Cookie Policy

Overview

This page explains how ztools.co.uk uses cookies and similar technologies (local storage, pixels, web beacons) when you visit the site. It should be read alongside our Privacy Policy.

We do not set any tracking cookies ourselves. The cookies described below are set by third-party services we embed for analytics and web fonts.

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small text file stored on your device by your browser. Cookies are used to remember preferences, measure traffic, and deliver advertising. Similar technologies include:

• Local storage — key/value data stored in your browser, larger capacity than cookies, not sent with every request.
• Pixels / web beacons — tiny invisible images that notify a server when they load, typically used with cookies for analytics.
• IndexedDB / Cache Storage — used for offline assets. We currently do not use these.

In the rest of this policy we use "cookies" as shorthand for all of the above.

Cookies set by this site

We set no HTTP cookies directly. The only data we store on your device comes from your browser's localStorage, which stays on your device and is never sent to our servers:

All localStorage data can be removed at any time by clearing your browser's site data for ztools.co.uk.

Cookies set by third parties

The following third-party services set cookies when you visit this site. Each service's own cookie and privacy policy is linked.

Google Analytics 4 (analytics)

We use Google Analytics to understand which pages are visited and how users navigate the site, so we can improve it. GA4 does not use third-party cookies and IP addresses are anonymised before storage.

Policies: Google Privacy Policy. Opt-out: Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Microsoft Clarity (user-experience analytics)

We use Microsoft Clarity to record anonymised session replays and heatmaps so we can see which parts of the interface are confusing or broken. Clarity masks form inputs by default and obeys the Do Not Track setting.

Policies: Clarity Terms · Microsoft Privacy Statement.

Google AdSense (advertising)

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements. AdSense (and its partners, including DoubleClick) may set cookies on your device to remember what ads you've seen, measure clicks and impressions, detect fraudulent activity, and optionally personalise the ads shown to you based on Google's profile of your interests.

Opt out of personalised advertising at Google Ads Settings, or opt out of interest-based ads from all participating networks via the Digital Advertising Alliance (US) / Your Online Choices (EU/UK). Visitors in the EEA, UK and other regulated regions: personalised ads require your consent via the cookie notice. If you decline, you'll still see ads, but they will be non-personalised.

Policies: How Google uses cookies in advertising · How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.

Google Fonts (styling)

Google Fonts delivers the Orbitron and Rajdhani fonts we use. It does not set cookies, but loading the font files causes your IP address to be briefly logged by Google.

Policy: Google Fonts Privacy FAQ.

Services that don't set cookies but may receive data

Some third-party services we link to or embed do not set cookies in your browser through us, but may receive data the moment you interact with them. For completeness:

• Google Forms — the contact form on the Contact page is an embedded Google Form. When you submit it, the data goes to Google under their privacy policy. Google may set its own cookies inside the form iframe.
• Social share buttons (X / Facebook / Reddit / WhatsApp / Telegram / email) on tools, wiki and FiR3 pages are plain link-out buttons — they don't load any third-party JavaScript or cookies on our pages. Clicking one opens the destination, which then governs the session under its own policy.
• Ko-fi — clicking the donate link sends you to ko-fi.com, which sets its own cookies once you arrive.
• PayPal — clicking the donate link sends you to paypal.com, which sets its own cookies once you arrive.
• Hosting (Hostinger) — serves the site files. Logs request metadata (IP, user-agent, timestamp) at the server level for security and abuse prevention. No cookies are set on your behalf by the hosting provider.
• Affiliate links (Hostinger, Proton VPN, etc.) — clicking these sends standard HTTP referrer information to the destination, which sets its own cookies once you arrive. See the Privacy Policy for the full affiliate disclosure.

Legal basis

Under UK GDPR and PECR, our legal basis for the items above is:

• Strictly necessary / legitimate interests for localStorage items that are required for basic functionality (accessibility preferences, saved progress, language).
• Consent for non-essential analytics and advertising cookies set by Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity and Google AdSense. You provide consent by clicking Accept All on the cookie notice. If you click Decline, we record your decision and will not prompt you again; however, scripts that were already loaded in your current page view may still set cookies — closing the tab and returning prevents this. For Google AdSense specifically, declining means you will still see ads but they will be non-personalised.

We are working on a stricter consent gate that blocks third-party scripts until consent is given. If you have concerns in the meantime, please email us and we will honour your request.

How to manage cookies

• Browser settings — every major browser lets you block or delete cookies on a per-site basis. See aboutcookies.org for step-by-step guidance.
• Google AdSense advertising cookies — opt out of personalised ads at Google Ads Settings, or all interest-based ads via the Digital Advertising Alliance (US) or Your Online Choices (EU/UK).
• Google Analytics — install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
• Microsoft Clarity — enable Do Not Track in your browser; Clarity respects this signal.
• Site-set localStorage — clear your browser's site data for ztools.co.uk, or use your browser's private/incognito mode.

California & other US states (CCPA / CPRA)

If you are a California resident or live in another US state with comprehensive privacy laws (Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon and others), you have the right to know, delete, and opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information. We do not sell personal information. Behavioural advertising data shared with Google AdSense is treated as "sharing" under CPRA's broad definition; you can opt out at any time by clicking Decline in our cookie banner, or by visiting Google Ads Settings. For verified privacy requests email hello@bddc.co.uk with the subject "Privacy request".

Changes to this policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the services we use or the law. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will always show when the last change was made.

Contact

Questions about how we use cookies? Email hello@bddc.co.uk or see the Contact page.