Cookie Policy
Last updated
This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, which cookies are used on MyHomeServerGuide (https://myhomeserverguide.com, the “Site”), and how you can control them. It should be read together with our Privacy Policy.
1. What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files that a website stores on your device. They are widely used to make websites work, to remember your preferences, and to collect information about how sites are used — including, in our case, to support advertising.
Similar technologies (such as local storage and pixels) work in comparable ways. In this policy, “cookies” covers all of these.
2. Our approach
We keep our own use of storage to a minimum:
- Theme preference (local storage): if you switch between light and dark mode, we store your choice in your browser’s local storage. This is not a cookie, it never leaves your device, and it is not used for tracking.
- No first-party analytics cookies: our analytics (Cloudflare Web Analytics) is cookieless.
- No first-party advertising cookies: advertising cookies on this Site are set by Google AdSense and its advertising partners, not by us directly.
3. Cookies used on this Site
| Category | Who sets them | Examples | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consent management | Google (CMP) | Consent-state cookies | Remembers your advertising consent choices so you are not asked again | Varies (months) |
| Advertising | Google AdSense / DoubleClick and partners | IDE, DSID, __gads, __gpi, test_cookie | Ad serving, personalization (only with consent where required), frequency capping, ad measurement and fraud prevention | test_cookie: 15 minutes; others: typically up to 13 months (see Google’s documentation) |
We do not currently embed third-party content (such as YouTube videos or social media widgets). If that changes, this policy will be updated.
For full details of how Google uses cookies in advertising, see Google’s Advertising Policies & Principles and How Google uses cookies.
4. Consent for advertising cookies (EEA, UK, Switzerland)
If you visit from the EEA, the UK or Switzerland, you will see a consent message before any personalized advertising cookies are set, powered by Google’s certified Consent Management Platform. You can:
- accept personalized advertising,
- decline it (you will see non-personalized ads instead), or
- manage your choices per purpose and per vendor.
Your choice is stored, and you can change or withdraw it at any time by reopening the privacy settings (the consent message includes a link to revisit your choices; clearing your browser cookies will also reset the prompt).
5. Your California choices (CCPA/CPRA)
California residents can opt out of the “sharing” of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising through the choices offered in the advertising message shown on your visit. Where required, we honor opt-out preference signals such as Global Privacy Control (GPC). See our Privacy Policy for the full list of California rights.
6. How to control and delete cookies
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Here is how to find them:
- Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Third-party cookies
- Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
- Safari: Settings → Privacy → Manage Website Data
- Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions
Blocking all cookies may affect how parts of websites work. Note that blocking advertising cookies does not remove ads — it makes them less relevant.
To manage personalized advertising specifically, you can use:
- Google Ads Settings — control personalized ads from Google
- aboutads.info — opt out from many US advertising vendors (DAA)
- networkadvertising.org — NAI opt-out tool
- youronlinechoices.eu — EU choices
7. Changes to this policy
We may update this Cookie Policy when the cookies we use change. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page reflects the latest revision.
8. Contact
Questions about cookies? Email [YOUR EMAIL].