Cookie Policy

Effective Date: September 5, 2026 · Last Updated: October 27, 2026

This Cookie Policy explains which cookies and similar technologies KaosMetal uses, what each one is for, and how to control them. It should be read alongside our Privacy Policy.

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files a website places on your device. Cookies set by the site you are visiting are "first-party cookies"; cookies set by other domains are "third-party cookies." Browsers also offer local storage, which works in a similar way. In this Policy, "cookies" covers both.

2. When We Ask First

Visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland see a short banner on their first visit asking whether we may use analytics cookies. Until you answer, and if you choose Reject, no analytics cookie is set. Accept and Reject are equally easy, and the page can be read without answering. You can change your answer at any time with Cookie Settings at the bottom of every page; the link is there for visitors everywhere, not only in Europe. We ask again after 12 months. There is no advertising on the Site.

3. Strictly Necessary Cookies

These keep the Site working and cannot be switched off. They are never used to track you.

  • kaosmetal-session — keeps your session (and your login, if you have one) as you move between pages; expires after 2 hours of inactivity
  • XSRF-TOKEN — protects forms against cross-site request forgery; expires after 2 hours
  • remember_web_… — set only if you tick "Remember me" when signing in; keeps you signed in until you log out

4. Analytics: Google Analytics 4

We use Google Analytics 4 to count visits and see which pages are read, so we know what to write more of. We run it in Google's Consent Mode, set up as follows:

  • In the EEA, the UK and Switzerland: analytics and advertising storage are denied by default. No Google Analytics cookie is set unless you accept. Until then, or if you reject, your browser sends Google anonymous, cookieless signals (for example, that a page was viewed), which Google uses only to estimate overall traffic. Accepting allows analytics cookies only; advertising storage stays denied.
  • Everywhere else: analytics is on by default, and you can switch it off under Cookie Settings.
  • Where analytics is allowed, Google Analytics sets the first-party cookies _ga and _ga_<ID>, which tell visits apart; they persist up to 2 years.

Google processes this data under its own Privacy Policy. We do not use Google Signals, advertising features or user IDs, and we never send Google your name or email address. You can opt out anywhere with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

5. Preferences Stored in Your Browser

These stay on your device, are never sent to us, and are not used for tracking:

  • km_consent (local storage) — remembers your answer to the cookie banner, and when you gave it
  • km_nl_popup_… (local or session storage) — remembers that you closed the newsletter prompt, so it does not reappear
  • cca_promo_dismissed_… (cookie) — remembers that you closed a promotional bar, when one is running

6. Third-Party Content

  • YouTube videos are embedded from youtube-nocookie.com, YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode: YouTube stores nothing on your device until you press play. Once you play a video, YouTube's policies apply.
  • Google Fonts are loaded from Google's servers. This sets no cookies, but Google receives your IP address in order to deliver the font files.
  • Sign in with Google, if you choose to use it, takes you to Google, which sets its own cookies under its own policies.
  • Cloudflare delivers the Site and, on the contact and sign-in forms, runs Turnstile, a check that tells people from bots without a puzzle. Turnstile sets no cookies; Cloudflare's privacy policy applies.

7. Managing Cookies in Your Browser

You can block or delete cookies in your browser at any time:

Blocking the strictly necessary cookies will break forms and signing in.

8. Changes to This Cookie Policy

If we add a cookie, start showing advertising or change how analytics works, this page changes first, and where the law requires your consent, we will ask for it before anything new is set. The "Last Updated" date at the top shows the latest revision.

9. Contact

For questions about cookies or this Policy, use our contact form.