Bloket.blog uses cookies. This page explains what cookies are, which ones this site uses, why they are used, and what options readers have to control them.
Reading this page takes a few minutes. Those minutes are worth it if cookies or data privacy matter to you.
What cookies are
A cookie is a small text file that a website places on your device when you visit. The file is stored by your browser and sent back to the site on future visits.
Cookies were invented to solve a practical problem: websites have no memory by default. Without cookies, a site cannot tell whether a visitor has been there before, what preferences they set, or what they put in a shopping cart. Cookies give websites that memory.
Not all cookies do the same thing. Some are essential for a page to load correctly. Others track browsing behavior across multiple sites for advertising purposes. The difference matters, and this page explains which category each cookie on this site falls into.
Types of cookies this site uses
Essential cookies
Essential cookies are required for the site to function. They do not track personal behavior and do not collect data for advertising.
Bloket.blog uses essential cookies to remember basic session information and to ensure pages load in a stable way. Blocking essential cookies may cause parts of the site to behave incorrectly.
Analytics cookies
Analytics cookies collect information about how visitors use the site. This includes which pages are visited, how long visitors stay, what device and browser they use, and where traffic comes from.
This information is used in aggregate, not at the individual level. The purpose is to understand what content is useful and what can be improved.
Bloket.blog uses Google Analytics for this purpose. Google Analytics cookies set by this site include:
_ga — Distinguishes individual users by assigning a randomly generated number. Used to calculate visit, session, and campaign data. Expires after 2 years.
ga[ID] — Used by Google Analytics 4 to persist session state. Expires after 2 years.
_gid — Distinguishes users. Expires after 24 hours.
_gat — Used to throttle the request rate when traffic is high. Expires after 1 minute.
Google’s data collection through these cookies is governed by Google’s own privacy policy, which can be reviewed at policies.google.com/privacy.
Advertising cookies
Bloket.blog displays advertisements through Google AdSense. Google AdSense uses cookies to serve ads that are relevant to visitors based on their browsing behavior.
Advertising cookies set by Google AdSense may include:
IDE — Used by Google’s DoubleClick to register and report actions after seeing or clicking an ad. Used to measure effectiveness and target advertising. Set by doubleclick.net. Expires after about 1 year.
DSID — Used to identify a logged-in user on non-Google sites and remember whether the user has agreed to ad personalization. Expires after about 2 weeks.
test_cookie — Used to check whether the browser supports cookies. Set by doubleclick.net. Expires after about 15 minutes.
Advertising cookies track behavior across multiple websites, not just bloket.blog. Google’s advertising data practices are governed by Google’s privacy policy.
Readers can opt out of personalized advertising from Google at adssettings.google.com.
Functional cookies
Functional cookies remember choices a visitor makes so the site can provide a more personalized experience. This includes things like whether a cookie consent banner has been acknowledged.
These cookies do not track browsing behavior across other sites.
Third-party cookies
Some cookies on this site are set not by bloket.blog directly but by third-party services that the site uses. Third-party cookies are governed by the privacy policies of those third parties, not by this cookie policy.
Third parties that may set cookies through bloket.blog include:
Google Analytics (analytics.google.com) — For site usage analytics.
Google AdSense / DoubleClick (doubleclick.net, google.com) — For serving and measuring advertisements.
WordPress — The platform this site runs on sets cookies related to comment sessions and logged-in state for authenticated users only. These do not affect readers who are not logged in.
Bloket.blog does not control what cookies these third parties set, only whether their services run on this site. The best source of information about any third-party cookie is the privacy policy of the company that set it.
What this site does not do with cookies
Bloket.blog does not use cookies to:
- Collect personally identifiable information without consent
- Build individual behavioral profiles for sale to data brokers
- Track children under the age of 13
- Share collected data with parties other than those described in this policy
Cookie duration
Cookies expire at different times depending on their purpose.
Session cookies expire when the browser is closed. Persistent cookies remain on the device until they expire naturally or until the visitor deletes them.
The cookies described in this policy and their approximate durations are listed in the relevant sections above. Exact durations may vary based on updates made by the third parties who set them.
How to control cookies
Readers have several options for managing or disabling cookies.
Browser settings
All major browsers allow cookies to be viewed, managed, and deleted through browser settings. The settings location varies by browser:
Chrome — Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data
Firefox — Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
Safari — Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data
Edge — Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Manage and delete cookies and site data
Blocking all cookies may affect how some websites function, including bloket.blog. Essential cookies in particular may need to remain enabled for pages to load correctly.
Opt-out tools
For analytics cookies set by Google Analytics, visitors can install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. This add-on prevents Google Analytics from collecting data about visits.
For advertising cookies, visitors can adjust personalized advertising preferences through adssettings.google.com or opt out of interest-based advertising through the Digital Advertising Alliance at optout.aboutads.info.
Do Not Track
Some browsers offer a Do Not Track signal that instructs websites not to track browsing behavior. Bloket.blog does not currently respond to Do Not Track signals because there is no standard for how websites should honor them. Visitors who prefer not to be tracked should use the browser and opt-out options described above.
Readers in the European Union
If you are visiting from a country in the European Union, your cookie rights are protected by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ePrivacy Directive.
Under these regulations, non-essential cookies require your consent before being set. If a cookie consent mechanism is in place on this site, your choices through that mechanism are respected.
You have the right to withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of any processing that occurred before consent was withdrawn.
For questions about your data rights under GDPR, the relevant supervisory authority is the data protection authority in your country of residence.
Readers in California
California residents have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) regarding personal information collected through cookies.
These rights include knowing what personal information is being collected, requesting deletion of personal information, and opting out of the sale of personal information.
Bloket.blog does not sell personal information. Advertising cookies served through Google are subject to Google’s own CCPA compliance.
To exercise CCPA rights, California residents may contact the site using the details on the Contact page.
Updates to this cookie policy
This cookie policy may be updated as the cookies used on the site change or as laws require. Changes are posted on this page.
The date at the bottom of this page reflects when the policy was last reviewed. Checking this page periodically keeps you informed of any changes.
Contact
Questions about this cookie policy or about the cookies on bloket.blog can be directed through the Contact page.
Last reviewed: This cookie policy is reviewed periodically. The version on this page is the current version in effect.