Privacy policy

The short version

We don't use tracking cookies, banner ads (and their cookies) only load if you say yes, we don't have user accounts, and there are no forms on the public site that collect personal information.

What we store

• Server logs. Like most websites, our web server keeps standard access logs (such as IP address, page requested, browser type and time) for security and to keep the site running. They are kept for a limited period by our hosting provider.
• Outbound link counts. When you follow a link to another site, we record the date, which link was used and the page it was on, so we know which links are useful. We do not record your IP address or any other personal information with it.
• Your measurement preference. If you switch a recipe between ml and oz, your browser remembers the choice in its own local storage. It never leaves your device and you can clear it in your browser settings.
• Searches and 'What can I make?' These work through the page address (for example /search/?q=negroni). We don't keep a record of what you search for beyond the standard server logs.

Cookies

We don’t use tracking or analytics cookies, and fonts, images and scripts all come from this site. We set no cookies of our own for visitors. The only one is a session cookie for the site’s administrator when they sign in to the editing area; visitors never receive it.

When you first visit, a bar asks whether you’re happy with ads cookies. We keep your answer in your browser’s local storage (or, if that’s blocked, in a small cookie from this site called ads_consent) for 6 months, so we don’t have to ask on every page. It holds only “accept” or “reject” and the date, and it isn’t sent to anyone.

Banner ads

Some pages have up to two banner ads: one under the menu, and one part-way through the page. There are none on this page, the contact, terms and affiliate pages, the search page, the “drinking responsibly” guide, printable recipe cards or the photo credits page. The ads come from 5od (5od.co.uk), a small ad service run by the owner of this site. They’re contextual: 5od chooses a banner to suit the page you’re reading, not you. 5od itself sets no cookies and builds no profile of you; your browser sends it the site, the ad position and size, and the address of the page.

The banners are for shops and brands in the Awin affiliate network. Awin’s banner images and links can set Awin’s own cookies: when a banner is shown, and when you click one, so that a purchase can be credited to us. That’s why nothing loads until you choose:

• Accept ads cookies: banners load, and Awin is told you agreed.
• Reject: no banners load at all, and your browser doesn’t contact 5od or Awin for ads.
• JavaScript off: no ads load and you won’t be asked.

Like any website, 5od’s server sees your IP address when your browser asks it for a banner. 5od doesn’t store raw IP addresses: it keeps a scrambled (salted and hashed) version for up to 2 days, only to limit abuse.

Changing your mind

Use Cookie settings (also at the bottom of every page) to see your current choice and change it at any time. If you switch from accept to reject, banners stop loading straight away. Any Awin cookies already set stay in your browser until they expire, or until you delete them in your browser’s settings (clearing this site’s data also resets your choice, and we’ll ask again).

Videos

Some pages include YouTube videos. Nothing is loaded from YouTube until you press play. When you do, the video loads from YouTube's privacy-enhanced (youtube-nocookie.com) service, and YouTube's own privacy policy applies.

Links to other sites

Links to other websites, including Amazon, go through a short redirect on our site (/go/…). Once you arrive on another site, its own privacy policy and cookies apply. See our affiliate disclosure.

Contact

Questions about privacy: hello@thirstyforknowledge.uk. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).