Cookies and consent at Sinter

Last updated: 29 September 2026

We do not use tracking cookies.

Sinter uses no advertising cookie, no analytics cookie and no third-party tracker of any kind, and its site statistics are cookieless: page views, an approximate visit length and bounce rate, the country our hosting provider already knows and the device type are counted as daily aggregates, never tied to your account and never reconstructable into one person. Launch events are limited to join and build_created; only the UTC day, event name and count are stored, with no identity or hash. These event counts are purged after 760 days on the next event read or write. The only cookies are the ones that keep you signed in and safe, plus one first-party display choice (whether the sidebar is open) that only your own click sets.

Cookies Sinter sets

These are the only cookies we set. None of them is used for advertising, analytics or cross-site tracking, and none of them is shared with other sites. The three set by our own server are HttpOnly, so page scripts cannot read them.

• sinter_session (set by our server) - Keeps you signed in between pages and requests. Lasts 7 days; cleared when you sign out or delete the account.
• sinter_oidc (set by our server) - Remembers that a sign-in is in progress so the callback cannot be forged. Lasts 10 minutes; cleared when the sign-in finishes.
• sinter_totp (set by our server) - Carries the second step while a two-factor sign-in is being completed. Lasts 10 minutes; single use.
• sidebar_state (set by this page from your own click) - Remembers whether you left the community sidebar open or closed. Lasts 7 days; cleared with your browser storage.

Storage on your own device

These are choices you made, stored locally on your device, not linked to you by us. You can clear any of it in your browser settings. Clearing this data resets your preferences; the site still works.

• sinter-theme in localStorage - Dark or light mode. Until you change it or clear it.
• sinter-pref-displayMode in localStorage - Your choice of light mode, dark mode or matching your device. Until you change it or clear it.
• sinter-pref-reduceMotion in localStorage - Your choice of less movement, full movement or matching your device. Until you change it or clear it.
• sinter-pref-openPosts in localStorage - Whether posts open in a separate tab. Until you change it or clear it.
• sinter-pref-feedView in localStorage - Your starting feed layout: comfortable or compact. Until you change it or clear it.
• sinter-pref-feedSort in localStorage - Your starting feed order. Until you change it or clear it.
• sinter.chatDock.state in localStorage - Whether the chat panel is open. Until cleared.
• sinter:recent-searches in localStorage - Your last searches, newest first. Until cleared.
• sinter:get-started:* in localStorage - A first-steps card you dismissed. Until cleared.
• sinter:feed-sort:* in localStorage - Your feed sort choice. Until cleared.
• sinter:feed-density:* in localStorage - Your feed view density. Until cleared.
• sinter:post-last-seen in localStorage - The "new comments" line. Capped at 500 posts; until cleared.
• sinter:image-draft-captions in localStorage - Draft image descriptions. Until the draft is posted or cleared.
• sinter_status_banner_dismissed in localStorage - A status notice you closed. Until cleared.
• sinter:low-bandwidth in localStorage - Your low-data mode choice. Until cleared.
• sinter_beacon_page_count in sessionStorage - Counts pages in this tab for the visit-length number. Until the tab closes.
• sinter:post-composer-draft:* in sessionStorage - Unsent post text. Until the tab closes.
• sinter:post-edit-draft:* in sessionStorage - Unsent edit text. Until the tab closes.

Why there is no cookie banner

There is no consent banner because there is nothing non-essential to consent to. Nothing beyond a session, a sign-in step or a display setting you chose is stored before you make a choice, so an "accept" button would have no honest job. If we ever add non-essential storage - analytics that needs a cookie, an embed, a third-party script - we will ask for a genuine opt-in first that is as easy to refuse as to accept, and this page will say so before it is switched on.

When this would change

This decision would be revisited the moment anything non-essential is proposed: a third-party embed or script, a cookie-based analytics product, advertising, or a feature that needs to follow a member across other sites. Any of those requires a real opt-in and a rewrite of this page first.

How the statistics stay cookieless

Sinter uses aggregate site statistics without tracking cookies. These statistics are not tied to your account. The Privacy page explains what is stored and why, and what your choices are.