Policies & privacy

Cookie policy

What is stored in your browser and how to control optional analytics.

Last updated November 3, 2026

Your cookie settings

You can use the dashboards without optional analytics. Where Google Analytics is configured, it loads only after you select “Allow analytics.” “No thanks” keeps it off. Closing the notice without choosing does not grant permission.

JavaScript is disabled, so this site’s analytics controller cannot run. You can read these policies and use the site’s navigation without it. Clear site storage in your browser to remove a previously saved choice.

Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track override a saved permission. If analytics is unavailable or not configured, no analytics tag is loaded; you can still record a decline or withdraw previous permission.

Cookies and local storage

Cookies are small values a browser may send with requests. Local storage stays in your browser until page scripts read it. The preference below uses local storage, not a cookie.

Name / provider	Purpose	Duration and choice
`chartpeople.analytics.v1` Chart People · local storage	Remembers “granted” or “denied” for optional analytics. It is not a visitor identifier.	Until changed or cleared in this browser. Written when you make a choice, including a decline.
`_ga`, `_ga_*` Google Analytics · cookies	Distinguish browsers and sessions for usage measurement after permission.	Google’s usual lifetime is up to two years and may renew with use; browser limits and tag settings can shorten it. These are optional.
`darkMode` Chart People · local storage	A display preference used by older pages with a theme control, not an analytics identifier.	Until cleared or changed. The current public-page layout does not set it.

Google may change how its cookies work. See Google’s cookie information. Cookie expiry is not a statement about how long Google retains analytics records.

Older visits may have left acknowledgment or consent values such as chartpeople_consent or cookieConsent. They do not authorize this site’s analytics. The retired Metro Surge acknowledgment is no longer used to grant access.

Changing your choice

Use “Cookie settings” in the footer to allow analytics or turn it off. Declining is available at the same time as allowing, and neither choice blocks data access.

Turning analytics off stops new events from this controller and attempts to delete accessible Google Analytics cookies for this site. It cannot remove data already collected by Google, cookies on other sites, or storage your browser does not let this page access.

You can also use your browser’s settings to delete cookies and local storage. Clearing the saved preference may cause the notice to appear again. If storage is blocked, your choice may last only for the current page. With JavaScript disabled, use browser settings to remove saved values.

A temporary _gl value may appear in links between configured sites. It is a Google cross-domain linking parameter, not a cookie or analytics permission. Our controller removes an incoming value on decline, configuration failure or after at most two minutes, and excludes it from its event payloads.

Other sites and devices

Choices are stored for the current browser and website origin. They do not automatically apply to another device, browser, domain or the separately hosted historical COVID-19 site. See the privacy policy for information about providers, website requests and your privacy options.