Cookie Policy
This policy explains the cookies and similar technologies used on mywhatif.org: what each is for, and how to change your choice at any time. It sits alongside our Privacy Policy.
1. Your choice comes first
Everything in this policy except the "Necessary" category is off until you turn it on. No optional service loads before you decide, and the website works the same either way — every page, every form, every donation, functions identically whether or not you accept.
Change or withdraw your choice at any time using Cookie choices in the footer of every page. Withdrawing takes the same one click as accepting.
Your choice itself is remembered in your browser's local storage, under the key mwi.consent.v1. It holds two yes/no flags and the date you decided, not anything you typed anywhere on the site, and it is not transmitted to us or to anyone else.
2. Necessary
Required for the website to work and to stay secure. These cannot be switched off.
| What | Purpose | Set by | Kept for |
|---|---|---|---|
mwi.consent.v1 (browser local storage, not a cookie) | Remembers your cookie choice so you are not asked on every visit | mywhatif.org | Until you change it or clear your browser data |
Our hosting provider, AWS Amplify, may also use cookies or similar mechanisms necessary to route requests to this site securely. These are strictly necessary and cannot be disabled.
3. Analytics — optional, off until you choose
Helps us see which pages are useful and where the site is confusing, so we can improve it. When enabled, we use Google Analytics 4 (Google Ireland Limited) and PostHog, and we have selected PostHog's European Union hosting region.
| Cookie | Purpose | Set by | Kept for |
|---|---|---|---|
_ga | Distinguishes one browser from another | Google Analytics | Set by Google; see Google's own cookie documentation for the current duration |
_ga_<stream id> | Keeps track of a single visit | Google Analytics | Set by Google; see Google's own cookie documentation for the current duration |
ph_<project key>_posthog | Distinguishes one browser from another | PostHog | Set by PostHog; see PostHog's own cookie documentation for the current duration |
If we link Google Analytics to Google BigQuery for longer-term analysis, the exported data is the same technical information already described in this policy; no additional information is collected from your browser as a result.
Session replay is switched off, independent of your cookie choice.
4. Error monitoring — optional, off until you choose
Tells us when something on the website breaks, so we can fix it. When enabled, we use Sentry, and we have selected its European Union data region.
Sentry does not set a cookie on this site. When an error occurs, it is configured to receive the address of the page, your browser and device type, and technical detail about the fault, while minimizing the personal information it collects and excluding the contents of anything you may have been submitting at the time.
5. What we do not send to analytics or error-monitoring services
The contents of anything you write on this site — a form you fill in, a question you compose, anything you tell us about your health, your experiences, or your circumstances — is not part of what these services are configured to receive.
This is built into how the website works, not only stated as policy. Every event these services can receive is drawn from a fixed, short list of technical facts — which page you're on, which button you clicked, whether a form was submitted — and that list does not include the contents of a message. Submitting the Contact form, for instance, is configured to produce only the fact that a form was submitted; the message itself is not part of that event.
6. How long information is kept
Where these services are switched on, we intend the following retention periods to apply:
| Service | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Google Analytics | 14 months |
| PostHog | 12 months |
| Sentry | 30 days |
| Google BigQuery (only where linked) | 26 months |
7. Where information goes
Some of these providers may process information outside the United Kingdom and European Economic Area:
Selecting a European region for PostHog and Sentry means each account's primary processing and storage are located in the EU; it does not mean every aspect of how each company operates is confined there. We rely on the safeguards described in section 15 of our Privacy Policy for these and any other applicable transfers.
8. Managing cookies in your browser
You can also block or delete cookies directly in your browser's settings. This may affect how other websites work; this site continues to function either way.
9. Changes to this policy
If we add or remove a service, we will update this page, and where the change is material, ask you to make your choice again.
10. Contact
Questions about this policy can be sent to MyWhatIf Foundation through our contact page.