Cookie Policy

Effective Date: May 3, 2026

This Cookie Policy explains what cookies and similar tracking technologies Sage Ideas LLC uses on sageideas.dev, why we use them, and how you can control them.

Short version: We use very few cookies. No advertising. No cross-site tracking. No third-party data brokers.

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device by a website. They allow the site to remember information between page visits — things like your display preferences or whether you've dismissed a notice. "Similar technologies" include local storage (a browser-based key/value store), session storage, and pixel beacons.

This policy covers all of these collectively as "cookies" for simplicity.

2. Cookie Categories We Use

Category 1: Strictly Necessary

Required for the site to function. These cannot be opted out of without breaking core functionality.

| Cookie / Key | Type | Purpose | Duration | |----------------------|----------------|------------------------------------------------------------|--------------| | __session | HTTP cookie | Maintains authenticated sessions (e.g., admin or client portal logins if applicable) | Session | | color-scheme | Local storage | Remembers your dark/light mode preference | Persistent | | cookie-consent | Local storage | Stores whether you've acknowledged this cookie notice | 365 days |

These are first-party only. No data from these cookies is shared with third parties.

Category 2: Analytics (Vercel Analytics — Privacy-Friendly)

We use Vercel Analytics to understand which pages are visited and how traffic flows through sageideas.dev.

Important: Vercel Analytics is a cookieless analytics system. It does not set any cookies, does not fingerprint individual users, and does not build cross-site profiles. Data is aggregated before storage.

What Vercel Analytics captures (in aggregate):

• Page views and unique visitor counts
• Referring domain (e.g., "came from twitter.com")
• Country-level geography (e.g., "United States")
• Browser type and operating system
• Device category (desktop / mobile / tablet)

Because Vercel Analytics sets no cookies and stores no personal data, it operates outside the scope of typical cookie consent requirements. We disclose it here for full transparency.

If you wish to exclude yourself from Vercel Analytics entirely, browser-level privacy tools (e.g., uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, or a DNS-level blocker) will block the Vercel Analytics script.

Category 3: Session Preferences

| Cookie / Key | Type | Purpose | Duration | |--------------------------|---------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|------------| | nav-open | Session storage | Remembers whether mobile navigation is open or closed | Session | | form-draft-[id] | Local storage | Auto-saves in-progress contact form entries to prevent data loss | Session |

These are cosmetic/UX conveniences. They contain no personal data and are cleared when you close your browser tab (session storage) or at most within a single session.

3. What We Do NOT Use

To be explicit about what's absent from sageideas.dev:

• No advertising or retargeting cookies (no Google Ads, Facebook Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, or similar)
• No third-party analytics cookies (no Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude)
• No social media tracking pixels
• No behavioral profiling or cross-site tracking
• No cookie syncing with data brokers or ad networks

4. Third-Party Cookies

Some third-party services embedded in sageideas.dev may set their own cookies when you interact with them:

| Service | When Active | What They Set | Their Policy | |--------------|------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | Cal.com | When you visit a booking or scheduling page | Session cookies for the scheduling flow | cal.com/privacy | | Stripe | When a payment form is loaded | Fraud prevention and session cookies | stripe.com/privacy |

These third-party cookies are subject to the respective providers' privacy policies, not ours. We use Cal.com and Stripe only for their core operational purpose (booking and payments, respectively) and do not authorize them to use your data for advertising.

5. Your Opt-Out Controls

Browser-Level Controls

All major browsers allow you to manage, block, or delete cookies through settings:

• Chrome: Settings → Privacy and Security → Cookies and other site data
• Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
• Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data
• Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions

Note: Blocking strictly necessary cookies will impair site functionality (e.g., dark mode preferences won't persist, form drafts won't save).

Browser Privacy Extensions

The following extensions are effective at blocking analytics and third-party tracking scripts site-wide:

• uBlock Origin — Free, open source
• Privacy Badger — EFF-maintained, learns from behavior

Do Not Track (DNT)

Some browsers send a "Do Not Track" signal. We respect the spirit of this preference. Because Vercel Analytics already doesn't track individuals, and we don't use behavioral advertising cookies, there is no additional action needed on our end when a DNT signal is present.

Global Privacy Control (GPC)

We honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals where technically feasible. If your browser sends a GPC signal, we treat it as a request to opt out of any data sharing that falls within GPC's scope. Since we do not sell or share personal data for advertising purposes, this primarily affects optional analytics preferences.

6. Consent and Cookie Notice

For visitors in the EU, EEA, or UK, we display a cookie notice on first visit. This notice allows you to:

• Accept strictly necessary cookies only (the default if you dismiss the banner)
• Acknowledge the full cookie setup described in this policy

Because we have no advertising or behavioral tracking cookies, the practical choice is binary: use the site normally, or disable cookies in your browser entirely.

For California residents: since we do not sell personal information collected via cookies, the CCPA does not require a specific opt-out mechanism for our cookie usage. You may still exercise all rights described in our Privacy Policy.

7. Changes to This Policy

We'll update this Cookie Policy if we add new technologies or services. The "Effective Date" at the top reflects the most recent revision. For material changes, we'll update the cookie notice on the site.

8. Contact

Questions about our cookie practices?

Sage Ideas LLC sage@sageideas.dev Orlando, Florida, USA sageideas.dev