Cookies are small text files a website stores on your device so it can work properly and remember things between visits — for example, keeping you signed in. Similar technologies (such as your browser’s local storage) can do the same job, and where we mention “cookies” in this policy we mean those too.

We keep ours to a minimum. Nothing beyond the strictly necessary is set unless you choose “Accept all”— we don’t sell your data, and we don’t build profiles of what you read. With your consent we use Google Analytics to understand readership and Meta’s pixel to see which of our adverts bring readers here (details below); we also use Vercel’s cookieless, aggregate performance measurement, which sets no cookies at all. This policy explains the cookies we do use, why, how long they last, and how to control them. It sits alongside our Privacy Policy. Last updated 13 June 2026.

These are always on because the site cannot function without them. Under the law they don’t require consent. We set:

• Sign-in session— keeps you logged in to your account (cleared when you sign out; otherwise expires after the session).
• fence_access— remembers your subscription tier so we show the right content and don’t re-check on every page (a few hours).
• fence_meter— counts how many free articles you’ve read this month for the paywall (about one month).
• fence_cookie_consent— remembers your cookie choice so we don’t ask again (one year).
• Security / anti-forgery tokens— protect sign-in and forms against abuse (session length).

These are only set after you agreeto non-essential cookies. They enable extra features but aren’t required for the site to work:

• Embedded podcast player (Spotify)— our podcast embeds set cookies when you choose to load them. Until you accept functional cookies the player isn’t loaded at all, so no Spotify cookies are set.
• Google Analytics (_gaand similar) — helps us understand which pieces are read and how readers find them, in aggregate. Only loaded after you choose “Accept all”; choose “Essential only” and it never loads. Lasts up to two years. See Google’s cookie policy.

If you decline, you’ll still be able to read and use everything else on the site — you just won’t see the inline player.

We advertise the magazine on Facebook and Instagram. So that we can tell which adverts actually bring readers and subscribers, and spend less on the ones that don’t, we use Meta’s pixel — but only after you choose “Accept all”. Choose “Essential only” and it never loads, nothing is sent to Meta, and the adverts you see elsewhere are unaffected by anything you read here.

• Meta Pixel (_fbp, and _fbcif you arrived from a Facebook or Instagram advert) — records that a reader who saw an advert came to the site, read a piece, started a checkout or subscribed. It lets Meta show our adverts to people who have visited the site. We send only the standard events; we have turned off Meta’s automatic collection of button clicks and form fields, and we never send names, addresses or what you type. Lasts up to 90 days. See Meta’s cookie policy.

When you subscribe or buy with advertising cookies accepted, we also tell Meta about that purchase from our server (your email address, hashed so it cannot be read, plus the amount), so the sale is counted even if the thank-you page never finished loading. With “Essential only” we don’t.

A few trusted providers we rely on may set their own cookies. We don’t control these and recommend reading their policies:

• Stripe— processes payments for subscriptions, single issues and donations, and uses cookies for fraud prevention and to make checkout work. These appear only on payment and donation flows. See Stripe’s cookie policy.
• Spotify — only if you load an embedded podcast player (see above). See Spotify’s cookie policy.

Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and the UK GDPR, strictly necessary cookies are set on the basis of our legitimate interest in providing a working, secure service, and need no consent. All other (functional) cookies are set only with your consent, which you give through the cookie banner and can withdraw at any time.

For more on the personal data we hold and your rights over it, see our Privacy Policy.

When you first visit we ask whether to allow non-essential (functional) cookies. You can change your answer at any time using the “Cookie settings” link in the footer.

You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings — see the help pages for Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge. Note that blocking strictly necessary cookies will stop parts of the site (sign-in, the paywall, checkout) from working.

We honour your browser’s “Do Not Track” / Global Privacy Control signal where we can. Because we don’t run advertising or tracking cookies, there is little for it to switch off.

We may update this policy as the site changes; the date at the top shows when it was last revised. Material changes will be reflected here.

Questions about cookies or your data? Email us at info@the-fence.com.