Cookies and storage
Privacy policy
Checked 2026-10-29. Covers 1.0, The Boglands (2025-10-28) and The Lost Archives (2026-10-22).
This guide runs on a default-on model: analytics, session replay and ads start with the first page view, and Reject switches them off. The tables below name the integrated services, known storage keys and retention information.
Who is responsible
The site is hallsoftorment.com. Privacy mail is [email protected]. The game studio, Chasing Carrots, does not operate this website.
What loads, and when
Google Analytics 4, Microsoft Clarity and Adsterra load by default, on the first page view, before you touch the banner. The banner is a notice and a withdrawal control, not a gate: it explains what is running and lets you press Reject to stop it. YouTube is the one exception, because a video is only requested after you press play.
- Google Analytics 4 (measurement ID
G-9K7LF65TKY): aggregate page views, referrers, device type and approximate location. Loaded from googletagmanager.com and reported to google-analytics.com. - Microsoft Clarity (project
z56g3h5z9z): heat maps and session recordings, loaded from clarity.ms. Clarity masks sensitive content such as form fields by default. - Adsterra (publisher
3403020, website6159461): the Native Banner unit31981233in the page and the Social Bar unit31981234as the fixed bar at the bottom right. Snippets start at bicea.org. Browser measurements on 29 October 2026 also observed static.nresystems.com, cdn.storageimagedisplay.com, cdn.show-creative1.com, cdn.show-sb.com and cdn.cloudpiko.com delivering advertising assets. These delivery domains belong to the advertising integration; they also load by default and stop after Reject. Adult ads are switched off in the Adsterra panel. - YouTube (www.youtube-nocookie.com): a guide may show a play button built from a screenshot we host. The iframe is created only after you press play. YouTube may set its own cookies once playback starts; those are YouTube's, not ours.
4 rows. Select a column heading to sort.
| Google Analytics 4 | googletagmanager.com, google-analytics.com | Page URL, referrer, screen and device data, a random client id | First page view, unless you pressed Reject |
| Microsoft Clarity | www.clarity.ms, scripts.clarity.ms and regional *.clarity.ms collectors | Clicks, scrolls, page structure and a masked session recording | First page view, unless you pressed Reject |
| Adsterra and creative delivery | bicea.org, static.nresystems.com, cdn.storageimagedisplay.com, cdn.show-creative1.com, cdn.show-sb.com, cdn.cloudpiko.com | Page URL, ad unit, device and approximate location, ad interaction | First page view, unless you pressed Reject or closed the bar |
| YouTube | www.youtube-nocookie.com | The video id and your IP once you press play | Only after a play click |
Cookies and localStorage
The site writes two keys of its own and the networks write the rest. The consent record and the ad-bar close flag are first-party localStorage, not cookies, and are never sent to a server.
7 rows. Select a column heading to sort.
| hot_consent | localStorage | this site | Records granted or denied, a timestamp, and an ads flag so the banner does not ask every visit | 180 days |
| hot_ad_closed | localStorage | this site | Remembers that you closed the Adsterra Social Bar so it does not return on reload | Until you clear site data |
| _ga | cookie | Google Analytics 4 | Distinguishes browsers for aggregate reports | 2 years |
| _ga_9K7LF65TKY | cookie | Google Analytics 4 | Keeps session state for this property | 2 years |
| _clck | cookie | Microsoft Clarity | Keeps the Clarity user id and preferences | 1 year |
| _clsk | cookie | Microsoft Clarity | Joins page views into one session recording | 1 day |
| Adsterra cookies | cookie (adsterra.com, bicea.org) | Adsterra | Frequency capping, fraud prevention and measuring an ad click; names are chosen by the network | Network-controlled; no fixed duration independently confirmed |
Legal basis, Reject, and GPC
Analytics, session replay and advertising start by default. The notice does not request an affirmative opt-in before those requests. Use Reject or Global Privacy Control to stop these services. The first-party preference record remembers your choice for 180 days.
On a first visit with no saved choice the page writes hot_consent as granted, loads the three scripts and shows the banner. Accept keeps that record. Reject rewrites it as denied, tells Google Analytics and the ad loader to stop, and reloads the document to terminate existing recording and ad scripts; the record lasts 180 days. Global Privacy Control (navigator.globalPrivacyControl) is treated as Reject before the third-party loaders run, and a stored Reject also disables the GA4 tag before it configures. Do Not Track is not used as a signal; GPC is the one we honour. Open the banner again from Cookie settings in the footer.
Because the scripts start by default, this page does not claim that nothing loads before you accept. If you want them off, press Reject; the page reloads and subsequent page views will not load them. Clearing site data removes your preference and restores default loading.
Advertising and personalized ads
Adsterra may use cookies and device data to choose and cap ads. We do not build our own advertising profile and we do not sell personal information. You can limit personalized advertising through the industry controls below; they apply across the sites that honour them, including Adsterra where required:
- Google Ads Settings for Google-served personalization.
- Microsoft ad settings for Microsoft advertising, including Clarity-related signals.
- DAA WebChoices and Your Online Choices for participating ad networks.
- NAI opt-out for Network Advertising Initiative members.
Retention, rights, and changes
Google Analytics 4 and Microsoft Clarity retain event data and recordings according to their service policies and project settings. This audit did not independently confirm those dashboard retention settings. Adsterra keeps ad interaction data under its own policy. Email you send us is kept only as long as the thread needs it, then deleted from the mailbox we control.
Depending on where you live, you can ask for access, correction, deletion, or a copy of information you sent us by email, and you can object to mail we send in reply. Write to [email protected]. This policy's date is 29 October 2026. A material change will update that date on this page.
Cookie aliases /cookie-policy/ and /cookies/ redirect here. Children: the site is a game guide written for a general audience. We do not ask for a date of birth.
Questions and answers
Do you use Google Analytics?
Yes: Google Analytics 4, measurement ID G-9K7LF65TKY. It loads on the first page view by default. Press Reject in the banner (or Cookie settings in the footer) to stop it for 180 days.
Does Clarity record my session?
Yes, Microsoft Clarity records masked heat maps and sessions for project z56g3h5z9z. Form fields and other sensitive content are masked by default. Reject reloads the page to stop the active recording and prevents Clarity from loading on subsequent visits.
How do I close the bottom ad bar?
Press the × on the bar. The site stores hot_ad_closed in localStorage, so the Social Bar stays closed on reload; clear site data to bring it back.
How do I delete the consent record?
Clear localStorage for this site, or press Reject to overwrite hot_consent. Email [email protected] if you also wrote to us.
Sources · 2026-10-29
- Google Analytics 4 data retention — Event data retention setting (checked 2026-10-29)
- Microsoft Clarity privacy disclosure — Clarity cookies and masking (checked 2026-10-29)
- Adsterra privacy policy — Ad delivery and cookies (checked 2026-10-29)
- Global Privacy Control — The signal this site treats as Reject (checked 2026-10-29)