Cookie Notice
What cookies and similar technologies this website uses, and how to control them.
This Cookie Notice explains how Darren Sim (the "Operator") uses cookies and similar technologies on this website. It forms part of the Privacy Statement.
Version dated 5 September 2026
Before publishing: audit the Website in a browser's developer tools, delete any row in the tables below that does not apply, and add any technology actually deployed. A cookie notice that overstates or understates what is set is itself a compliance risk. If clause 4 lists nothing after the audit, a consent banner is not required, but clause 5 should be retained.
1. What cookies are
1.1 Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. Similar technologies include pixels, tags, web beacons, software development kits, and browser storage mechanisms such as localStorage and sessionStorage. In this Notice, all of these are referred to as "cookies".
1.2 Cookies are described as first-party where they are set by this Website, and third-party where they are set by another organisation whose content or service is used on the Website. They are session cookies where they expire when you close your browser, and persistent cookies where they remain until they expire or are deleted.
2. Legal position
2.1 Where you access the Website from the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive, as implemented in national law, requires your prior consent before any cookie is placed on or read from your device, except where the cookie is strictly necessary to provide a service you have requested. Consent is obtained through the cookie banner.
2.2 Where you access the Website from Singapore, the Personal Data Protection Commission's guidance treats consent to cookies that collect personal data as capable of being given through appropriately configured browser settings, in addition to any banner presented.
2.3 Where you access the Website from a United States state with an applicable privacy law, you may have a right to opt out of targeted advertising and of the sale or sharing of personal information. The Operator does not use cookies for advertising, sale, or sharing, and honours the Global Privacy Control signal where technically supported.
3. Strictly necessary cookies
3.1 These cookies are required for the Website to function securely and are set without consent because they are essential to a service you have requested. They cannot be switched off through the banner.
| Purpose | Type | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|
| Recording your cookie preferences | First-party, persistent | Up to 12 months |
| Load balancing and content delivery | First-party or CDN provider | Session |
| Security, bot detection, and abuse prevention | First-party or security provider | Session to 12 months |
| Contact form spam protection, if deployed | Third-party | Session to 6 months |
4. Non-essential cookies
4.1 The following cookies are set only after you consent through the banner. If you do not consent, they are not placed.
| Category | What it does | Provider | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analytics | Measures page views, referral sources, and general usage patterns to improve the Website | [analytics provider, if any] | Up to 24 months |
| Embedded media | Enables embedded video, audio, or slide content to play, and allows the platform to record playback and device data | [e.g. YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud] | Set by the provider |
| Social and platform embeds | Enables embedded posts, feeds, or follow buttons | [e.g. LinkedIn, X, Substack] | Set by the provider |
| Newsletter signup embed | Enables an embedded subscription form and links a submission to your session | [e.g. Mailchimp] | Set by the provider |
4.2 Third-party cookies are controlled by the relevant provider, which acts under its own privacy notice. Embedded content may collect data as if you had visited that provider's own service directly, including where you do not interact with the embed.
5. Technologies used outside the Website
5.1 Newsletter tracking. Messages sent through the newsletter platform contain tracking pixels and rewritten links that record whether a message was opened, when, the approximate device and location derived from IP address, and which links were clicked. This is not a website cookie, but it is a similar technology and is described here for completeness. It is addressed in clause 3.4 of the Privacy Statement.
5.2 You can limit newsletter tracking by configuring your email client to block remote images, or by unsubscribing.
5.3 Server logs. Hosting and security providers record technical data in server logs independently of cookies. This is not consent-based and is described in clause 3.5 of the Privacy Statement.
6. How to manage cookies
6.1 Through the Website. You may accept or reject non-essential cookies when you first visit, and you may change or withdraw your choice at any time using the "Cookie settings" link in the footer. Withdrawal takes effect prospectively and does not affect processing carried out before withdrawal.
6.2 Through your browser. All major browsers allow you to block or delete cookies and to clear browser storage. Instructions are available in the help documentation for Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox, and other browsers.
6.3 Consequences. Blocking strictly necessary cookies may cause parts of the Website to malfunction. Blocking non-essential cookies will not prevent you from reading the Website's content, but embedded media may not display.
6.4 Global Privacy Control. Where your browser or extension transmits a Global Privacy Control signal, the Operator treats it as a valid request to opt out of any sale, sharing, or targeted advertising use, where technically supported.
7. Changes and contact
7.1 This Cookie Notice may be updated when the technologies used on the Website change. The current version is always the one posted on this page, bearing a revised version date.
7.2 Questions about this Cookie Notice should be submitted through the "Contact Us" facility on the Website, selecting "Legal & Privacy" as the topic. That facility is the Operator's designated channel for such communications; no separate email or postal address is published. Your rights in respect of personal data are set out in the Privacy Statement.