Web Analytics
We use Matomo, an open-source, privacy-friendly web analytics platform, to help us understand how visitors use our website and improve the user experience.
What We Collect — Anonymous Only
We have configured Matomo to collect only anonymous usage data. No personally identifiable information (PII) is collected or stored.
Specifically, Matomo collects:
- An anonymized IP address (e.g., 192.168.xxx.xxx)
- Pages visited and time spent
- Browser, device, and operating system type
- Referring websites or search engines
- Clicks and scroll events
- A randomly generated anonymous visitor ID (via cookie)
This visitor ID cannot be used to identify you. It exists solely to count repeat visits and does not include any personal information.
Cookie Usage and Expiry
We use a small number of first-party cookies to enable anonymous analytics and improve performance. These cookies help us:
- Recognize repeat visits across sessions
- Track visits across subdomains (e.g.: outsider.thestratum.org, thestratum.org)
- Understand aggregate usage patterns
The anonymous visitor ID cookie expires automatically after 6 months.
After expiration, no identifiers are stored or reused, and any returning visits are treated as new, anonymous sessions.
Cookies Used for Analytics
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Provider | Expiry | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
_pk_id.* |
Stores a unique visitor ID to recognize repeat visits | First-party (this site) | 6 months | Anonymous Analytics |
_pk_ses.* |
Stores a unique visitor ID to recognize repeat visits | First-party (this site) | 30 minutes | Anonymous Analytics |
Legal Basis (GDPR)
We process this anonymous data based on your consent, in accordance with Article 6(1)(a) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
You can choose to accept or reject analytics cookies at any time using our cookie settings.
Data Hosting and Retention
- Anonymized analytics data is stored securely on our own servers.
- Data is retained for long-term trend analysis but is never linked back to identifiable users after cookie expiration.
- Analytics data is not shared with third parties.
No Profiling or Third-Party Tracking
We do not use Matomo to create user profiles, perform marketing, or track you across other websites. We do not use third-party trackers or share analytics data with advertisers.