure we don't show another for a while. A number only — no identifier. | Rolling (overwritten on next eligible popup) |
gc_visit_count, gc_last_seen, gc_session_pages | localStorage / sessionStorage | Count how many times and pages you've visited so popups fire at a calm cadence rather than on every page. Plain numbers/timestamps — no identifier. | Session to persistent |
Legal basis: strictly necessary for the functioning of the site as requested by you (Article 5(3) ePrivacy Directive exemption; "necessary" processing under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR for the underlying personal-data aspect, of which there is effectively none, since these values contain no identifier).
Cookieless analytics (no consent prompt required)
We use two cookieless tools that run for every visitor to measure aggregate traffic: Vercel Analytics and Cloudflare Web Analytics. Neither sets cookies, localStorage, or sessionStorage, and neither uses a device identifier or fingerprint. They collect anonymized page-view metadata (page URL, referrer, country, device type, browser). Because nothing is stored on or read from your device, the ePrivacy Article 5(3) consent requirement does not apply. Lawful basis: legitimate interest under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR.
Analytics
Google Analytics 4 runs for every visitor, but by default — before you accept — it operates in a cookieless "consent denied" mode under Google Consent Mode v2: it sets no cookies and uses no persistent identifier, sending only anonymized, aggregated pings. It sets the cookies below and enables full measurement only after you accept. Microsoft Clarity (heatmaps and session replay) does not load at all unless you accept; when it does, text you type is masked by default.
| Provider | Purpose | Typical storage | More info |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics 4 (Google) | Aggregate audience and traffic measurement — pages viewed, referrers, rough location, device. | First-party cookies (e.g. _ga, _ga_*), up to ~2 years — set only after consent. | Google privacy |
| Microsoft Clarity (Microsoft Corp.) | Aggregate heatmaps and session replay to see how pages are actually used. Typed text is masked by default. | First-party and Microsoft cookies (e.g. _clck, _clsk), up to ~1 year. | Microsoft privacy |
Advertising (consent required)
If you accept cookies, we may load the Meta (Facebook) Pixel so we can measure whether our social posts and ads bring people to the site, and reach similar audiences. It sets cross-site advertising cookies and does not load unless you accept.
| Provider | Purpose | Typical storage | More info |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta Pixel (Meta Platforms) | Conversion measurement and audience building for Facebook / Instagram campaigns. | Cross-site cookies (e.g. _fbp), up to ~3 months. | Meta privacy |
Legal basis: for anything that stores cookies or data on your device — Google Analytics after you accept, Microsoft Clarity, and the Meta Pixel — your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR and the Article 5(3) ePrivacy consent rule). Google Analytics' cookieless "consent denied" pings rely on our legitimate interest under Article 6(1)(f). Consent is optional, and you can withdraw it at any time (section 5).
3. Third-party cookies on this domain
Unless you accept non-essential cookies, no third-party cookies are set on the grumpycapy.com domain. If you accept, the analytics and advertising tools above (Google, Microsoft, Meta) may set their own cookies. Fonts are self-hosted from our own server, so no requests are made to Google Fonts or any other font CDN.
Our hosting provider (Vercel), our database/form provider (Supabase), and the affiliate marketplaces we link to (Amazon, Etsy) may set cookies on their own domains in connection with their services, but those cookies are not set on, nor accessible from, grumpycapy.com. See their respective policies:
4. About the cookie banner
The banner is a genuine consent gate for the analytics and advertising tools above. When you press Accept, we record your choice in cookie-consent and load those tools. When you press Reject (or ignore the banner), those tools never load — only the strictly-necessary storage and the cookieless counters are used. You can revisit this choice at any time using the Cookie settings link in the site footer.
5. How to control or remove cookies and storage
You can clear cookies and localStorage at any time through your browser settings. Most browsers also let you block first-party or third-party cookies entirely; this may affect functionality on other sites you visit.
To withdraw consent for the analytics and advertising tools, use the Cookie settings link in the site footer at any time to re-open the banner and press Reject. (You can also clear this site's cookies and localStorage in your browser, which removes the cookie-consent flag and brings the banner back.) Rejecting downgrades Google Analytics to its cookieless mode and stops Microsoft Clarity and the Meta Pixel from loading on future visits.
We also honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal as a valid opt-out request for the sale/sharing of personal information, consistent with applicable law. You can enable GPC in a supporting browser or extension.
6. Changes to this policy
We'll update this policy if our use of cookies or similar technologies changes. The "Effective" and "Last updated" dates at the top show when it was last revised.
7. Contact
Questions about cookies, tracking, or privacy? Reach us through the contact page, reply to any newsletter email, or use the social links in the footer.