Cookie policy
Last updated 17 September 2026.
The principle
Nothing on this list except the strictly necessary items runs until you say yes. When you first arrive, analytics and advertising are off. If you never make a choice, they stay off.
We use Google Consent Mode v2, which tells Google's tags what you decided before they load. That matters: the common approach is to load everything, set cookies, and then try to clean up after a visitor declines. This does not do that.
Change your mind any time. - or use the link in the footer of any page. Withdrawing is one click, the same as giving it.
Strictly necessary
These make the site work and remember your choices. They cannot be turned off, they set nothing that follows you elsewhere, and they do not need consent under UK or EU law. Both are stored in your browser's local storage rather than as cookies sent with every request.
| Name | Purpose | Lasts | Set by |
|---|---|---|---|
| tse-consent | Remembers your cookie choice so we stop asking. Stored in your browser, not sent to any server. | 12 months | Us |
| tse-colour | Remembers whether you switched the site to monochrome. | Until cleared | Us |
Analytics - only with your consent
Google Analytics 4. Tells us which pages get read and where people give up, so we know what to write next.
| Name | Purpose | Lasts | Set by |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Distinguishes one browser from another so visits can be counted. | 2 years | Google Analytics |
| _ga_* | Keeps session state for Google Analytics 4. | 2 years | Google Analytics |
Advertising - only with your consent
We advertise on Google. These let us tell which adverts produce real enquiries rather than just clicks. Decline and Google gives us a rough modelled count instead, with no cookie and no identifier attached to you.
| Name | Purpose | Lasts | Set by |
|---|---|---|---|
| _gcl_* | Records that a visit came from a Google ad, so a resulting enquiry can be attributed to it. | 90 days | Google Ads |
| IDE / test_cookie | Set by Google on doubleclick.net to measure ad performance and limit repeat impressions. | Up to 13 months | |
| NID / 1P_JAR | Google preference and security cookies, which may be set when Google tags load. | Up to 6 months |
What runs whatever you choose
Vercel Web Analytics and Speed Insights. They set no cookies and store nothing on your device, so they do not need consent and are not in the tables above. They record aggregate page views, referring site, country, browser, device type and how quickly pages load. No individual visitor is identified.
This is deliberate. It means we can still tell which pages are useful and which are slow without needing anything from you, which is why we can afford to make declining genuinely free of consequence.
Controlling cookies in your browser
Beyond the settings on this site, every major browser lets you block or delete cookies, and most offer a setting to reject third-party cookies entirely. Look under Settings, then Privacy. Blocking all cookies will break parts of many websites, though not this one.
You can also opt out of Google Analytics across every site using Google's browser add-on, and manage Google ad personalisation in your Google account settings.
Questions
Write to hello@thesoftwareengine.com. See also our privacy policy.