Skip to content
bythenumbers
Cookies

Cookie policy

Strictly necessary cookies run the site and keep you signed in. Analytics is optional, off until you choose, and never used for advertising.

Last updated 15 September 2026. This policy explains the cookies and similar technologies used on bythenumbers.uk, why they are there, and how you control them.

Who we are

One Rectangle Limited (company number 15416016), trading as bythenumbers, is responsible for the cookies set by this site. Write to hello@bythenumbers.uk if you have a question about this policy. The privacy notice explains how we use personal data more widely.

What cookies are

Cookies are small text files a site stores on your device. They can be first-party (set by bythenumbers.uk) or third-party (set by another domain). They can last for a browsing session or for a set time.

UK law also covers similar technologies: anything that stores or accesses information on your device, including some analytics scripts that do not set a cookie. This policy covers those as well.

The law

Cookies are regulated by PECR, read with the UK GDPR. In short:

  • we must tell you what we use, in language you can understand
  • we need your consent before we use anything that is not strictly necessary
  • consent must be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous. Silence, scrolling, or a pre-ticked box is not consent
  • rejecting optional cookies must be as easy as accepting them
  • you can change your mind at any time

Strictly necessary cookies are the PECR exemption. They are needed to provide a service you asked for, such as staying signed in, or to remember this choice so we do not ask on every page.

How we ask

The first time you visit, a banner offers Reject analytics and Accept analytics with equal weight, plus a Customise option. The site works if you do nothing. We do not load analytics until you accept.

Your choice is stored in the first-party cookie btn_consent for 180 days. After that we ask again. If we change the categories we use, we will bump the stored version and ask again.

You can change the choice later on this page. If you turn analytics off after it was on, the page reloads so the analytics script stops.

Categories

CategoryConsent neededWhat it does
Strictly necessaryNoNeeded to run the site, keep you signed in, and remember this choice. These do not need your consent under PECR.
AnalyticsYesHelp us see which pages are used, without advertising identifiers. We only load these if you say yes.

We do not use marketing, advertising, or social-media cookies. We do not use cookies to build an advertising profile or to sell data.

Cookies we use

Names that include an asterisk change with our hosting project, so the live cookie may look like sb-abcd1234-auth-token rather than the pattern below.

NameProviderCategoryTypePurposeHow long
btn_consentbythenumbers (first party)Strictly necessaryCookieStores whether you accepted or rejected analytics, so we do not ask on every visit.180 days
sb-*-auth-token (and .0, .1 chunks)bythenumbers, set through SupabaseStrictly necessaryCookieKeeps you signed in with email and password. Not set unless you create or use an account.Until you sign out, or 5 minutes idle for staff / 24 hours idle for a public account
btn_last_activitybythenumbers (first party)Strictly necessaryCookieRemembers when you last used a signed-in page, so we can sign you out after 5 minutes idle (staff) or 24 hours idle (public account). Not set unless you are signed in.Refreshed while you use the site. Sign-out after 5 minutes idle for staff, or 24 hours for a public account
sb-*-auth-token-code-verifierbythenumbers, set through SupabaseStrictly necessaryCookieCompletes the handshake when a password-reset link is opened. Short-lived.Minutes, during sign-in only
btn_staff_password_readybythenumbers (first party)Strictly necessaryCookieRemembers that a staff password has been set on this browser, so /admin can show email and password on one screen. Not set until a staff password sign-in succeeds.About 13 months, or until you clear site cookies
Vercel Web AnalyticsVercelAnalyticsSimilar technologyCounts page views. It does not set an advertising cookie. It may still process technical data such as the page path, referrer, browser type and country.Not stored as a cookie on your device. Loaded only after you accept analytics.

On a password-protected Vercel preview, Vercel may set its own infrastructure cookies. Those are not used on the public site and are not for advertising.

Similar technologies

Some third-party content is requested by your browser so a page can work. That is not a cookie we set, but the provider may see your IP address.

WhatProviderWhy it is there
Carto basemap tilesCarto
Privacy notice
Draws the map on an area report. Your browser requests image tiles from Carto, which receives your IP address. We do not use this for advertising.

Map tiles load when you view an area report that includes a map. They are there to show the map, not to measure you. Fonts are packaged with the site at build time, so your browser does not call Google Fonts when you visit.

Change your choices

Use the controls below. Strictly necessary cookies cannot be switched off from this page because the site and your account cannot run without them. You can still delete them in your browser, which will sign you out and reset this choice.

Browser controls

Every major browser lets you block or delete cookies. That is separate from the choice on this page. If you block all cookies, sign in will not work and we will not be able to remember a previous analytics choice.

Guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office on cookies is on https://ico.org.uk. Browser vendors publish their own cookie settings help.

Updates

If we add a new optional cookie or similar technology, we will update this policy and ask for a fresh choice where the law requires it. The date at the top is the date this version took effect.

Contact

Questions about cookies: hello@bythenumbers.uk. You can also use your data protection rights, and you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office via https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/.