Legal
Cookie policy
Last updated: November 4, 2026
This policy explains which cookies and similar technologies are used on thetalayer.io. The short answer: we don't use cookies for analytics, advertising or tracking, which is why you won't see a cookie banner.
The short version
- No advertising, tracking or social media cookies.
- No cookies for analytics — our analytics tool, Vercel Web Analytics, is cookieless.
- At the time of writing, ThetaLayer sets no cookies at all on this site.
- If we ever want to use cookies that require consent, we'll ask you first.
What cookies are
Cookies are small text files that a website stores in your browser. Similar technologies — such as local storage, session storage, tracking pixels and device fingerprinting — store or read information on your device in comparable ways. In this policy, “cookies” covers all of them.
First-party cookies are set by the site you're visiting; third-party cookies are set by other domains, often for advertising. Session cookies are deleted when you close your browser; persistent cookies remain until they expire or you delete them.
How we approach cookies
Cookies generally fall into four categories. We've decided upfront which ones we're willing to use:
| Category | What it's for | Do we use it? | Consent needed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Security, load balancing, keeping a session signed in | Only when technically required (see below) | No |
| Preferences | Remembering settings such as language | No | Yes |
| Analytics | Measuring how visitors use the site | No — our analytics is cookieless | Yes |
| Marketing | Advertising, retargeting, cross-site tracking | No | Yes |
We would only add cookies from the last three categories after asking for your consent, and you could refuse or change your mind at any time.
Analytics without cookies
We use Vercel Web Analytics to count page views and see, in aggregate, how visitors find and use our site. It doesn't set cookies, doesn't store an identifier on your device to recognize you, and doesn't track you across other websites. Visitors are counted using a hash calculated from the incoming request, which is discarded after 24 hours. Your IP address and user agent aren't stored, and we see only aggregated statistics. More detail is in our privacy policy.
Cookies currently in use
At the time of writing, ThetaLayer doesn't set any cookies on this site.
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Duration | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None currently | ThetaLayer | — | — | — |
| Security challenge cookie (exceptional cases only) | Vercel, our hosting provider | If Vercel's firewall suspects automated or malicious traffic, it may show a browser check and set a cookie confirming that your browser passed it, so you aren't checked again on every page. | Short-lived | Strictly necessary |
Our forms don't set cookies, and our staff-only pages use your browser's built-in sign-in prompt rather than a cookie. We'll update this table before we introduce any new cookie.
Legal basis
- Germany and the EU: under Section 25(2) No. 2 of the German Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act (TDDDG — called the TTDSG until it was renamed in 2024), storing or accessing information on your device doesn't require consent where it's strictly necessary to provide a service you've explicitly requested. This implements Article 5(3) of the EU ePrivacy Directive, which provides the same exemption across the EU.
- United Kingdom: the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) exempt strictly necessary storage from the consent requirement in the same way.
- Personal data: where a strictly necessary cookie involves personal data, it's processed based on the legitimate interest in providing a secure, working website (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).
- Anything else: any cookie outside the strictly necessary category would only be used with your consent (Section 25(1) TDDDG, Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR).
Managing cookies
You can control cookies in your browser's settings, usually under Privacy or Security. Most browsers let you:
- see which cookies are stored and delete them;
- block third-party cookies, or all cookies;
- clear cookies automatically when you close the browser;
- browse in a private window that discards cookies when you close it.
Your browser's help pages explain the exact steps. Our site works if you block all cookies; in the rare case that a security check appears, your browser needs to accept its cookie to pass it. Blocking our analytics script with a content blocker doesn't affect how the site works.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we use cookies — in particular, before introducing any cookie that requires consent — we'll update this policy and the table above, and ask for your consent where required. The “Last updated” date at the top shows the current version.
Contact
Questions about cookies or privacy? Email [Privacy contact email, e.g. privacy@thetalayer.io]. Our privacy policy explains how we handle personal data in general.