Effective October 21, 2026. This policy explains how Powerhub Inc., the publisher of BIG CHANGE, uses cookies and similar browser storage on bigchange.ai. It accompanies our Privacy Policy.
What these technologies do
Cookies are small values a website stores in your browser and can receive with later requests. Local storage keeps information in the browser without automatically attaching it to every request. We use local storage to remember your privacy choice. Both are covered by this policy, even though the preference itself is not a cookie.
Necessary storage
Necessary functions support requested services, security and remembering your choices. They are always active where needed and cannot be switched off through our analytics preference control. We do not classify audience measurement or advertising as necessary to read a story.
We display an aggregate view count beside published stories. Since October 7, 2026, it counts successful full-article requests and opened “The big change” previews immediately, without a reading-time or scroll requirement. Full requests include people and bots, with or without JavaScript. Language versions share one article total. Browser-cache restores are counted separately without repeating the original server event. This first-party counter stores no IP address, browser identifier or cookie and does not itself send events to Google Analytics. It does not measure unique people or prove someone read the text. Previously recorded reads since September 30, 2026 are retained; earlier unrecorded visits cannot be reconstructed. Preview and cached-open requests are protected by daily rotating IP-derived rate-limit values, removed during daily cleanup. If you allow Google Analytics, opening a preview also sends an article-view event to Google.
Your privacy preference
bigchange.analytics-consent.v1 is a local-storage entry set by BIG CHANGE after you save a choice. It records your explicit choice. An acceptance lasts for 180 days; a refusal stays in effect until you change it or clear site data. It is not an advertising identifier. Automatic regional activation is never saved as your acceptance. When an acceptance expires, we apply the current regional default again.
Regional privacy notice
bigchange.analytics-notice.v1: This separate session-storage entry contains only the current analytics-policy version. After our trusted regional policy permits automatic activation, it helps avoid repeating the informational notice within this tab session. It does not store consent or a reader identifier, grant analytics permission, override a refusal or privacy signal, or hide an unanswered opt-in banner. The entry cannot replace the current regional-policy check. It lasts for the tab session or until you clear site data.
Your reading text size
bigchange.reading-size.v1 remembers the text size you choose with A− and A+. It stays in this browser or installed app until you change it or clear site data. It is used only to display text at your chosen size and is not sent with page requests or used for analytics.
The BIG CHANGE newsletter
bigchange-newsletter-seen: This cookie and matching local storage remember that the newsletter invitation was shown or dismissed, so it does not reopen automatically. The cookie lasts up to 400 days; local storage lasts until you clear site data. No email address or analytics identifier is stored.
Your requested story likes
bigchange-reader is set only when you first like a story. It contains a random identifier so we can remember and undo that browser’s likes. It lasts up to 180 days, is restricted to our engagement API and cannot be read by page scripts. It is not used for advertising or optional analytics. Removing it can prevent us from recognising and undoing previous likes.
bigchange-utility-reader is set only when you choose a usefulness response on a guide or explanation. It contains a random identifier so we can recognise and let you change that browser’s response to each article. It lasts up to 180 days, is restricted to the feedback API and cannot be read by page scripts. It is not used for advertising or Google Analytics. Removing it may prevent us from matching your new response to the earlier one.
Offline app screen
The installable BIG CHANGE app uses a service worker and browser cache to keep an offline screen and its fonts on your device. This cache contains no articles, newsletter details or editorial account data. It is not used to identify you or measure your reading. You can remove it by clearing this website’s stored data in your browser.
If you choose notifications, the same service worker also receives push messages and displays alerts. Your browser keeps a device subscription and permission setting; BIG CHANGE stores its endpoint and encryption keys on Cloudflare to deliver alerts. This is opt-in and is not an analytics cookie. You can turn it off on the Notifications page for that device.
Editorial authentication and security
The editorial administration area uses a payload-token authentication cookie for authorised staff. It is not required for public reading. The configured token lifetime is two hours and can be renewed while an authorised session continues.
Cloudflare may use security cookies when a protection or challenge requires them. They support abuse prevention and successful completion of a security check; they are not an analytics opt-in. The cookies a visitor encounters depend on the protection triggered. Cloudflare describes these cookies and their purposes in its cookie documentation.
Optional analytics
Qualified article engagement
bigchange.article-engaged.v1: With analytics allowed, this optional session-storage entry remembers source article IDs already counted for qualified engagement in this tab. An event needs at least 30 seconds of active, visible article-body exposure and 50% body progress. It stores up to 4096 article IDs, without a person identifier, email, timestamps or reading history URLs. It lasts for the tab session, prevents duplicate outcomes on reload and is cleared when analytics is turned off. It is an attention estimate, not proof of reading or a count of people.
Newsletter campaign context
bigchange.newsletter-attribution.v1: With analytics allowed, this optional local storage keeps restricted campaign keys, a source article ID, content language, signup placement and capture times for up to seven days. It may also hold up to eight random confirmation receipts for 24 hours so a first confirmation in this browser can retain permitted campaign context. No email address, confirmation token or full page address is stored in it, and receipts are not sent to Google. Expired data is cleared when this optional storage is next used. Turning analytics off removes the context and receipts. Opening the confirmation on another device without a matching receipt remains unattributed.
When enabled under the regional rules below or your explicit choice, Google Analytics sets first-party cookies on bigchange.ai. The _ga cookie distinguishes browsers for measurement, and _ga_F95W9Q2G28 stores measurement session information for our Analytics property. Cookie names or formats may change when Google updates its tag.
Google’s default lifetime for these Analytics cookies is up to two years and may be refreshed by activity, subject to browser limits. An explicit acceptance lasts for 180 days. After it expires, the current regional rule applies; an existing Analytics cookie does not itself grant permission. Turning analytics off through our controls removes these cookies for our site.
Analytics measures visits, page activity, reading depth and selected link clicks so we can improve our coverage and assess interest in our services. Advertising storage, Google Signals and advertising personalisation are disabled. We do not currently operate an optional advertising-cookie category.
Regional defaults
For visitors detected in the United States, Australia or New Zealand, Analytics starts automatically with a visible notice and an option to turn it off. In all other locations, including the EEA, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Serbia, Analytics stays off until you accept. This is our current conservative configuration, not a statement that every other country requires consent.
We use the country associated with your connection by Cloudflare to select the default. We do not request device location or send your IP address to a separate geolocation service. The country decision is not added to our Analytics events. If the location check fails or preference storage is unavailable, we require your acceptance. VPNs and other network routing can affect the detected country.
A saved refusal overrides regional defaults, including when you travel. Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track signals keep Analytics off, including after an earlier acceptance. Advertising remains disabled everywhere.
How to choose
- Accept all: saves an explicit acceptance of our current Analytics category.
- Manage preferences: lets you review the categories. The switch shows whether Analytics is enabled. In consent-required locations it starts unchecked. Untick Analytics and choose Save preferences to use necessary storage only. Your saved choice is respected when you return.
Choose Privacy settings at the bottom of any page to change the selection. Turning it off stops future collection through our tag, removes the site’s Analytics cookies and, when the preference can be saved, reloads the page without the tag. Earlier data is not automatically erased; contact us if you want to make a privacy request.
These choices apply to this browser. A different browser or device has its own settings. Clearing site data removes your saved choice, so the current regional default applies again. If browser storage is unavailable, we may be unable to remember the choice after you leave. Browsers can also block or delete cookies directly, although blocking necessary storage can affect login, security checks or saved preferences.
You can read every story with necessary storage only. Newsletter registration has its own consent checkbox and does not turn analytics on.
Questions and updates
Contact hello@bigchange.ai about cookies or browser storage. We will update this page when the technologies or their purposes change and request new consent where required.