Cookie Policy

Last updated: September 10, 2026

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device (computer, phone, or tablet) when you visit a website. They’re widely used to make websites work more efficiently and to provide information to the site’s owners. Cookies can be “persistent” (remaining on your device for a set period) or “session” cookies (deleted when you close your browser).

Similar technologies — such as local storage and web beacons — serve comparable functions and are covered by this policy.

2. How Marlin’s Journal Uses Cookies

Our approach to cookies is deliberately minimalist. Unlike many news websites, we do not bombard you with hundreds of third-party tracking cookies. Here’s what we actually use:

2.1 Essential Cookies (Always Active)

These cookies are strictly necessary for the Website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems:

Session cookies: Allow you to navigate the Website securely and maintain your session (e.g., if you’re logged in as a contributor or administrator)
Security cookies: Help us detect and prevent abuse, spam, and unauthorized access (used by our security software)
Load-balancing cookies: Ensure the Website performs reliably by distributing traffic across servers

2.2 Preference Cookies

These cookies remember choices you make to improve your experience:

Display preferences: Remember whether you’ve selected dark mode or light mode
Font size preferences: Remember your reading preferences

2.3 Analytics

We use a privacy-focused, self-hosted analytics tool (Plausible Analytics) to understand aggregate reader behavior — which articles are read, how readers find us, and how long they stay. Plausible is designed to be privacy-friendly:

It does not use cookies for tracking
It does not collect or store personal data
IP addresses are anonymized and never stored in full
Data is aggregated and cannot be used to identify individual users

Because Plausible does not use tracking cookies, we do not display a cookie consent banner for analytics purposes.

3. Third-Party Cookies

Some content on our Website may set third-party cookies:

Embedded content: When we embed videos (e.g., from YouTube), social media posts (e.g., from X or Instagram), or interactive graphics from third parties, those services may set their own cookies. These cookies are governed by the respective third party’s privacy policies, not ours.
Newsletter sign-up: If you subscribe to our newsletter, our email service provider may use cookies or similar technologies to track email opens and link clicks, which helps us understand which content resonates with subscribers.

We have no control over and assume no responsibility for third-party cookies. We recommend reviewing the cookie and privacy policies of any third-party service you interact with.

4. Managing and Disabling Cookies

You have full control over cookies. You can:

Adjust your browser settings to block or delete cookies. Most browsers let you control cookies via their settings or preferences menu.
Delete existing cookies at any time through your browser.
Use private or incognito browsing modes, which typically limit cookie storage.
Install privacy extensions that block third-party trackers.

Here’s how to manage cookies in major browsers:

Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data
Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Cookies and website data
Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Cookies and site data

Please note that blocking essential cookies may impair the functionality of the Website. Blocking non-essential cookies will not prevent you from reading our content.

5. Cookie Consent

Because our first-party cookies are limited to essential functionality and preference settings, and because our analytics tool does not use tracking cookies, we generally do not require a cookie consent banner. If we introduce additional tracking technologies in the future, we will update this policy and implement appropriate consent mechanisms in compliance with applicable laws (including Canada’s PIPEDA and, where applicable, the EU’s GDPR and the UK’s PECR).

6. Do Not Track

Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (DNT) signal. Because our analytics does not track individual users, we do not respond differently to DNT signals — we simply don’t track you regardless of your setting.

7. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, our practices, or applicable law. Updates will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date.