Cookies Policy
Last updated: 27 May 2026
1. What cookies are
Cookies are small text files a website stores on your device. They allow a site to remember something between visits, like a login or a language preference. Some cookies are needed for the site to work; others are used to track behaviour across pages or across the web.
2. What we currently use
Mercuriosity is deliberately light on cookies. As of the date above, we use no analytics cookies, no advertising cookies, and no third-party tracking cookies.
We do count visits, using Vercel Web Analytics. It is cookieless: it stores nothing on your device, sets no identifier, and cannot recognise you on a return visit or follow you to another website. It is served from this domain by the company that hosts this site, so the request never leaves mercuriosity.eu. What it records is the page, the referring site, the country, and the kind of device. That is enough to see which pages people reach and which are never found, and not enough to identify anyone. Because it stores nothing on your device, it needs no consent and runs for every visitor.
The browser storage we do use is functional. One entry in localStorage remembers your cookie consent choice, so you do not see the banner on every visit. The free tools add a few more: they keep your own answers and scores on your own device so a page can be filled in over time, and they remember whether you have already given an email address so you are not asked twice. None of it is sent anywhere or used to recognise you.
| Name | Type | Purpose | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
mc-cookie-consent |
localStorage (not a cookie) | Remembers whether you accepted or declined non-essential cookies, so the banner does not reappear. | Until you clear browser storage or use the reset button below. |
3. What may happen when you click through to a third party
We embed nothing tracking-related on the site itself. But when you click a link that takes you off mercuriosity.eu, that destination sets its own cookies under its own policy. The most common cases:
- Substack — when you click through to read or subscribe to The Operating Table, Substack sets cookies on its domain. See substack.com/privacy.
The same applies to the signup form we show on some pages: that form is hosted by Substack. We deliberately do not load it with the page — it appears only after you press "Show the signup form", so nothing reaches Substack unless you ask for it. - LinkedIn — same applies to the LinkedIn link in the footer. See LinkedIn privacy policy.
4. What our service providers may do
- Vercel (our host) may set technical cookies needed for routing and security. These are essential to serving the site. vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy
- Supabase (used only by the Evidence Chain Translator) stores anonymous form submissions. It does not set tracking cookies on your device.
5. If we add analytics that do track you
The visit counting described in section 2 is cookieless and anonymous, which is why it runs without asking. If we ever add analytics that set a cookie or build a profile across visits (Google Analytics or similar), we will update this page first, and the banner will be wired to honour your choice. That kind of analytics will not load unless you accept.
6. Change or reset your choice
You can clear your stored consent choice and the banner will reappear on your next page load.
Cleared. Refresh the page.You can also manage cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers let you block third-party cookies, clear all cookies, or be notified before one is set. See aboutcookies.org for instructions per browser.
7. Changes to this policy
If we change what cookies we use, we update the "Last updated" date and the table above. For material changes (for example, adding analytics), the banner will reappear so you can make a new choice.
8. Contact
Questions about cookies or your browser data: nancy@mercuriosity.eu.