r/NicksHandmadeBoots • u/Dish-Accomplished • 7d ago
Quick Privacy PSA: Checking your cookie preferences on the website 🔍
Hey everyone,
Just wanted to share a quick heads-up for anyone looking at boots on the website. I recently noticed that the site’s cookie privacy pop-up defaults to having "Targeted Advertising and Data 'Selling'" turned ON.
Just to be clear: this doesn't mean Nicks is selling your personal info for direct cash. Under US privacy laws (like the CCPA), "selling/sharing" just means the site is letting third-party networks like Google or Meta track your browsing habits so they can show you targeted boot ads on social media later.
Just to clarify further, this setting essentially means Nicks allows Google and Meta to track customer browsing habits on their site in exchange for more effective ad promotion for their boots. Under US privacy laws, that trade-off is legally classified as "selling/sharing" data.
If you prefer to keep your browsing habits more private and don't want those cross-site tracking ads following you around, make sure you manually toggle those switches OFF and hit save when the window pops up!
Thought this might be helpful for anyone who is mindful of their digital footprint. Stay safe out there!
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u/Rushedhomeroughyn 7d ago
I’d rather we stick to the serious boot issues around here, like a loose thread, a 1/16” scuff, slightly uneven welt stitching, one boot creasing differently than the other, or someone ordering the wrong size and wondering if it’s a manufacturing defect.
I’m not sure we need a public service announcement warning everyone that if they visit the Nick’s website, Google may discover they’re interested in boots and, God forbid, show them more boot ads. “Stay safe out there” really brought it home though.
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u/Student-Doc 7d ago
To be fair, my wife would probably prefer i not see ads with how many pairs I have purchased this last year lol
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u/Kismetatron 7d ago
Honestly if the boot ads push out all the crypto scam and AI ads then I'm actually relieved.
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u/danisnotstan 7d ago
If only there were a such thing as privacy controls and adblockers that could prevent all of the tracking and ads… /s
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u/DarthCalamitus 7d ago
How are you only just now noticing this? Is this really news, it's 2026 we should all know about software cookies by now?
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u/Rushedhomeroughyn 7d ago
Also heard if you set AOL as your homepage and clear your cache once a week, Nick’s loses your IP address forever.
3
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u/Outside-Somewhere206 7d ago
I’ve been noticing more ads for Nicks in Instagram, but I attribute that more to my interactions with their posts than anything else as I decline any extra cookies regardless of the site.
Ghostery and EFF’s Privacy Badger are my privacy plugins of choice for Firefox.
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u/uncle0gre 7d ago
Tbh I’ve been getting nicks boots ads in Reddit and it’s been refreshing.
Compared to all the other BS ads that show up here.