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Degreesouth

Control Your Cookie Preferences for a Better Site Experience

Last updated: October 24, 2023

Web browsers rely on small text files called cookies to remember your actions across different pages. Without them, every click would treat you as a completely new visitor.

Understanding Cookies on Our Platform

We use two types of these files to maintain continuity while you explore our archives. Session cookies exist only while your browser remains open. They handle immediate tasks, like keeping your navigation state active as you move between different photo essays. Once you close the window, your device deletes them automatically.

Persistent cookies operate differently. They remain on your hard drive after you leave the site, waiting for your return. We rely on persistent files to remember your consent choices. This ensures you aren't repeatedly asked the same privacy questions upon returning to our galleries weeks or months later. Both types work together to stabilize your browsing session.

Categories of Cookies We Use

Not all tracking files serve the same purpose. We categorize our usage into three operational groups to clarify exactly what data remains on your machine.

  • Strictly Necessary Cookies: These form the backbone of the site infrastructure. They manage core security features, balance server loads, and record your privacy preferences. You cannot opt out of these if you wish to use the site.
  • Performance and Analytics Cookies: These files measure how visitors interact with our conflict photography archives and exhibition pages. They tell us which galleries load slowly or where navigation breaks down.
  • Advertising Cookies: These prepare the groundwork for future personalization and audience building.

We currently limit the advertising category strictly to planned integrations. This ensures your immediate browsing remains focused on the documentary work rather than commercial retargeting, though the infrastructure exists for future use.

Third-Party Services and Integrations

Hosting high-resolution documentary photography requires reliable external infrastructure. Content delivery networks distribute our image files globally to reduce load times. These networks occasionally set their own operational cookies to route traffic efficiently and prevent security threats.

We are also preparing to integrate standard analytics tools and ad networks to better understand our audience reach. When these systems activate, they will operate under their own privacy frameworks. Interacting with our media means engaging with these external delivery systems. We monitor these partnerships closely to ensure they align with our core privacy commitments.

Modern web browsers offer granular control over local storage. You can configure Chrome, Firefox, or Safari to block all cookies, clear existing files upon exit, or reject third-party trackers specifically. Navigating to your browser's privacy settings allows you to dictate exactly what our site can save.

Disabling these files entirely changes how you experience the platform. Blocking strictly necessary cookies will trigger the consent banner on every single visit. It may also disrupt basic navigation through our Pacific Melanesia collections, as the site loses its ability to verify your session state. Adjusting your browser settings provides the most direct method for managing your digital footprint, provided you accept the resulting functional trade-offs.

Updates to This Policy and Contact Information

Digital privacy standards change. We revise this document whenever we implement new tracking technologies or adjust our third-party partnerships. Significant modifications to our data practices will prompt a renewed consent request upon your next visit to the site.

We maintain a transparent approach to how we handle your local storage. If you require clarification regarding our tracking methods or wish to discuss our data practices further, please reach out through our Contact Us page.

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