1. What cookies are
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They serve a range of purposes: keeping you signed in, remembering your preferences, measuring how the site is used, and (for some sites) tracking visitors across properties for advertising. The same definition covers similar technologies like browser localStorage and fingerprinting.
2. The categories we use
- Strictly necessary cookies are required for the site to function. They include security cookies from our hosting provider (Cloudflare), Cloudflare Turnstile's privacy-preserving bot-check challenge data, and the cookie that remembers you've seen our banner. These do not require consent under PECR because the site cannot operate without them.
- Live-chat cookies are set by our own Cirql CRM live-chat widget on every page. They identify your session so a conversation persists across pages and across the open/closed state of the chat panel. Strictly, these are non-essential under PECR and we load them before you've given consent. We're documenting it openly rather than gating behind a banner; if you would rather not load the widget, see the your choices section below.
- Analytics, marketing and tracking cookies are not set. We have no third-party analytics platform or advertising pixel on the site.
We do not set advertising cookies (no Google Ads, no Facebook Pixel, no LinkedIn Insight Tag) at the time of writing.
3. Cookies in detail
| Name | Provider | Purpose | Category | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
__cf_bm | Cloudflare | Distinguishes humans from bots. Protects the site from automated abuse. | Strictly necessary | 30 minutes |
cf_clearance | Cloudflare | Records successful challenge clearance so the visitor isn't re-challenged. | Strictly necessary | 30 days |
ecirql_cookie_consent | eCirql | Stores your cookie preferences so the banner only appears once. | Strictly necessary | 12 months |
cf_chl_* | Cloudflare Turnstile | Privacy-preserving challenge data used by the Ask page to prove the visitor is human. Replaces traditional image CAPTCHAs. | Strictly necessary | 30 minutes |
Cirql CRM live-chat cookies | Cirql CRM (chat.cirqlcrm.com) | Set by the live-chat widget loaded from chat.cirqlcrm.com. Identify the visitor across the session so a conversation started in one tab continues in another, and so a chat opened on page A is still open on page B. Cirql CRM is our own product; the cookies do not leave the Cirql Works domain group. The exact cookie names may change as the product evolves. | Live chat (non-essential) | Up to 12 months |
Most cookies above are strictly necessary. The Cirql CRM live-chat cookies are not; they support the chat widget but the site works without them. They are listed alongside the strictly-necessary cookies for clarity, not because we classify them the same way.
4. Your choices
On your first visit you will see a one-off banner informing you about the cookies described above, including the live-chat widget. The banner is informational. There is no opt-in or opt-out button on the banner itself; the live-chat cookies load on every page regardless of whether you dismiss the banner.
If you would prefer the live-chat widget did not load on your visit, the simplest controls are at the browser level:
- Block the host directly: in Chrome,
Safari or Firefox you can block
chat.cirqlcrm.comvia site settings. The site will continue to work identically without it. - Use an ad / tracker blocker: uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger or your browser's built-in tracking protection will block the widget without any configuration from you.
- Block third-party cookies globally: every modern browser offers this toggle. It will stop the widget functioning but the rest of the site is unaffected.
You can also block or delete cookies directly in your browser. Note that blocking strictly necessary cookies may break parts of the site (the contact form may not submit, for example).
5. Third parties referenced
- Cirql CRM (chat.cirqlcrm.com): our own live-chat product, loaded as a JavaScript widget on every page. Sets visitor and session cookies. Conversations you start in the widget are stored against your visitor record so the team can follow up. Cirql CRM is operated by Cirql Works Ltd; data does not leave the Cirql Works domain group.
- Resend: transactional email provider. Contact-form submissions are delivered through Resend to our team inbox; Resend processes the payload only to send the message. Resend privacy policy.
- Cloudflare: hosting, security, content delivery, and Turnstile bot verification on the Ask page and the contact forms. Cloudflare privacy policy.
- Anthropic: AI infrastructure provider behind the PatchBuddy.ai assistant available from the Ask button. We send your question and the public eCirql reference corpus to an Anthropic API to generate a reply. We do not send personal information unless you include it in the question. Anthropic privacy policy.
We may add or remove third-party providers over time. Any new cookie added to the site will appear in the table above before it goes live, and the consent banner will re-prompt for material changes.
6. Questions and data subject requests
For anything cookie- or privacy-related, email contact@ecirql.com. See also the privacy policy for the full picture of how we handle personal data.