1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files deposited on your device (computer, tablet, or phone) when you visit a website. They help sites function properly, store your preferences, and supply usage data to site operators.
Cookies may be first-party (placed by us) or third-party (placed by external services loaded on our pages). They can be session cookies (erased when your browser closes) or persistent cookies (stored for a set period).
2. How We Obtain Consent
On your first visit to TheGravyGuy.com, a Cookie Consent Banner appears. Non-essential cookies (analytics and advertising) are activated only after you explicitly consent by clicking “Accept” or selecting specific categories. You may update your preferences at any time via the “Cookie Settings” link in the site footer.
This consent mechanism satisfies:
- GDPR Art. 6(1)(a) and Recital 32 — consent must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous
- Polish Telecommunications Act (Ustawa Prawo telekomunikacyjne), Art. 173
- EU ePrivacy Directive (2002/58/EC as amended)
- Google’s EU User Consent Policy (required for AdSense)
- IAB Europe TCF v2.2 (if using a certified CMP)
3. Categories of Cookies We Use
3.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are required for core site functionality and cannot be disabled. No consent is needed.
| Cookie | Provider | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| cookieconsent_status | own | 1 year | Stores your cookie consent decision |
| PHPSESSID / wordpress_* | own | Session | WordPress session management |
| wp-settings-* | own | 1 year | WordPress user settings (admin only) |
3.2 Analytics Cookies (Consent Required)
These cookies allow us to measure how visitors use the Site. All collected analytics data is aggregated and anonymized.
| Cookie | Provider | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | 2 years | Distinguishes unique users |
| _ga_XXXXXXXXXX | Google Analytics 4 | 2 years | GA4 session persistence |
| _gid | Google Analytics | 24 hours | Distinguishes users within sessions |
| _gat_gtag_* | Google Analytics | 1 minute | Throttles request rate (performance) |
IP anonymization is enabled in Google Analytics, meaning the final segment of your IP address is removed before storage.
3.3 Advertising Cookies (Consent Required)
We partner with Google AdSense to serve advertisements. These cookies help deliver ads that are more relevant to your interests.
| Cookie | Provider | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| IDE | Google DoubleClick | 2 years | Ad personalization and frequency capping |
| NID | 6 months | Ad preferences and personalization | |
| DSID | 2 weeks | Identify signed-in Google users for ads | |
| test_cookie | 15 minutes | Check if browser supports cookies | |
| __gads / __gpi | Google AdSense | 2 years | Ad measurement and fraud prevention |
If you decline advertising cookies, non-personalized ads will be displayed instead.
3.4 Functional / Preference Cookies (Consent Required)
| Cookie | Provider | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| comment_author_* | WordPress | 1 year | Remembers your name/email for future comments |
| comment_author_email_* | WordPress | 1 year | Remembers your email for future comments |
4. Third-Party Cookies from Embedded Content
Some pages feature embedded content (e.g., YouTube videos, Pinterest pins, social sharing tools). Interacting with this content may allow those third parties to set cookies on your device. We do not control these cookies. Consult the relevant privacy policies:
- YouTube / Google: policies.google.com/privacy
- Pinterest: policy.pinterest.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/policy.php
5. Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You have several ways to control cookies:
- Cookie Consent Banner — Set your preferences on first visit or through the “Cookie Settings” button below
- Browser settings — Most browsers let you block or remove cookies, though this may limit site functionality
- Google Analytics opt-out — Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on
- Google Ad settings — Control ad personalization at adssettings.google.com
- Your Online Choices — Opt out of many ad networks at youronlinechoices.eu
6. Withdrawing Consent
You may revoke your consent to non-essential cookies at any time by clicking “Cookie Settings” in the site footer and updating your selections. Revoking consent has no effect on the lawfulness of processing that occurred before the change.
7. Updates to This Cookie Policy
We may revise this Cookie Policy as new services are added or legal obligations evolve. The “Last updated” date at the top reflects the current version.
8. Contact
Questions about how we use cookies? Reach us through our contact page.
