I run imraan.in on my own, and like most websites it uses cookies and a few similar browser technologies. Here I explain which ones load when you read my blog, why they are there, how long they stay, and how you can control them. I have tried to keep it plain and honest, with no legal padding.
On this page- What cookies are
- Your consent and how to change it
- Necessary cookies
- Statistics cookies
- Marketing cookies
- Functional services
- Third-party privacy policies
- How to clear or block cookies in your browser
- Questions
What cookies are
Cookies are small text files a website saves in your browser. They let a site remember things between page loads, such as the details you typed into a comment form or the choice you made on a consent banner. Some are set by my own domain (first-party cookies). Others are set by services I use, such as Google or Microsoft (third-party cookies). Sites can also use similar tools like local storage, and I treat those the same way on this page.
Your consent and how to change it
I use Complianz to show a consent banner. Necessary cookies always load because the site cannot work safely without them. Statistics and marketing cookies are opt-in for visitors from the EU, so they only load after you say yes. You can change or withdraw your choice at any time, and it takes effect straight away.
I also use Google Consent Mode. When consent for analytics or advertising has not been given, Google’s tags do not set their analytics or advertising cookies. They only send basic cookieless signals, which Google uses to estimate overall numbers.
Necessary cookies
These keep the site secure, fast and working. They do not track you for advertising and they cannot be switched off from the banner.
| Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
comment_author_{hash} comment_author_email_{hash} comment_author_url_{hash} | WordPress | Remembers the name, email and website you entered when you left a comment, so you don’t have to type them again. | A little under one year |
wordpress_test_cookie | WordPress | Checks that your browser accepts cookies. Only set on the login page. | Temporary |
__cf_bm | Cloudflare | Helps Cloudflare tell real visitors apart from bad bots. It does not follow you to other sites. | 30 minutes of inactivity |
cf_clearance | Cloudflare | Stores proof that you passed a Cloudflare security check, so you aren’t challenged again. | Not published by Cloudflare |
wfwaf-authcookie-{hash} | Wordfence | Lets my firewall recognise logged-in users. Ordinary readers don’t get it. | Not published by Wordfence |
_lscache_vary | LiteSpeed Cache | Makes sure logged-in users and commenters see the right version of a cached page. | Not published by LiteSpeed |
cmplz_functional cmplz_preferences cmplz_statistics cmplz_marketing cmplz_consented_services cmplz_policy_id cmplz_banner-status | Complianz | Remembers the consent choices you made on the banner and which version of this policy you saw. | 365 days |
When I log in to manage the site, WordPress also sets its own login cookies (wordpress_[hash], wordpress_logged_in_[hash] and wp-settings). Readers who never log in won’t get those.
Statistics cookies
These help me understand which articles people read, where readers come from and where pages are confusing. I only look at the numbers in aggregate. I don’t try to identify anyone.
| Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
_ga | Google Analytics 4 (via Site Kit) | Distinguishes one visitor from another. | 2 years |
_ga_<container-id> | Google Analytics 4 (via Site Kit) | Keeps track of your session. | 2 years |
_clck | Microsoft Clarity | Stores a Clarity user ID and preferences that are unique to this site. | Not published by Microsoft |
_clsk | Microsoft Clarity | Joins the pages you view into one session recording. | Not published by Microsoft |
CLID | Microsoft Clarity | Records when Clarity first saw this browser on any site using Clarity. | Not published by Microsoft |
MUID ANONCHK MR SM | Microsoft | Microsoft cookies Clarity relies on to recognise browsers across Microsoft services and keep that ID in sync. | Not published by Microsoft |
Microsoft Clarity records how pages are used, such as clicks, scrolling and mouse movement, so I can spot layout problems. Clarity masks text you type into forms. Microsoft explains its cookies on the Clarity cookies page.
Two of my tools count visits without cookies at all:
- Jetpack Stats by Automattic counts page views. It doesn’t set cookies for visitors. It processes your IP address, browser details, the page URL, the referring URL, browser language and country to produce totals, as described in Jetpack’s own documentation.
- Ahrefs Web Analytics uses no cookies or persistent identifiers. To count unique visitors it hashes your IP address and browser details with a random salt that is replaced every 24 hours, and it never stores the raw IP address. Ahrefs describes this in its Web Analytics help article.
Marketing cookies
I show ads through Google AdSense to help pay for hosting and the time I put into writing. With your consent, Google can personalise those ads. Without it, Google only shows limited or non-personalised ads.
| Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
__gads | Google AdSense | Advertising and security, such as limiting how often you see the same ad. | 13 months |
__gpi | Google AdSense | Advertising and security. | 13 months |
__eoi | Google AdSense | Security, helping prevent ad fraud. | 6 months |
IDE | Google (doubleclick.net) | Serves and personalises ads and measures how well they perform. | 13 months in the EEA and UK, 24 months elsewhere |
DSID | Google (doubleclick.net) | Links your activity across devices if you are signed in to Google, for advertising. | 2 weeks |
test_cookie | Google (doubleclick.net) | Checks whether your browser accepts cookies. | 15 minutes |
Durations above come from Google’s list of advertising and measurement cookies. Google may set other cookies from that list depending on how an ad is served. You can control ad personalisation in My Ad Center.
I also use Google Reader Revenue Manager, which loads a small Google script on articles for optional support and subscription prompts. It works under the same Google privacy terms as my other Google services.
Functional services
Site search is powered by Algolia. When you type in the search box, your search text is sent to Algolia to fetch matching posts. I have Algolia’s search insights switched off, so it does not set cookies on this site.
Third-party privacy policies
Each provider handles data under its own policy:
- Google (Analytics, AdSense, Reader Revenue Manager)Google Privacy Policy and how Google uses information from sites that use its services
- Microsoft ClarityMicrosoft Privacy Statement
- CloudflareCloudflare Privacy Policy and Cloudflare cookies
- Jetpack and WordPress.comAutomattic Privacy Policy
- AhrefsAhrefs Privacy Policy
- AlgoliaAlgolia Privacy Policy
- WordfenceWordfence Privacy Policy
How to clear or block cookies in your browser
You can delete cookies already stored and block new ones in your browser settings. Blocking necessary cookies may break parts of the site, such as security checks or the comment form. Here is how in the main browsers:
To stop Google Analytics on every site you visit, you can also install Google’s Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
Questions
If anything here is unclear, or you want to ask about your data, email me at contact@imraan.in or use my contact page. I update this page whenever I add or remove a service that uses cookies.
Last updated on 29 October 2026