Cookie Policy

What you will find on this page

This page explains which cookies we use on the zivnostenskylist.cz website, what they are for and — most importantly — how you stay in control of them. No legal jargon. Just a clear account of what happens when you come to us.

The short version up front: essential cookies always run, because the site would not work without them. Everything else (traffic measurement, advertising) we switch on only after you have given your consent in the dialog that appears on your first visit. If you don't give consent, the site works completely normally.

What a cookie is

A cookie is a small text file that a website stores in your browser. On your next visit it reads the file and uses it to "recognise", for example, that you have been here before, which language you chose or whether you agreed to advertising.

A cookie is not in itself anything sinister. It is a tool. What matters is how it is used — and that is exactly why we divide cookies into groups and ask you in advance about the voluntary ones.

Watch out for one common misconception: in practice the word "cookies" is also used for similar technologies that store data in the browser — for example localStorage. The principle is the same: something small stored in your browser.

What types of cookies we use

We divide cookies into three groups by purpose. Only the first one is mandatory.

1. Essential cookies (technical)

The site does not work without them, so the law does not require consent for them and they run automatically. They ensure basic operation — for example form security, keeping your session alive or remembering the chosen language (Czech, English, Ukrainian).

This also includes the stored record of how you decided about cookies (kept by the consent dialog). That we have to remember — otherwise we would ask you every time a page loads.

2. Analytics cookies

These serve to measure traffic anonymously: which articles you read, where you come to us from, how you move around the site. From that we learn what to improve. No advertising, no targeting — just statistics.

These cookies are activated only with your consent. Without it we measure nothing.

3. Advertising cookies (Google AdSense)

We have to pay for running a site about trade licences and the self-employed (OSVČ) somehow, so on some pages we display advertising through Google AdSense. Advertising involves cookies that help to display more relevant content and to measure its performance.

Important: until you grant consent, Google does not personalise advertising and does not set advertising cookies for personalisation. Without consent it may show only so-called limited ads without personalisation — details in Google's help.

Note: Personalised advertising is set by Google as a processor. If you are interested in how Google handles the data, read also Google's cookie policy.

Google Consent Mode v2 — how it works with us

You may have heard of Consent Mode v2. It sounds complicated, but the principle is simple: it is a way of passing your consent (or refusal) on to Google's services.

With us it works like this:

1. Before you decide anything, all advertising and analytics signals are set to the denied state. Specifically, there are four signals: ad_storage, analytics_storage, ad_user_data and ad_personalization. As long as they are on denied, no measurement or advertising cookies are set.
2. When you grant consent in the dialog, these signals switch to granted and only then does measurement start and personalised advertising may be shown.
3. When you refuse consent, the signals stay on denied. The site keeps running without measurement and without personalised advertising.

In other words: the default state is "nothing is tracked". Tracking is switched on only by your active consent.

For the record, let us add that Consent Mode v2 is not the same as the consent dialog — the dialog is what you see and where you decide; Consent Mode is the "pipeline" that delivers your decision to Google. For 2026, Google requires Consent Mode v2 for advertising and measurement for visitors from the EU/EEA (verify the exact conditions and deadlines in the Google help).

How to grant or withdraw consent

The dialog on your first visit

When you come to us for the first time (or after deleting cookies), a consent dialog appears. It is run by Google as a certified consent management platform (CMP) integrated with the IAB Europe TCF framework — the kind Google requires for advertising shown to visitors from the EEA. In the dialog you can:

• grant consent — you switch on both analytics and advertising cookies,
• refuse consent — you leave only the essential cookies running; refusing is just as easy as accepting,
• manage options — you choose individual purposes and vendors separately.

The dialog remembers your choice in a cookie (see the overview below), so it won't pester you on every page load.

Changing your decision

Had a change of heart? Click the Cookie settings link in the site footer — the consent dialog opens again and you can change your choice or withdraw consent there. Alternatively, delete the cookies and data of this site in your browser; the dialog will then appear again on your next visit. You will find the route to deleting cookies in all browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari) in the settings under the Privacy section.

Tip: You can also block cookies across the board directly in your browser. Bear in mind, though, that strict blocking will limit the functioning of other websites too, not just ours.

Overview of typical cookies and their lifetimes

Below is an indicative overview. Advertising and measurement cookies are set by Google, which is why for these we give approximate lifetimes according to Google's documentation — the specific value may differ and Google changes it from time to time (verify the current state in Google's policy).

The table is indicative. The actual set of advertising cookies depends on which advertising systems Google uses at any given moment. If you do not grant consent, none of the advertising or analytics cookies are set.

Relation to personal data protection

Some cookies (mainly advertising and measurement ones) may process data that, in certain circumstances, is regarded as personal. How we handle it, what rights you have and whom to contact are described in detail in our Privacy Policy.

The legal framework for cookies in the Czech Republic is formed chiefly by Act No. 127/2005 Coll., on electronic communications, in conjunction with the GDPR. The supervisory authority is the Office for Personal Data Protection (Úřad pro ochranu osobních údajů), to which you can turn with a complaint.

Changes to this policy

We are developing the website and the advertising and analytics tools change. We may therefore amend this policy from time to time. You will always find the current wording at this address. More substantial changes will also be reflected in the consent dialog, so you will have the chance to decide again.

Do you have a question about cookies? Write to us at redakce@zivnostenskylist.cz.