Privacy policy
What this site collects when you read it, who processes it, and how to limit it. Effective October 3, 2026.
Summary
ScreenSift has no accounts, comments, newsletter, or forms, and we do not ask you for personal information. To understand how the site is read, we use two analytics services: Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity. Both collect information about your device and how you interact with our pages, and they set analytics cookies only if you accept them in our cookie banner.
We do not sell the information we receive, and we do not run advertising on ScreenSift. Google and Microsoft process this data under their own privacy statements, which are linked below.
Who we are
ScreenSift (screensift.net) is an independent publication. In this policy, “we” and “us” mean ScreenSift. Our contact page explains how to reach us, including about privacy.
Cookie consent
On your first visit, a banner asks whether to allow analytics cookies. Until you choose, and if you decline:
- Google Analytics runs in consent mode with analytics storage denied. Google states that its tags then do not read or write analytics cookies and send cookieless measurements, such as a timestamp, browser user agent, and referring page.
- Microsoft Clarity runs in its no-consent mode. Microsoft states that Clarity then sets no first- or third-party cookies and assigns a unique ID to each page view instead of joining your pages into one session.
If you accept, both services may set the cookies listed below. Consent for advertising storage is always denied, because ScreenSift does not run ads.
Your choice is saved in your browser’s local storage so the banner does not return on every page. It is not a cookie, and it is not sent to us. To change your choice, use Cookie settings in the footer of any page. If you withdraw consent, we pass that to both services and delete the Google Analytics cookies for this site, and Microsoft states that Clarity deletes its existing cookies.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics 4 to measure visits: which pages are viewed, how visitors arrive (for example from a search engine or a link), approximate location, device and browser type, and basic interaction events.
If you accept analytics cookies, Google Analytics sets first-party cookies that distinguish browsers and sessions. Google’s cookie documentation gives them a default expiry of two years, which some browsers shorten. Google states that Analytics uses IP addresses to derive approximate location and drops IP addresses collected from users in the EU, Switzerland, and the UK before logging that data.
Google’s handling of this data is described in the Google Privacy Policy and in how Google uses information from sites that use its services.
Microsoft Clarity
We use Microsoft Clarity to see how our pages are used, through behavioral metrics, heatmaps, and session replay. Clarity records interactions such as clicks, scrolling, and pointer movement, together with device and browser details. We use it to find layout problems, slow pages, and sections that readers skip or misread.
With your consent, Clarity uses first- and third-party cookies and other tracking technologies to link page views into sessions and recognize returning browsers. Microsoft’s Clarity cookie list includes a third-party cookie that Microsoft says is used across Microsoft sites for advertising, site analytics, and other operational purposes. ScreenSift does not use Clarity data for advertising.
Microsoft’s Clarity data retention page states that playback data is kept for 30 days, and click and heatmap data for 9 months. ScreenSift has no text fields, so session replays cannot contain anything you type into this site. For how Microsoft collects and uses data, see the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
Cookies on this site
ScreenSift itself sets no cookies. The cookies below come from the two analytics services and are set only after you accept analytics cookies. They are listed as the providers documented them on October 3, 2026, and the providers may change them.
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | Distinguishes browsers | First-party; default expiry 2 years |
| _ga_ followed by a property ID | Google Analytics | Keeps session state | First-party; default expiry 2 years |
| _clck | Microsoft Clarity | Keeps the Clarity user ID and preferences for this site | First-party |
| _clsk | Microsoft Clarity | Joins page views into one session recording | First-party |
| CLID, MUID, MR, SM, ANONCHK | Microsoft | Recognize a browser across sites that use Clarity or Microsoft services | Third-party |
Hosting and security logs
ScreenSift is served through Cloudflare. To deliver pages and protect the site from abuse, Cloudflare processes technical request data such as IP addresses, browser user agents, and requested URLs. Cloudflare’s practices are described in the Cloudflare Privacy Policy. We do not use this data to identify individual readers.
What we do not collect
- No accounts, sign-ins, comments, newsletters, or forms.
- No payment details. ScreenSift does not sell anything.
- No embedded videos, social media widgets, or advertising scripts.
- No requests to font providers. Our fonts are served from screensift.net.
If you email us, we receive your email address and whatever you include in the message. We use it only to read and reply to your message and to act on what you sent, such as a correction.
How we use the information
We use analytics to count visits, see which articles are read and which are not, find pages that are slow or confusing, and decide what to cover next. We do not combine analytics data with other information to identify you, and we do not sell it.
Your choices
- Decline or withdraw consent with the banner, or later with Cookie settings in the footer.
- Block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Every page on ScreenSift works without cookies, and Microsoft states that Clarity does not set cookies when a browser has them disabled.
- Opt out of Google Analytics with Google’s opt-out browser add-on.
- Use a content or tracking blocker. Nothing on ScreenSift depends on the analytics scripts, so blocking them does not hide any content.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, or delete personal data about you, or to object to its processing. Because ScreenSift has no accounts, the analytics data we can see is pseudonymous, and we may not be able to link it to you. Contact us and we will help where we can, including with deletion requests that the analytics tools allow. You can also contact Google or Microsoft directly through the privacy statements linked above.
Children
ScreenSift is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them.
Changes to this policy
We update this page when the tools we use change, and the date at the top of the page shows the latest version. If we add advertising, affiliate links, or a newsletter, this policy will be updated before they go live. Our methodology covers how such changes would be disclosed in articles.