Cookie Policy

This policy explains the cookies and similar technologies used on the Down Syndrome Digital website. We apply the same optional-analytics choice to visitors in the UK and the US.

Who we are

The website is operated by Downs Syndrome Diamond Foundation Limited, a registered charity in England and Wales (charity number 1055087; company number 03026295). Our registered office is 82 Westbourne Park Road, London W2 5PL, United Kingdom.

For questions about this policy, contact info@diamonddownsyndrome.digital. For information about other personal data we handle, read our Privacy Policy.

What we use

We use essential technologies for security and to remember your privacy choice. If you agree, we also use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how people use the site and improve it.

As of 19 October 2026, our Google Tag Manager container contains GA4 only; we have not configured advertising tags in it. GA4 does not load until you accept analytics or turn it on in Cookie settings.

Essential storage and sign-in

The site stores your cookie choice in your browser’s local storage under the name dsd_cookie_consent_v1. It remembers whether you accepted or rejected optional analytics for up to 180 days, then asks again. This storage is used only to remember your choice.

If you sign in to the restricted content-management area, Clerk may set authentication, session and security cookies. They are needed to sign you in and protect the account. Their exact names and lifetimes may vary with your sign-in session and are managed by Clerk.

Google Analytics 4

When you accept analytics, GA4 may use first-party cookies to distinguish visits and maintain session state. It may collect pseudonymous usage and technical information such as pages viewed, interactions, browser and device details, referral source, and approximate region.

Google documents a default expiry of up to two years for these cookies. Browser privacy controls or settings in Google Analytics may shorten that period. We do not use these cookies to serve advertising or build advertising profiles.

_ga: Distinguishes users for analytics. Default expiry: Up to 2 years by default.

_ga_*: Persists GA4 session state. Default expiry: Up to 2 years by default.

YouTube videos

An embedded YouTube video is not loaded when you first open its page. It connects to YouTube only after you choose to load or play the video. YouTube may then receive technical information about your browser and device and may use cookies or similar technologies under its own privacy terms.

The embedded player uses YouTube’s privacy-enhanced domain, but that does not mean no data is sent when you choose to load the video.

Your choices

On your first visit, choose Accept analytics, Reject optional, or open Settings. Analytics is off until you choose to enable it. You can change your choice at any time using Cookie settings in the footer.

If you turn analytics off after accepting it, we save your choice, remove accessible GA cookies, and reload the page so analytics is not loaded again. You can also clear site data in your browser; the choice panel will then appear again.

Visitors in the UK and the US

We use the same consent controls for optional analytics in both countries. In the UK, this avoids relying on a limited exception for analytics. US privacy requirements differ by state and can depend on an organisation’s activities and size. This site currently has no advertising tags; for broader privacy rights, see our Privacy Policy.