Cookie notice
This website sets no cookies. What follows describes exactly what that means, how you can verify it, and what would happen if it changed.
1. The claim, in verifiable form
kristofkarner.com places no cookies in your browser and writes nothing into browser storage. Specifically:
- Cookies: none — neither first-party nor third-party.
- localStorage, sessionStorage: stay empty; the site does not write to them.
- IndexedDB, Cache Storage: not used.
- External resources: none. Fonts, images, styles and scripts load from this domain, so your browser sends no request to another provider.
- Embedded content: none — no maps, videos or social media widgets, which typically bring their own cookies.
None of this has to be taken on trust: in your browser's developer tools, under Application (Chrome) or Storage (Firefox), the cookie, localStorage and sessionStorage lists stay empty on this site. The network tab shows every request going to this same domain.
2. What a cookie is, and why it is contested
A cookie is a small piece of data a website places in your browser and gets back on the next request. Sometimes this is needed for the service to work at all — keeping a logged-in session alive, for instance. And sometimes it exists to recognise who you are across pages, or across sites: that second kind is what consent is about.
The rule does not attach to the word “cookie” but to the operation itself: storing on, or reading from, a user's device without consent is allowed only where it is strictly necessary to provide the service. So the rule cannot be sidestepped by putting the measurement into localStorage instead of a cookie.
3. Why there is no consent banner
Because there is nothing to consent to. A consent interface makes sense when there is storage the visitor can refuse. Here there is none — a banner would be a click that decides nothing, and it would teach visitors that such dialogs exist to be dismissed.
This is not opposition to consent interfaces as such: where there is real measurement or embedded content, the interface is necessary and belongs there. I set them up on client sites regularly — one such job is described in the magazine website case study.
4. What the server records regardless
The hosting provider's server writes a log entry for every request: the IP address, the timestamp, the requested path, the response code and the browser identifier. This is not a cookie: it is created on the server, not in your browser, and it cannot tie your visits to a person or follow you across other sites.
Without it the site could be neither operated nor protected. The logging rests on legitimate interest; the details — retention period and your rights — are in section 3.1 of the privacy notice.
5. What would happen if this changed
If analytics, embedded content or another external service is ever added, the order would be:
- This notice changes and names what is being added, for what purpose, what it stores, for how long, and who can access it.
- A consent interface appears on which refusing is exactly as easy as accepting, and which does not let non-essential storage run before acceptance.
- Only then does the code go live.
The order is the point. The most common failure is that the measurement code already runs on the first screen and the banner only asks afterwards — consent exists on paper, but the measurement has already happened.
Questions on this topic
Why is there no cookie consent banner on this site?
Because there is nothing to consent to. Consent is required when a website stores something in your browser, or reads something from it, that is not strictly necessary for the service — typically for analytics or advertising. This site stores nothing at all: no cookies, no localStorage entries, no sessionStorage entries. On a site like this a banner would not be compliance; it would be a click that decides nothing.
What is a cookie, and how can I tell whether a site uses them?
A cookie is a small piece of data a website places in your browser and reads back on your next visit, which is how it recognises you. It can be checked on any site: in the browser's developer tools, under Application (Chrome) or Storage (Firefox), you can see the list of cookies along with localStorage and sessionStorage contents. On this site all three lists stay empty.
Isn't a server log the same thing as a cookie?
No. The log is created on the server, not in your browser, and it cannot link your visits together. Every web server records the time of a request, the path requested and the requesting IP address — without that a site can be neither operated nor defended. This logging is not based on consent but on legitimate interest, and the details are set out in the privacy notice.
What happens if analytics is added to the site one day?
Then this notice changes first, and a consent interface appears that lets non-essential storage run only after acceptance. The order is not a formality: measurement code can only go live after the notice describes what it measures, how long it keeps it and who has access. As long as the site looks like this, there is nothing to accept.