This page explains what KOMPAS stores in your browser, why it is needed and how you control it. It is written in plain language — without references like “see point 4.2”.
In brief
- Until you have made a choice, only what the site will not open without is active. Analytics and marketing are not loaded at all.
- “Reject” is an equal button next to “Accept”, not a grey line of text at the bottom.
- In the “Customise” window both toggles are off to begin with. If you simply press “Save choice”, you are not giving consent to anything.
- Consent is valid for 365 days, a refusal for 180. After that we will ask again.
- You can change your decision at any time: the “Change cookie choice” button is in the footer of every page and at the bottom of this one.
Cookies — and not only them
A cookie is a small text record that a site leaves in your browser so as to recognise it next time. But cookies have long since stopped being the only way to store something: browsers also have localStorage — the same memory, only without an automatic expiry date. A record stays in it until you clear the site data yourself.
The law does not distinguish between these technologies. § 89 odst. 3 zákona č. 127/2005 Sb. o elektronických komunikacích requires your consent for any storing or reading of information in your device — no matter whether it is a cookie, localStorage or something else. There is one exception: whatever the service you requested simply will not work without. The processing of personal data on top of that is governed by the GDPR.
That is why in the list below we write about both cookies and localStorage records. Hiding the latter behind the word “cookies” would be convenient, but dishonest.
Three categories
Necessary — work without consent
These are the records without which the site either does not work or behaves senselessly. This includes your cookie choice itself: so as not to ask you on every page, we have to remember the answer somewhere. It also includes the sign-in session for your personal account: without it you would be thrown out of your account with every click. These records are not passed to anyone and are not used for advertising.
Analytics — only with your consent
Anonymised statistics: which pages people read, where readers come from, where they close the tab. We look at these figures in order to understand what to write about next and what is inconvenient on the site. We see neither your name, nor your address, nor what you searched for elsewhere.
Marketing — only with your consent
This category is intended for advertising tools — the ones that measure whether an advertisement worked. On the Czech KOMPAS site such tools are currently not used: there is not a single marketing script and not a single advertising cookie here. The toggle in the settings has been left for the future — if anything of the kind appears, it will be switched on in the same way, only with your explicit consent, and this page will be updated before, and not after, the launch.
There are no advertising networks on the site: we do not set any advertising cookies from Google (AdSense).
Full list
| Name | What it does | How long it lives | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
kompas_cookie_consentcookie + localStorage |
Stores your choice: which categories you allowed, exactly when and which version of the banner you saw. | 365 days after consent, 180 days after refusal | Necessary |
kompas-authlocalStorage |
The sign-in session for your personal account — keeps you logged in as you move between pages. Appears only for those who have signed in. | Until you sign out of the account | Necessary |
kompas_banners_dismissed, kompas_site_settings_2, kompas-inv-cz-supplierlocalStorage |
Small technical records: which banner you have already closed, the menu cache, saved details in the invoice calculator. They stay in your browser and are not passed anywhere. | Until you clear the site data | Necessary |
_gacookie |
Google Analytics 4: distinguishes one browser from another so that the same reader is not counted ten times. | about 2 years | Analytics |
_ga_K8VDYK343Ccookie |
Google Analytics 4: stores the state of the current visit (when it started, whether it is the same session or a new one). | about 2 years | Analytics |
kompas_visitor_idlocalStorage |
A random number with no name and no link to an account: so that the counter on a directory page does not count one view of yours several times. It is created only after consent to analytics; the directory section has not been launched on the Czech site yet, so you most likely do not have this record at all. | Until you clear the site data | Analytics |
| — | There are no marketing cookies or other marketing records on this site. | — | Marketing: not used at present |
How consent works
On your first visit a banner with three buttons appears at the bottom:
- Accept — switches on analytics and marketing.
- Reject — switches nothing on. This is an equal button, not a secondary link.
- Customise — opens the toggles by category. Both are off by default: a box ticked in advance does not count as consent, and we do not tick it.
Analytics scripts are loaded only after you have pressed a button — and only the ones you allowed. Until a choice has been made, the scripts themselves are not on the page either.
Consent is valid for 365 days, a refusal for 180. These periods are not accidental: supervisory authorities consider it reasonable to ask again roughly once a year, and they advise not to disturb a person who has already refused for at least six months.
What we record about the fact of the choice itself
When you press any button on the banner, a short record goes to our server: the time, which categories you allowed, the version of the banner you saw, and the browser string (user-agent).
Why: under Art. 7(1) GDPR it is the site that has to prove that consent exists, and you erase the record in your browser with one click — after that there would be nothing left to prove it with.
What this record does not contain: your name, e-mail and IP address. The IP address is used only at the moment of the request, in order to limit how often requests can be made, and does not go into the database. It is impossible to establish who you are from such a record.
How to change or withdraw consent
Press “Change cookie choice” — the button is in the footer of every page and at the bottom of this one. Your previous choice is erased, the page reloads, and the banner appears again.
The reload here is not a whim: a script that has already started lives in the tab's memory until the page is refreshed. That is exactly why the withdrawal takes effect fully and not by half.
Withdrawing consent has to be just as easy as giving it — this is required by Art. 7(3) GDPR, and that is why the button sits in the footer and is not hidden in this text.
Who receives the data
- Google Ireland Limited — Google Analytics 4 (the “Analytics” category). This is the only external recipient of data connected with cookies on this site.
The company may process data outside the European Economic Area. The basis for the transfer is the European Commission's decision on an adequate level of protection, and if there is none for a particular country, the EU standard contractual clauses.
We do not pass your contact details — name, e-mail, phone — to any of the external services.
What happens if you refuse
Nothing will break. Articles, news, events, calculators, the glossary and your personal account work just the same — we do not sell access to content in exchange for consent. The only difference is that your visit will not get into our statistics.
Managing this through your browser
Regardless of our banner, you can delete all records in your browser settings — usually this is the “Privacy and security” → “Cookies and other site data” section. There you can also block third-party cookies for all sites at once.
Bear in mind: clearing also erases our record of your choice, so the banner will appear again. In “incognito” mode everything is erased automatically when you close the window.
Questions and complaints
Write to [email protected] — a real person replies. The site operator's details are on the Contacts page, and the full description of personal data processing is in the Privacy Policy.
If the answer does not satisfy you, you have the right to complain to a supervisory authority. In Czechia the same authority is responsible both for cookies and for personal data:
- Úřad pro ochranu osobních údajů, Pplk. Sochora 27, 170 00 Praha 7, [email protected], data box ID (datová schránka) — qkbaa2n.
If you live in another EU country, you can lodge the complaint with the supervisory authority of your place of residence — the choice is yours.
Updated: August 2026.