Legal
Privacy & Cookie Policy
Effective 1 September 2026
The short version
The Happy Tagger is a place to practice Google Tag Manager. We run no advertising and no third-party tracking. Our only measurement is a cookieless, first-party counter that sets no cookies, stores no IP addresses, and cannot recognise you from one day to the next. The only things saved in your browser are your privacy choice (always), and, if you switch on Functional storage, your lesson progress and the container you are practicing with. You can change or withdraw your choice at any time.
Who we are
The Happy Tagger ("we", "us") is an educational site operated by Nathan Gage. For any privacy question or request, contact hello@thehappytagger.com. For the purposes of the EU/UK GDPR, we are the data controller for the limited information described below.
What we store on your device
We do not set any cookies of our own. The site uses a small amount of browser storage, listed in full here. "Strictly necessary" items are essential and exempt from consent; "Functional" items are saved only after you opt in.
| Name | Where | Purpose | Category | Kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ht_consent | localStorage | Remembers your privacy choices so we can honor them. | Strictly necessary | Until you clear it or change your choice. |
| ht_completed | localStorage | Your lesson and challenge progress. | Functional (opt-in) | Until you clear it or turn Functional off. |
| ht_gtm_id | sessionStorage | The GTM container you are practicing with, so it carries between lessons. | Functional (opt-in) | Cleared when you close the tab, or if you turn Functional off. |
| Your container's cookies | Set by your own GTM container | Whatever tags you load in the playground set. Controlled entirely by you. | Analytics / Advertising | Denied by default via Consent Mode v2 until you allow them. |
How we measure, without tracking you
This site loads no Google Analytics, no advertising pixels, and no third-party tracking scripts on its own pages. We do not build profiles, sell data, or share it with advertisers.
What we do run is Pear Metrics, a self-hosted, cookieless analytics tool, to count visits and see which lessons get used. It sets no cookies, writes nothing to your device, and stores no IP address: sessions are counted with a server-side hash whose key rotates daily, so there is no identifier that survives until tomorrow and no way to recognise a returning visitor. It records the pages viewed, the referrer, and coarse device and country information, on our own infrastructure, shared with nobody. Because nothing is stored on your device and no personal data is kept, this measurement does not need a consent prompt; the categories in our consent tool govern the optional storage above, which remains off until you allow it.
The playground and your own container
The hands-on lessons let you load a Google Tag Manager container that you own, so you can practice on something that is not a client's production site. When you do this, your container can set its own cookies and send data to whatever services you configure in it. That activity is governed by your own GTM setup and Google's terms, not ours. We initialize Google Consent Mode v2 with every signal denied before your container loads, so nothing fires until you grant consent here. The container id you enter is treated as Functional storage and is saved only if you opt in.
Hosting and server logs
Like nearly all websites, our hosting provider may automatically process standard technical information needed to deliver and secure the site (for example your IP address, browser type, and the pages requested) in short-lived server logs. This is done on the basis of our legitimate interest in operating a secure, reliable service, and is not used to identify or track you across sites.
Legal bases (GDPR)
We rely on the following legal bases under the EU/UK GDPR:
- Strictly necessary storage (remembering your consent choice): necessary for a service you requested, and our legitimate interest in honoring your choice.
- Functional, Analytics and Advertising storage: your consent, which you give through our privacy tool and can withdraw at any time.
- Server logs: our legitimate interest in security and reliable operation.
Your rights
Under the GDPR and similar laws you have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, or port your personal data, and to object to certain processing. Because almost everything we store lives in your own browser, you can exercise most of these rights yourself at any time:
- Use to change or withdraw consent.
- Clear your browser storage for this site to erase progress and saved settings instantly.
- For anything else, including any data held in server logs, email hello@thehappytagger.com and we will respond within the time the law allows. You may also complain to your local data protection authority.
California privacy rights (CCPA/CPRA)
If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information is collected, to request deletion, to correct it, and to opt out of its "sale" or "sharing". We do not sell or share personal information, and we do not use it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal: if your browser sends it, we treat optional storage as off automatically. You will not be discriminated against for exercising any of these rights. To make a request, email hello@thehappytagger.com.
International visitors
We aim to keep on-device storage on your device. Where any limited data (such as server logs) is processed in another country, we rely on appropriate safeguards as required by applicable law.
Children's privacy
The Happy Tagger is intended for professionals and learners and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle data, we will update this page and revise the effective date above. Material changes will be reflected in the consent tool so you can review your choices.
Contact
Questions, requests, or concerns? Email hello@thehappytagger.com.
Change your mind any time.