What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored in your browser by websites you visit. They serve both legitimate and privacy-invasive purposes:

Essential Cookies: Remember your login status, shopping cart contents, language preferences. These are necessary for the website to function.

Analytics Cookies: Track how you use a website — which pages you visit, how long you stay, what you click. Used to improve the site experience.

Advertising/Tracking Cookies: Follow you across multiple websites to build a profile of your interests and behavior. Used to serve targeted advertisements.

The first category is non-controversial. The third category is the reason cookie consent banners exist everywhere — they represent a form of surveillance that requires your informed consent.

The Consent Landscape

GDPR (EU): Requires explicit, informed consent before setting non-essential cookies. Pre-ticked checkboxes don't count. Websites must clearly explain what cookies do and allow granular choices.

ePrivacy Directive (EU): Specifically addresses electronic communications privacy, including cookies. Works alongside GDPR.

CCPA (California): Requires a "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" link. Less strict on cookie consent than GDPR but gives consumers the right to opt out of data sales.

PECR (UK): UK's implementation of the ePrivacy Directive, maintained post-Brexit. Requires consent for non-essential cookies.

The patchwork of regulations means that privacy-conscious websites implement the strictest standard (GDPR) globally, rather than tailoring consent mechanisms per jurisdiction.

Managing Your Cookie Privacy

Browser Settings: Configure your browser to block third-party cookies by default. Most modern browsers now do this.

Cookie Management Extensions: Tools like Cookie AutoDelete can automatically clear cookies when you close tabs, preventing persistent tracking.

Privacy-First Browsers: Brave blocks trackers and cookies by default. Firefox Enhanced Tracking Protection blocks known trackers.

Cookie Consent Choices: When presented with a cookie banner, don't just click "Accept All." Take 10 seconds to click "Manage Preferences" and disable advertising/tracking cookies.

ZeroLatch's Approach: ZeroLatch uses essential authentication storage and limited PostHog analytics on allowlisted public pages. Analytics is excluded from authentication, delivery, recipient, and download routes, and is configured not to capture sensitive delivery content. See the current Privacy Policy for details.