Cookie Policy
Last updated: January 2026
This page explains how the World Settlement Footprint platform uses cookies and similar technologies, what they are used for, and how you can control them. For more on how we handle your data more generally, see our Privacy policy.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files that a website stores on your device. They let a site remember your actions and preferences (such as your cookie choices) over time, and help us understand how the platform is used.
We also use related browser storage — such as sessionStorage — to keep you signed in to the interactive map while you use it. Where this page refers to “cookies”, it covers these similar technologies too. Some of them, such as bot protection, work like cookies even when they don't store one.
How we categorise cookies
Strictly necessary cookies and storage are required for the platform to work — for example remembering your consent choice, keeping you signed in to the map, and protecting our forms — and cannot be switched off.
Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors use the site and are only loaded after you give consent. We do not currently use marketing or advertising cookies, so the cookie banner only lets you choose whether to allow analytics.
Cookies we use
| Name | Provider | Category | Type | Purpose | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cookie_consent | World Settlement Footprint (first-party) | Strictly necessary | Cookie | Stores your cookie preferences so we can remember which categories you have allowed. Set once you make a choice in the cookie banner. | 1 year |
| wsf_auth_token | World Settlement Footprint (first-party) | Strictly necessary | Session storage | Keeps you signed in to the interactive map and data API after you authenticate via a sign-in link, and records when your session expires. Cleared automatically when the session ends or you close the browser tab. | Browser session |
| me_session | World Settlement Footprint (first-party) | Strictly necessary | Cookie (HttpOnly) | Server-side session cookie set by our API to keep your authenticated requests to the map and data API valid. It is HttpOnly and cannot be read by scripts, and is cleared automatically when your session ends or expires. | Browser session |
| hubspotutk | HubSpot | Analytics | Cookie | Identifies your browser across visits and links newsletter sign-ups to your session. Only set after you grant analytics consent. | 6 months |
| __hstc | HubSpot | Analytics | Cookie | Main HubSpot analytics cookie tracking visits, sources and timing. | 6 months |
| __hssc | HubSpot | Analytics | Cookie | Tracks the current session to count page views. | 30 minutes |
| __hssrc | HubSpot | Analytics | Cookie | Flags whether you have restarted your browser, to manage sessions. | Session |
| Cloudflare Turnstile | Cloudflare | Strictly necessary | Cookie / local storage | Protects our forms from spam and abuse by verifying that you are a human, without using tracking cookies or interrupting you with puzzles. See the Cloudflare Turnstile privacy addendum for details. | Session |
Signing in to the map and API
When you sign in to the interactive map or the data API, we use first-party storage to keep you logged in. Your access token is held in your browser's sessionStorage (wsf_auth_token), and our API sets a matching me_session cookie that is HttpOnly — it can't be read by scripts. Both are strictly necessary, are tied to your session, and are cleared automatically when your session ends, expires, or you close the tab. We don't use them to track you across other sites.
Bot protection (Cloudflare Turnstile)
We use Cloudflare Turnstile to protect our forms from spam and automated abuse. Turnstile verifies that you are a real person without relying on tracking cookies or third-party advertising data. Cloudflare processes limited technical information to perform this check. For full details on what is collected and how it is used, read the Cloudflare Turnstile privacy addendum.
Third parties and international transfers
Some cookies and technologies above are provided by third parties who act as our processors: HubSpot (analytics and newsletter sign-ups) and Cloudflare (form bot protection). When these are used, limited data may be processed by them on our behalf, including transfers to countries outside the European Economic Area, such as the United States. Where that happens, the transfer is covered by appropriate safeguards, such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses. See each provider's own notice — for example the Cloudflare Turnstile privacy addendum — and our Privacy policy for more detail.
The cookie banner and your consent
On your first visit, a banner asks how you would like us to use cookies. You can Accept all categories, Reject all optional cookies, or choose Manage preferences to allow each category individually. Strictly necessary cookies are always on and cannot be disabled. No analytics or marketing cookies are loaded until you make a choice.
Your decision is saved in the cookie_consent cookie for one year and applied on your next visit, so you won't be asked again unless the cookie expires, you clear it, or we make a material change to how we use cookies. When you change your choice we also update our analytics provider so it stops or starts tracking accordingly.
You can revisit your choice at any time using the Manage cookies link in the footer, or the button below. You can also block or delete cookies through your browser settings, though some parts of the site — such as staying signed in to the map — may not work as intended if you do.
Your rights and how to contact us
The data controller for this platform is MindEarth S.r.l., Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 30, 20121 Milan, Italy. You can withdraw or change your cookie consent at any time using the controls above, and you have the right to access, correct or delete your personal data and to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority (in Italy, the Garante per la protezione dei dati personali).
For the full description of how we process personal data and the rights available to you, see our Privacy policy. If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy, please contact us.