Cookie Policy
Last updated: August 22, 2026
1. Introduction
This Cookie Policy explains how mikhailrahman.com (“we”, “us”, or “our”) uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on this website (the “Site”). Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device when you visit a website. They help the Site remember your actions and preferences, understand how visitors use the Site, and support essential features such as security and login.
We use cookies to:
- Ensure the Site functions correctly and securely
- Understand how visitors use and navigate the Site
- Improve performance, content, and user experience
- Enable certain features such as sign-in options and content distribution
- Measure the effectiveness of our marketing and communication efforts
By continuing to browse and use this Site, you agree that we may store and access cookies as described in this policy, unless you have adjusted your browser or cookie settings to refuse them. You can change your cookie preferences at any time as explained in the Managing Your Cookie Preferences section below.
2. Types of Cookies We Use
We use both first-party cookies (set by this Site) and third-party cookies (set by service providers acting on our behalf or by independent third parties). These cookies fall into the following categories.
2.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are essential for the operation of the Site and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions you take, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms. Without these cookies, parts of the Site may not work properly.
We use strictly necessary cookies to:
- Enable core website functionality
- Keep you logged in and manage your session
- Protect the Site against malicious activity and abuse
- Remember your basic privacy and cookie consent settings
On mikhailrahman.com, strictly necessary cookies may include:
- WooCommerce – to manage shopping cart contents, remember items across pages, handle checkout sessions, and store basic preferences required for the store to function (such as currency and tax settings). These cookies are essential for e-commerce functionality and cannot be disabled without breaking the store experience.
2.2 Performance & Analytics Cookies
Performance and analytics cookies help us understand how visitors interact with the Site so we can measure and improve performance. These cookies collect information such as which pages are visited most often, how visitors move around the Site, and whether they encounter errors. The information is aggregated and does not directly identify you.
On mikhailrahman.com, we may use:
- Google Analytics – to understand visitor behavior, traffic sources, and page performance.
- Jetpack Analytics – to collect additional statistics about visits, popular content, and performance trends.
- Microsoft Clarity – to gain insight into how visitors interact with pages (for example, clicks and scroll patterns) so we can improve usability.
Where possible, IP addresses and other identifiers are pseudonymized or anonymized, and data is used in aggregate form to improve the Site.
2.3 Functional Cookies
Functional cookies allow the Site to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we use on our pages.
On this Site, functional cookies may be used to enable:
- Sign in with Google – to allow you to authenticate using your Google account.
These cookies help remember your preferences and provide a smoother login or account experience.
2.4 Security & Infrastructure Cookies
Security and infrastructure cookies help protect the Site and ensure it remains fast and reliable.
We use:
- Cloudflare – to provide content delivery network (CDN) services, improve load times, and defend against security threats such as distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and malicious bots.
Cloudflare may set cookies that identify trusted web traffic and apply security settings on a per-visitor basis.
2.5 Marketing & Third-Party Cookies
Marketing and third-party cookies are used to measure and improve the effectiveness of our marketing and communication, and to integrate third-party services that help us promote our content.
On mikhailrahman.com, these may include cookies from:
- Google Listings & Ads – to help manage and measure listings and advertising placements across Google services.
- Google Site Kit – which can integrate various Google services (such as Search Console and Analytics) and may set cookies used for reporting and optimization.
These cookies may track your activity across different websites and services to build a profile of your interests. They are used to show more relevant content and measure the performance of campaigns.
2.6 Review & Trust Cookies
We may display reviews or trust badges from third-party providers to help visitors assess our services.
For this purpose, we may use:
- Trustpilot – to display reviews, ratings, or trust signals. Trustpilot may set cookies to prevent fraud, remember user preferences, and understand how visitors engage with review content.
2.7 Content & Distribution Cookies
Content and distribution cookies support the discovery and reach of content published on this Site.
We may use:
- Google News / Google Search Console via Site Kit – to monitor how our content appears in Google search and news products, troubleshoot visibility issues, and improve how content is indexed and presented.
These tools can set cookies that help measure impressions, clicks, and other engagement signals related to how our content is discovered.
2.8 E-Commerce & Payment Cookies
We operate an online store powered by WooCommerce. E-commerce cookies are used to remember the contents of your shopping cart, keep your session active as you navigate between pages, and ensure that checkout and payment processing work reliably and securely.
On mikhailrahman.com, these may include cookies from:
- WooCommerce – to store cart contents, remember which items you have added, manage session data between pages, and support the checkout flow (including shipping, tax, and order details).
- WooCommerce Payments – to process card and other payment methods securely. These cookies help authenticate transactions, prevent fraud, and remember limited payment-related preferences where applicable.
- WooCommerce PayPal Payments – to enable PayPal as a checkout option. PayPal may set its own cookies to authenticate users, process payments, and help detect and prevent fraudulent activity.
- Printful – to support order fulfillment integration between our store and Printful’s print-on-demand service. Printful may receive order data to process and ship products on our behalf.
These cookies are necessary for the store to function and for purchases to be completed. Payment-related cookies are set by the respective payment providers and are governed by their own privacy policies.
2.9 Community & Forum Cookies
This Site includes community forum features powered by bbPress. Forum cookies are used to manage logged-in sessions, remember user preferences within the forum, and support posting and moderation features. These cookies are session-based and tied to your WordPress login.
2.10 CAPTCHA Cookies
To protect forms on this Site from spam and automated abuse, we use hCaptcha (provided by Intuition Machines, Inc.). hCaptcha may set cookies and collect data such as your IP address, browser information, and interaction patterns to distinguish human users from bots. These cookies are considered strictly necessary for the security of the Site’s forms.
For more information: https://www.hcaptcha.com/privacy
3. How Long Do Cookies Last?
Cookies can have different lifespans depending on their purpose:
- Session cookies – These are temporary cookies that only exist for the duration of your visit. They are deleted from your device when you close your browser.
- Persistent cookies – These remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them. They allow the Site to remember you between visits and can be used for functions such as keeping you logged in, remembering preferences, or collecting analytics over time.
The exact duration of each cookie varies. Some may expire after a few minutes or hours, while others may last for days, months, or occasionally longer (for example, up to 24 months for certain analytics or preference cookies). The detailed cookie table below shows typical durations for cookies in use on this Site.
4. Third-Party Cookies
Some cookies used on this Site are placed by third-party service providers. These providers may use the information collected via cookies for their own purposes, such as improving their services or, where applicable, for advertising and market research. We do not control these third-party cookies and they are subject to the privacy and cookie policies of the respective providers.
Key third-party providers used on mikhailrahman.com may include (but are not limited to):
- Google (including Google Analytics, Google Ads, Google Site Kit, Google Search Console, Google News)
- Microsoft (Microsoft Clarity)
- Cloudflare
- Trustpilot
- PayPal (for WooCommerce PayPal Payments)
- Printful (for order fulfillment)
- hCaptcha / Intuition Machines (for CAPTCHA on forms)
For more information about how these providers use cookies and process personal data, please review their respective policies:
- Google: https://policies.google.com/privacy and https://policies.google.com/technologies/cookies
- Microsoft (including Clarity): https://privacy.microsoft.com/
- Cloudflare: https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/
- Trustpilot: https://uk.legal.trustpilot.com/end-user-privacy-terms
- Facebook / Meta: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy
- PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full
- hCaptcha: https://www.hcaptcha.com/privacy
5. Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You have several options for controlling how cookies are used on this Site and on your device.
Using the cookie consent banner or preferences tool
When you first visit mikhailrahman.com, you may see a cookie consent banner or preferences dialog. This tool allows you to accept or reject certain categories of cookies (such as analytics or marketing cookies), while still allowing strictly necessary cookies that are required for the Site to function. You can revisit your cookie preferences at any time (for example, via a “Cookie Settings” link or similar control, where available).
Browser settings
Most web browsers allow you to:
- See which cookies are stored on your device
- Delete existing cookies
- Block all cookies or only specific types
- Set preferences for certain websites
Managing cookies in this way may affect the functionality of this Site and other websites. Instructions for managing cookies can usually be found in your browser’s help or settings menu (for example, under “Privacy” or “Security”).
Opting out of specific services
You can also use the following tools to manage or opt out of certain analytics and tracking services:
- Google Analytics opt-out: You can install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
- Microsoft Clarity: Learn more about how to opt out of Microsoft Clarity tracking by visiting https://privacy.microsoft.com/ and following the relevant instructions.
Even if you opt out of certain cookies, you may still see generic content or ads; however, they may be less tailored to your interests.
6. Cookie Table
The cookie list and details below are generated automatically by our consent management tool. It is regularly updated to reflect the cookies currently in use on mikhailrahman.com, including their providers, purposes, and storage durations.
7. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our use of cookies, legal or regulatory requirements, or improvements to our services. When we make changes, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies.
8. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please refer to our Privacy Policy for more information on how we handle personal data. You can also contact us using the details provided on our Contact page.
