Cookie Policy

Last reviewed on April 27, 2026

Cookies are small text files that a website asks your browser to store. Together with related technologies — local storage, pixels, and SDK identifiers — they let a site remember small bits of state between page loads, count visitors, and serve advertising. This page explains the categories of cookies used on TimeInRussia.com, what each is for, and how to keep them under your control.

Categories of cookies on this site

1. Strictly necessary

These keep the site secure and functional. They are set by our hosting and CDN providers when you load a page and cannot meaningfully be turned off without breaking the site. Examples: load-balancer affinity, security tokens. They contain no personal profile data.

2. Functional and preferences

These remember small choices so you do not have to make them on every visit. Examples include the most recently selected city on the home page and the light/dark theme. The data is stored in the browser's local storage rather than as a traditional cookie, but the user-facing effect is the same. Clearing your browser storage will reset these preferences.

3. Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 (the _ga family of cookies) to count visits, see which pages are read, and understand at a high level how visitors find the site. Analytics is configured to use IP anonymization where supported and does not target individuals. See Google's Privacy Policy for how Analytics processes data.

4. Advertising

The site is funded by display ads served through Google AdSense. Google and its advertising partners may set cookies on this site to:

• Decide which ads to show and limit how often the same ad is repeated
• Measure clicks and conversions for advertisers
• Where consent is given, personalize ads based on prior visits to this and other websites
• Detect ad fraud and protect against malicious behavior

Common cookie names in this category include __gads, __gpi, and the IDE cookie set on doubleclick.net. Some entries are described as Google's "NID" or "ANID" cookies in browser inspectors.

Standard AdSense disclosure

• Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to this website or other websites.
• Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to users based on their visits to this site and other sites on the Internet.
• Users may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ad Settings.
• Users may also opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting www.aboutads.info.
• If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you can use YourOnlineChoices.eu to manage opt-outs across many ad vendors.
• For more on how Google uses information from sites that use its services, see policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.

Third-party services that may set cookies

Beyond Google services, the interactive zone map loads tiles from OpenStreetMap when you scroll to it. OpenStreetMap does not generally set advertising cookies, but a request to its servers will, like any HTTP request, share your IP address and browser information. See the OpenStreetMap privacy policy for details.

How to control cookies

In your browser

All major browsers allow you to view and clear cookies, block third-party cookies, or block cookies entirely. Some publish help guides:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Apple Safari
• Microsoft Edge

For ad personalization specifically

• Google Ad Settings — turn off personalized ads from Google
• Digital Advertising Alliance (US) — opt out of many advertising vendors at once
• YourOnlineChoices (EEA / UK) — manage opt-outs by vendor

Mobile devices

Most phones and tablets offer a "Limit Ad Tracking" or "Reset Advertising ID" setting in the privacy section of the device settings. Resetting the advertising ID will reset the data advertisers can associate with you across apps and the mobile web.

Consent

If you visit this site from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, or another region with a comparable consent requirement, a consent banner will appear before non-essential cookies are set. You can change your choices at any time through the controls listed above; clearing your browser cookies will also clear any consent record so that the banner reappears on your next visit.

What happens if you reject cookies

• The clocks, converter, and map will still work — they do not depend on cookies.
• Preferences such as the most recently selected city or theme will not persist between visits.
• Analytics will not record your visit, which is fine; we work with the data we have.
• Ads may still appear, but will be less relevant. Some forms of advertising require at least minimal cookies to operate; if those are blocked entirely, certain ads may not load.

Changes to this policy

We update this page when the set of cookies used on the site changes — for instance if we add or remove an analytics or advertising vendor. The "Last reviewed" date at the top reflects the most recent change.

Questions

Email [email protected] if anything here is unclear or you would like more detail about a specific cookie. The full picture of how the site handles data is in the Privacy Policy.