Cookie Policy
Last updated: May 2026
1. What Cookies Are
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. Similar technologies — such as localStorage, sessionStorage, and tracking pixels — work in comparable ways and are covered by this policy. Together they allow websites to remember information about your visit and function correctly across page loads.
2. Why We Use Cookies
We use cookies and similar technologies to keep Southern Bluffs Social running, to remember your preferences (such as your cookie consent choice and whether you have completed the age gate), and to understand, in aggregate and anonymised form, how visitors use our games. We do not use cookies to build individual user profiles or to track you across other websites.
3. Categories of Cookies We Use
| Category | Purpose | Examples | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Keep the site running: session handling, security, age-gate confirmation, and recording your cookie consent choice. These cookies are set without consent as they are essential to the service. | __age_ok, __cc_v1 | Session to 12 months |
| Performance / analytics | Anonymised traffic measurement via Cloudflare Web Analytics. Helps us understand which pages and games are most used so we can improve them. No individual user profiling. | __cf_bm | Up to 30 days |
| Functional | Remembers UI preferences — such as your accepted age-gate status and any in-game volume preferences — so you do not have to re-enter them on each visit. | localStorage keys for game preferences | Up to 12 months |
| Advertising / targeting | The site may include third-party advertising cookies from Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising when you arrive via a paid campaign. These help our advertising partners measure campaign performance. They are set only with your consent. Third-party policies: Google Privacy Policy; Microsoft Privacy Statement. | Google gclid cookie, Microsoft UET tag cookies | Up to 13 months |
4. Lawful Basis (UK GDPR + PECR)
Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), our lawful basis for cookies is as follows. Strictly necessary cookies are set on the basis of legitimate interests — they are essential to providing the service you have requested and no consent is required. All other categories (performance/analytics, functional, and advertising/targeting) are set only on the basis of your freely given, informed consent, which you may grant or withdraw at any time using the cookie banner or by clearing the relevant localStorage key (__cc_v1) in your browser.
5. How to Manage Your Cookies on Southern Bluffs Social
When you first visit the site, a cookie banner offers two options: Accept all (grants consent for performance, functional, and advertising cookies) or Essential only (grants consent for strictly necessary cookies only). Your choice is stored in localStorage.__cc_v1. To change your choice at any time, clear that key in your browser's developer tools or storage settings and reload the page — the banner will reappear.
6. How to Manage Cookies in Your Browser
You can also control cookies directly through your browser settings. Here are help pages for the most common browsers:
Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the site.
7. Third-Party Cookies and Services
The following third-party services may set cookies when you visit Southern Bluffs Social and have given the appropriate consent:
- Cloudflare — provides hosting, security (DDoS protection, bot mitigation), and anonymised web analytics. Cloudflare's cookies include
__cf_bm. See Cloudflare Privacy Policy. - Google — Google Ads conversion cookies may be set when you arrive via a Google Ads campaign and have consented to advertising cookies. See Google Privacy Policy.
- Microsoft — Microsoft Advertising (UET) cookies may be set when you arrive via a Microsoft Ads campaign and have consented to advertising cookies. See Microsoft Privacy Statement.
8. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
We honour the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal. If your browser sends a GPC signal, we treat it as a withdrawal of consent for analytics and advertising cookies — only strictly necessary cookies will be set. We do not currently make a technical response to the older Do Not Track (DNT) browser header, as there is no agreed standard for its interpretation; however, the GPC signal provides a more reliable and legally recognised mechanism that we do honour.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time as technology or regulations change. The 'Last updated' date at the top of this page reflects the latest revision. We encourage you to check back periodically.
10. Contact
If you have any questions about how we use cookies, please contact us at support@southern-illinois-realty.com. Our registered office is shown in the footer below.