Legal
Privacy policy
The short version: we don’t track you, we don’t use analytics, banner ads load only if you say yes, and we don’t sell or share personal data.
Last updated: September 2026.
Who we are
xstos.co.uk is an independent information website. You can contact us at hello@xstos.co.uk.
Cookies and tracking
We don’t use analytics or tracking cookies, and we set no cookies of our own. We don’t load web fonts from third parties, social media widgets, embedded videos or maps – the pages are served from this website. The only exception is banner ads, and only if you agree (see below).
When you first visit, a bar asks whether you’re happy with ads cookies. We keep your answer in your browser’s local storage (or, if that’s blocked, in a small cookie from this site called ads_consent) for 6 months, so we don’t have to ask on every page. It holds only “accept” or “reject” and the date, and it isn’t sent to anyone.
If you use the “Larger text” button, your choice is saved in your own browser’s local storage so the next page remembers it. It never leaves your device, and you can clear it at any time through your browser settings.
Banner ads
Some pages have up to two banner ads: one under the menu, and one part-way through a guide or a model page. There are none on this page or the contact, terms, accessibility and affiliate pages, and none inside the selector or compare tool. The ads come from 5od (5od.co.uk), a small ad service run by the owner of this site. They’re contextual: 5od chooses a banner to suit the page you’re reading, not you. 5od itself sets no cookies and builds no profile of you; your browser sends it the site, the ad position and size, and the address of the page (never your selector answers).
The banners are for shops and brands in the Awin affiliate network. Awin’s banner images and links can set Awin’s own cookies: when a banner is shown, and when you click one, so that a purchase can be credited to us. That’s why nothing loads until you choose:
- Accept ads cookies: banners load, and Awin is told you agreed.
- Reject: no banners load at all, and your browser doesn’t contact 5od or Awin for ads.
- JavaScript off: no ads load and you won’t be asked.
Like any website, 5od’s server sees your IP address when your browser asks it for a banner. 5od doesn’t store raw IP addresses: it keeps a scrambled (salted and hashed) version for up to 2 days, only to limit abuse.
Changing your mind
Use Cookie settings (also at the bottom of every page) to see your current choice and change it at any time. If you switch from accept to reject, banners stop loading straight away. Any Awin cookies already set stay in your browser until they expire, or until you delete them in your browser’s settings (clearing this site’s data also resets your choice, and we’ll ask again).
Server logs
Like almost every website, our web server keeps standard logs of requests – such as the page requested, the time, your IP address and your browser type. These are used only to keep the site secure and working, and are kept only for a limited period.
Links to other websites
Links to other websites go through a short redirect on our site (addresses starting /go/). We record the date and time, which link was clicked and which of our pages it was on, so we can see which information is useful. We do not record who clicked it: no IP address, no cookies, no personal data.
Once you arrive on another website, its own privacy policy applies.
If you email us
If you email us, we use your email address and message only to reply and to deal with what you’ve asked. We don’t add you to a mailing list. We keep emails only as long as we need them to deal with your message, and then delete them. Please don’t send us medical or financial details.
Forms
The “Which XSTO suits me?” selector and the compare tool work entirely from the web address in your browser. Your answers – including any weight you enter – are not stored by us. They do appear in the page address, so they may be kept in your browser history and our standard server logs.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you can ask what personal data we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete it, and complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we handle it. Contact us first and we’ll do our best to help.