Cookie policy
Last updated: 7 September 2026
Our approach
We use one analytics tool, Google Analytics 4, and we ask before it sets anything on your device. Declining is a single click and costs you nothing on this site.
Asking first
On your first visit you will see a banner with two equal choices, Accept and Decline. No analytics cookie is set unless you choose Accept. We do store one small item either way - your answer, so the banner is not asking again on every page - and it is listed below. You can change your mind at any time using Cookie settings at the bottom of any page.
Cookies this site sets
If you accept, Google Analytics sets two first-party cookies:
| Cookie | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
_ga | Distinguishes one visitor from another so repeat visits are not counted as new people. | 2 years |
_ga_T14EDDB014 | Keeps track of a single visit (a "session") on this site. | 2 years |
If you decline, neither is set.
What we store either way
The rules here cover anything stored on your device, not just cookies. One item is stored whichever button you press:
| Item | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
cds-consent-v1 (local storage) | Remembers the choice you just made, so the banner does not ask again on every page. | Until you clear this site's data |
This one does not need your consent - remembering that you said no is strictly necessary to honour it - but you should still know it is there.
If you change your mind
If you accepted and later decline, we do not just stop counting you: We delete the two Google Analytics cookies from your device at the same time. Withdrawing has to actually undo the thing you agreed to, not merely switch it off going forward.
If you decline
We still receive a record that a page was viewed. It carries no cookie, so nothing recognises you on a later visit and no profile is built up over time. Google uses these records to estimate overall traffic.
We are not going to call that anonymous, because it is not quite: the record still includes your IP address and browser details, and in the UK an IP address counts as personal data. What is true is that We never learn your name or email address this way, we have turned off the setting that would join it to your Google account, and we cannot pick you out of it.
Third-party cookies
The newsletter is run by beehiiv. Submitting the signup form sends your email address to beehiiv; the form itself is ours and sets no cookies of its own. We do not embed advertising or social media tracking pixels.
How long we keep analytics data
Google Analytics data is retained for 14 months, after which it is deleted automatically.
Questions
If you have any questions about cookies on this site, email ben@churchdigitalstrategy.com.