Cookie policy
The short version
- We use one analytics tool (Google Analytics 4), and only after you click Accept on the cookie banner.
- We do not run advertising, retargeting, or behavioural tracking.
- We do not sell, share, or auction your data to data brokers.
- Some shopping-list items link to Amazon UK as affiliate links; Amazon may set their own cookies on their own site if you click through. We have no control over those.
- You can change your choice any time via in the footer.
What cookies are
Cookies are small text files a website saves on your device to remember things between visits, like whether you've signed in, what language you prefer, or whether you've already dismissed a cookie banner. "Similar technologies" like browser localStorage do the same job; for legal purposes UK ICO guidance treats them the same way and they are covered by this policy.
Cookies and storage we use
Strictly necessary (no consent required)
These store your preferences so we don't re-ask on every page. UK PECR allows them without explicit consent because they only do what you have asked for.
| Name | Type | Purpose | Duration | Set by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
tube-academy-consent | localStorage | Remembers your cookie consent choice | Up to 12 months | Tube Academy |
Analytics (consent required)
These are only set after you click Accept on the cookie banner. Before that, Google Analytics 4 runs in "consent denied" mode under Google Consent Mode v2: no cookies are set and no identifying data is sent. If you click Reject, no analytics cookies are ever set.
| Name | Type | Purpose | Duration | Set by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
_ga | Cookie | Anonymous identifier for distinguishing visitors in Google Analytics. | 2 years | Google LLC |
_ga_PM2DDJKTKF | Cookie | Session state for the Tube Academy GA4 property. | 2 years | Google LLC |
Third-party services
YouTube (video embeds)
Module pages show a YouTube thumbnail. The thumbnail itself is a static image fetched from Google's image CDN (i.ytimg.com); no iframe is loaded and no cookies are set. Only when you click the thumbnail does a YouTube embed from youtube-nocookie.com (YouTube's privacy-enhanced embed domain) load and autoplay the video. From that moment you are interacting with YouTube directly under Google's privacy policy.
Amazon Associates (affiliate links)
Some shopping-list items on module pages link to Amazon UK with the Tube Academy affiliate tag mechanise-21. When you click an Amazon link and arrive on amazon.co.uk, Amazon sets their own cookies on their own domain to track that the visit came from Tube Academy and to attribute any qualifying purchase. We have no access to those cookies and they are governed by Amazon's cookie notice. Tube Academy does not set Amazon cookies on this website.
Vercel (hosting)
Tube Academy is hosted on Vercel. Our site does not use Vercel Analytics or any Vercel feature that sets cookies on visitors.
How to change your choice
Click in the footer (or here) to reopen the cookie banner and change your preference. Choosing Reject will delete any analytics cookies that were previously set.
Browser-level cookie controls
All major browsers let you block or delete cookies at the browser level. Doing so affects every website, not just Tube Academy. Search your browser's help for "manage cookies".
Changes to this policy
If we materially change what cookies we set, we'll update this page and re-open the consent banner so you can review the new choices. The effective date at the top of this page reflects the last substantive change.
Contact
Questions about cookies or your privacy on Tube Academy:
Greg Machray, Tube Academy
greg@mechanise.co.uk