Cookie Policy
This page lists every cookie and tracker the Instant Press website uses, what each one does, and how you control it. We split trackers into four categories — strictly necessary, analytics, marketing, and session recording — and the default state of each one depends on where you visit from.
Your default settings depend on your region
We detect your country at the network edge (no IP logged) and apply the rules of the strictest privacy regime you are entitled to:
- European Union, European Economic Area, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Brazil — nothing non-essential loads until you explicitly accept. You will see a full consent prompt on first visit.
- United States — analytics and marketing cookies are on by default in line with CCPA and similar state laws, and you can opt out at any time. Session recording is always off until you opt in. If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, we treat that as an opt-out and do not set analytics or marketing cookies.
- Everywhere else — same behavior as the United States: analytics and marketing on by default, session recording off until opt-in.
What a cookie is, briefly
A cookie is a small text file your browser stores when you visit a site. Some cookies remember things like whether you are logged in. Others assign your browser a stable identifier so analytics tools can connect what you do across pages and visits. Modern tracking also uses related browser storage like localStorage and sessionStorage, which work the same way for the purpose of this policy.
Always on (strictly necessary)
The following always loads, regardless of region or consent, because the site or your security depends on it:
- Vercel Analytics — cookieless privacy-friendly traffic analytics from our hosting provider. Hashes IP into anonymous identifiers, does not set any cookie or browser storage.
- Our own consent record — a single localStorage key called
ip_consent_v2that records your choices on this banner. Without this we could not remember what you opted into.
Analytics — on by default in US and rest of world, off in EU/UK/CH/BR
These tools tell us how many visitors arrived, where they came from, what pages they read, and which ones convert. They do not record screen video and do not capture form contents.
| Tool | What it does | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics 4 Policy | Aggregates visit counts, traffic sources, and conversions. Cookies set: _ga, _ga_*. Retention: 14 months. We use Google Consent Mode v2 so GA4 sends no hits and sets no cookies until you have either accepted or your region permits the default. | Analytics |
| Google Tag Manager Policy | Container that lets us deploy and update tags without redeploying the site. Does not set tracking cookies on its own. Individual tags inside it inherit your consent state. | Analytics |
| PostHog (events only) Policy | Product analytics. Tracks pageviews, button clicks, and form submissions so we know which pages and tools are working. Cookie: ph_*_posthog. Retention: 12 months. Respects Do Not Track. | Analytics |
Marketing — on by default in US and rest of world, off in EU/UK/CH/BR
These tools measure whether ads brought you here and let us run conversion-tracked ad campaigns.
| Tool | What it does | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Advertising (UET) Policy | Bing/Microsoft Ads conversion tracking. Sets cookies _uetsid, _uetvid. Retention: 13 months. Loads only when the marketing category is enabled. | Marketing |
Session recording — always off until you opt in
These tools record screen video and detailed interactions. They give us much richer information about how a page is used, but they are also more invasive, so we only enable them if you explicitly opt in — in every region, including the United States.
| Tool | What it does | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Clarity Policy | Records anonymized session replays, heatmaps, and rage-click detection. Used to find UX problems on landing pages. Retention: 30 days. | Recording (opt-in) |
| PostHog session recording Policy | Records the same session as a video, tied to PostHog event analytics. Password fields are always masked. Retention: 12 months. | Recording (opt-in) |
Third-party tools that may set cookies when you use them
The following appear on certain pages or flows, not on every page:
- Calendly — loaded on pages where you can book a call. Sets a session cookie so the booking widget works. Policy
- YouTube — embedded videos on a few blog posts. We use the
youtube-nocookiedomain, which delays cookie placement until you press play. Policy - Stripe — loaded only on the checkout step for paying clients. Sets cookies for fraud detection. Policy
How to change your choice
Change your consent right now
Use the buttons below to update what we run. Your choice is stored in your browser as a small file called ip_consent_v2.
"Accept everything" enables analytics, marketing, and session recording. "Reject everything" turns all three off and disables non-essential cookies. "Open the banner" lets you toggle each category individually.
Browser-level controls
Every modern browser lets you block or delete cookies, set a Do Not Track signal, or turn on Global Privacy Control. Where the browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, we treat it the same as you clicking “decline.” PostHog also respects the older Do Not Track header.
Changes to this policy
If we add a new tracker, we update this page and reset stored consent so the banner shows up again. The date at the top reflects the last change.
Contact
Questions? Email team@instantpress.co with subject “Cookie Policy.”