Cookie policy
What are cookies?
Cookies are small files sent to and stored on any device used to access the internet that allow websites to recognise the device. There are three main reasons websites use cookies:
- To improve site performance and security.
- To store user preferences and distinguish between users.
- To allow users to carry out certain tasks, such as making a purchase from a shopping cart.
There are two main classes of cookies:
- Persistent or permanent cookies that stay on a device after a session is finished. Persistent cookies are often used to store preferences so the same information doesn’t have to be used each time you visit a site.
- Session or temporary cookies that are deleted when the user closes their browser or logs off a site. They are typically used for managing security and ensuring the content on each page loads quickly and efficiently.
Depending on their purpose, cookies may or may not collect personally identifiable information about the user.
How does the RCSLT use cookies?
The RCSLT uses session cookies for security, load-balancing and loading to ensure our site functions correctly and performs well. Our session cookies do not collect any personal information about the user and their device.
The RCSLT also uses session cookies in our member-only area to provide encrypted authentication information and to manage features such as the shopping cart. This information is deleted at the end of the session and usernames and passwords are not stored.
The RCSLT deposits cookies to collect information such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type, country, referring/exit pages, operating system and date/time of visit. This data is routinely recorded by the vast majority of web sites and is for statistical purposes, to help us improve our digital offering.
You can disallow the use of cookies via your browser settings. Here are links to information regarding the most popular browsers:
To disable cookies in the safari browser, go to preferences and choose ‘block cookies’ in the privacy pane.
If you use a different browser, please refer to the browser developer’s website
Third Party Cookies
YouTube
The RCSLT video content is displayed via Google’s YouTube service (YouTube.com). Playing videos will result in YouTube setting cookies for the purposes of their own video streaming analytics, and the RCLST has no control over this.
You can find out how to remove YouTube cookies at allaboutcookies.org, but please note, YouTube videos may not work as intended if you remove or block these.
Analytics
We use Google Analytics cookies. They are anonymous and enable us to gather and analyse data on how the site is being used. They tell us, for example, how many visitors the site receives during a time period, how they arrive and what pages they look at. This data is routinely recorded by the vast majority of web sites and is used for statistical purposes to help us to improve the use of our site and its content.
None of the information stored, including but not limited to IP addresses, is linked to personally identifiable information.
Visitors can opt out of Google Analytics using this browser add-on.
Salesforce
The RCSLT Member’s area (the bit of our website you log into) is powered using Salesforce (salesforce.com) and as a result, various Salesforce or Force.com cookies are set for the purposes of managing login, sessions, and the activities you perform when you are logged in and the RCSLT has no control over this.
You can find out how to remove Salesforce or Force.com cookies at allaboutcookies.org, but please note, you may find the RCSLT Member’s area doesn’t work as intended if you remove or block them.
Adnuntius
We use the advertising system Adnuntius to track engagement with selected adverts displayed from third-party advertisers on the RCSLT site. Any cookies used do not collect any personal information about the user. If you do not wish to see ads while visiting the RCSLT site, you can enable an ad blocker on your browser which will display the site without the adverts.
Hotjar
We use Hotjar in order to better understand our users’ needs and to optimise this service and experience. Hotjar is a technology service that helps us better understand our users’ experience (e.g. how much time they spend on which pages, which links they choose to click, what users do and don’t like, etc.) and this enables us to build and maintain our service with user feedback. Hotjar uses cookies and other technologies to collect data on our users’ behaviour and their devices. This includes a device’s IP address (processed during your session and stored in a de-identified form), device screen size, device type (unique device identifiers), browser information, geographic location (country only), and the preferred language used to display our website. Hotjar stores this information on our behalf in a pseudonymised user profile. Hotjar is contractually forbidden to sell any of the data collected on our behalf.
For further details, please see the ‘about Hotjar’ section of Hotjar’s support site.
Links to other sites
The RCSLT website contains links to other websites, including Journals, Advertisements, and more. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of other sites. We encourage our visitors to be aware when they leave our website, and to read the privacy arrangements of other sites that collect or use personal data.
More information
See also:
- The RCSLT Data protection policy
- The RCSLT Privacy policy