Cookie and Storage Notice

We do not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or analytics cookies on dopamineengine.com. This notice explains the small number of storage technologies the site does use, what they do, and why we have not asked for your consent.

The two storage technologies we use

Theme preference (localStorage). If you switch the site between light and dark appearance using the theme toggle in the header, your choice is saved on your device in a browser feature called localStorage, under the key dopamine-engine-theme. The value is either light or dark. Without this, the site would default back to its initial appearance every time you navigated to a new page. The preference stays on your device and is not transmitted to us or anyone else. You can clear it at any time using your browser’s settings.

Anonymous visit counter (server-side, not stored on your device). The site keeps a single running count of how many times any page has been requested. The count is stored on our server-side database, not on your device. Your visit is added to the total without recording who you are, when you visited, or anything else about you. This is published on the site as part of our editorial chrome (“Vol.” in the Studio Bulletin section). It is anonymous aggregate data and does not identify you.

Why we have not asked for your consent

UK law on storage of information on a user’s device is set by Regulation 6 of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (commonly called PECR). Regulation 6(1) requires consent to store information on, or access information from, your device. Regulation 6(4)(b) creates an exception where the storage is “strictly necessary for the provision of an information society service requested by the subscriber or user”.

The theme preference falls within this exception. You requested the theme by clicking the toggle; storing it is strictly necessary to provide the appearance you asked for.

The anonymous visit counter is not covered by PECR at all because nothing is stored on your device.

This is why no cookie banner is shown. If we later add any tracking, analytics, advertising, or other non-essential cookies or storage, we will introduce a proper consent flow before doing so.

Third-party services that may set their own technologies

Our hosting and database providers (Vercel and Upstash) may set technical cookies for their own operational purposes (load balancing, security). These are strictly necessary for the site to function and are also covered by the Regulation 6(4)(b) exception. They do not track you across other sites.

If you click an outbound link from this site to a third-party platform such as Instagram or Facebook, that platform’s own cookie and privacy policy will apply. We do not control them.

Browser controls

You can control browser storage at any time through your browser’s settings. Clearing your site data for dopamineengine.com will remove the theme preference. Future visits will then default to the site’s initial appearance until you set the preference again.

Changes to this notice

We will update this notice if we add or remove any storage technology, or change the legal basis on which we rely. The date at the top of the page reflects the latest revision.

How to contact us

By email: hello@dopamineengine.com.

By post: Dopamine Ventures Ltd, 167-169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor, London W1W 5PF.