What cookies are
Cookies are small text files placed on your device by a website you visit. Similar technologies (local storage, pixels, SDKs) achieve the same effect: they let a site remember something about your visit.
Why we use them
To keep you signed in where applicable, remember your preferences (such as region or reading mode), understand aggregate readership, secure the site against abuse, and, on some pages, deliver advertising that supports our editorial work.
Categories of cookies
Strictly necessary: required for the site to function. Cannot be switched off in our tools.
Preferences: remember choices such as language, region, and reading mode. Set only when you make a choice.
Analytics: help us understand aggregate readership. Set only where legally permitted or after consent.
Advertising: allow ad networks to measure campaigns and, where permitted, personalise ads. Set only after consent where required.
Named cookies and vendors
A regularly updated list of specific cookies (name, purpose, provider, expiry) is available on request at privacy@ist-world.com. We publish material changes here.
Third-party cookies
Some cookies are set by third parties whose services we use, including our analytics provider, our advertising networks, and embedded content (video, maps). Those parties process data under their own privacy policies, which we link where possible.
Your choices
Most browsers let you review and delete cookies, block third-party cookies, or block all cookies. Blocking strictly necessary cookies may prevent parts of the site from working.
In the EU, UK, and California, we display an on-site preferences tool that lets you accept or refuse non-essential categories. You can change your choice at any time via the 'Cookie preferences' link in the footer.
Global Privacy Control
We recognise the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal and treat it as an opt-out request for the sale or sharing of personal information, and as a refusal for advertising cookies, in jurisdictions where that treatment is required or supported.
Retention
Session cookies expire when you close your browser. Persistent cookies expire on the date shown in the on-site preferences tool, typically between 30 days and 24 months.
Updates
We may update this policy as our cookie use evolves. Material changes are announced on this page with a new effective date.