Cookie notice
Last updated: October 14, 2026
The short version
- Until you choose, Datelyst uses only what it needs to work: keeping you signed in, remembering your cookie choice and your light or dark theme, keeping a quiz or story you haven't finished, and stopping bots.
- If you say yes to analytics, we set an analytics cookie so we can understand how Datelyst is used. It's never used for advertising.
- If you say no, or your browser sends Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track, we don't load analytics at all.
- There are no advertising cookies on Datelyst.
- You can change your choice at any time with "Cookie settings" at the bottom of every page.
What cookies are
Cookies are small files a website saves in your browser. Websites also use similar tools, such as your browser's local storage, which work in much the same way. This notice covers both, and we call them all "cookies" here.
Before you choose: essential only
These are always on, because Datelyst can't work properly without them. They're never used for analytics or advertising.
| What it does | Set by | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|
| Keeps you signed in to your reader account | Datelyst, through Supabase, our sign-in provider | Until you sign out, or 30 days |
| Remembers your cookie choice (named datelyst_consent) | Datelyst | 12 months, then we ask again |
| Remembers whether you chose the light or dark theme, so pages open in the right theme straight away (a small cookie named dl-theme, plus a copy in local storage) | Datelyst | 12 months, or until you clear it |
| Keeps the private key to a quiz you haven't finished, or a result we've emailed you, so it opens only on your device (named dl-quiz) | Datelyst | 30 days |
| Saves a story you're writing but haven't sent yet, including the email address you typed, so you don't lose it (kept in local storage) | Datelyst | Until you send the story or clear it |
| Checks that forms are filled in by a person, not a bot, and protects the site from attacks | Cloudflare, our hosting and security provider, only when a check is needed | Short periods set by Cloudflare |
The bot check on our forms (Cloudflare Turnstile) looks at technical signals, such as your IP address and browser, to tell people from bots. Cloudflare uses them to keep the site secure, under its own privacy policy.
Counting visits without cookies
Until you make a choice, we count visits in a cookieless mode. Nothing is stored on your device. Instead, our analytics provider, PostHog, turns your IP address and browser details, mixed with a random value that changes every day, into a code that can't be reversed. Because the random value changes daily, we can't recognize you from one day to the next.
If your browser sends Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track, we skip this too.
If you say yes: analytics
If you choose "Yes to analytics", PostHog sets a cookie and keeps a little more in your browser's local storage. It holds a random ID for your browser, so we can see how people use Datelyst over more than one visit. It lasts up to 12 months.
With it, we can see things like:
- which pages and articles are read;
- where people start and stop in the quiz, with broad answer categories such as an age range;
- which emails, links and pages lead somewhere useful;
- the type of device and browser, and roughly which country and region a visit came from.
Analytics never receives your email address, name, ZIP code, story or your answers about scams. Session recording is switched off. The data is used only by Datelyst, never for advertising, and deleted after 12 months.
If you say no
If you choose "No thanks", we don't load analytics at all: no cookie, and no cookieless counting. Everything on Datelyst works exactly the same.
Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track
If your browser sends either signal, we treat it as "no analytics" and don't load analytics, whatever you chose before. We also treat Global Privacy Control as a request not to sell or share your information, though we don't do either. Cookie settings will show that we've detected the signal.
No advertising cookies
We don't use advertising cookies, advertising pixels or tools that follow you around the web. No advertising company collects information on Datelyst.
When you click away from Datelyst
When you click a link to an app, site, matchmaker or event page, you leave Datelyst. The same goes for Spark Twice, a matchmaking service run by Datelyst's parent company. That site, or the affiliate network a link passes through, may set its own cookies on its own site. Those are covered by their own cookie and privacy policies. How we make money explains our links.
Our emails
Our emails don't use cookies, but they do contain a tiny image and tracked links that tell us whether an email was opened or clicked. If you'd rather we didn't see opens, set your email app to not load images automatically. You can also unsubscribe at any time.
Changing your choice
- Use Cookie settings at the bottom of any page to switch analytics on or off. If you switch it off, we stop analytics and remove its cookie from your browser.
- You can also delete cookies in your browser settings. If you do, we'll ask for your choice again on your next visit, and you'll need to sign in again.
- Blocking essential cookies in your browser may stop sign-in and forms from working.
Changes and questions
If we add or change a cookie, we'll update this notice and the date at the top. Questions go to [email protected]. Our privacy policy explains everything else about how we handle your information.