Cookie Policy
The full list of cookies and local-storage items Steam Deck Machine uses, what each one does, and how to turn them off.
Last updated
A cookie is a small text file that a website asks your browser to remember between visits. This page lists every cookie and similar storage technology Steam Deck Machine uses, in plain language. The broader picture of how we handle personal data is on the privacy policy.
The short version
We don't use advertising cookies. We don't run cross-site fingerprinting. The cookies we do set are either strictly necessary to keep the site working or stored locally to remember your reading preferences (like dark mode).
Strictly necessary cookies
These are required for the site to function and can't be turned off from the site itself — you can still block them in your browser, but parts of the site will stop working.
- theme
- Remembers your light / dark / system theme choice. First-party. Expires after 1 year.
- __cf_bm
- Cloudflare bot management — distinguishes humans from automated traffic. First-party. Expires after 30 minutes.
- emdash_session*
- Set only if you log into the CMS admin. Required for authenticated sessions; never set for anonymous readers.
Analytics
We use a privacy-respecting analytics service that does not set persistent identifiers. Page views are counted in aggregate; no single visitor is tracked across pages with a cookie. If we switch to a service that does set analytics cookies, this section will be updated and a consent prompt added.
Embedded content
Some articles embed third-party players or images — for example Steam store widgets, YouTube videos, or Bluesky posts. When you interact with an embed, the third party may set its own cookies according to its own policy. We list the most common ones:
- store.steampowered.com
- Steam store widgets. Valve's privacy policy.
- youtube.com
- YouTube video embeds (privacy-enhanced mode where possible). Google's privacy policy.
- bsky.app
- Bluesky post embeds. Bluesky's privacy policy.
Local storage
The site may use your browser's localStorage for
preferences that don't need to be sent on every request — for
example saving the position of a comparison slider on a hardware
review. This data stays in your browser and is never transmitted
to us.
How to disable cookies
Every modern browser lets you block or delete cookies. Disabling strictly necessary ones may break the theme switcher or admin login but won't stop you from reading articles. Links to the official instructions:
Do Not Track
We honour the Sec-GPC (Global Privacy Control) header
where applicable. The classic DNT header is
non-standard and ignored.
Changes
When this list changes, the "Last updated" date at the top of the page changes with it. Material additions — say, a new analytics vendor — will be announced.