What are cookies?
A cookie is a small text file that a website stores on your computer or mobile device when you visit the site.
- First party cookies are cookies set by the website you’re visiting. Only that website can read them. In addition, a website might potentially use external services, which also set their own cookies, known as
third-party cookies. - Persistent cookies are cookies saved on your computer and that are not deleted automatically when you quit your browser, unlike a session cookie, which is deleted when you quit your browser.
Every time you visit our website, you will be prompted to accept or refuse cookies.
Cookies are also used to establish anonymised statistics about the browsing experience on our site.
How do we use cookies?
Our web-site mostly uses “first-party cookies”. These are cookies set and controlled by us, not by any external organisation.
However, to view some of our pages, you will have to accept cookies from external organisations.
The 3 types of first-party cookie we use are to:
- store visitor preferences
- make our website operational
- gather analytics data (about user behaviour)
Visitor preferences
These are set by us and only we can read them. They remember if you have agreed to (or refused) this site’s cookie policy
Name | Service | Purpose | Cookie type and duration |
eu_cookie_consent | Cookie consent kit | Stores your cookie preferences (so you won’t be asked again) | First-party session cookie deleted after you quit your browser |
cck3 | Cookie consent kit | Stores your preferences for 3rd-party cookies (so you won’t be asked again) | First-party session cookie deleted after you quit your browser |
Operational cookies
There are some cookies that we have to include in order for certain web pages to function. For this reason, they do not require your consent. In particular:
- authentication cookies
- technical cookies required by certain IT systems
Authentication cookies
Name | Service | Purpose | Cookie type and duration |
MyECASDomain | Identity Management Service | Remembers your domain | First-party session cookie, deleted after you quit your browser |
__Secure_CASTGC | Identity Management Service | Identifies your session | First-party session cookie, deleted after you quit your browser |
__Secure_ECAS_SESSIONID | Identity Management Service | Identifies the current Central Authentication Service session | First-party session cookie, deleted after you quit your browser |
ECAS_PREFS | Identity Management Service | Remembers your settings and preferences: user id, user name, acknowledged cookie policy, high contrast mode, privacy mode, view account details after login, last strength selected | First-party session cookie, deleted after you quit your browser |
Technical cookies
Name | Service | Purpose | Cookie type and duration |
has_js | Corporate content management platform, based on Laravel open source software | Determines whether Javascript is enabled in your browser. This allows our website to function properly. | First-party session cookie, deleted after you quit your browser |
theoplayer-stored-network-info | Audiovisual Service video player | Enables the player’s bandwidth estimate to determine the best initial bandwidth and enhance the user experience. | localStorage Key, persistent data |
Third-party cookies
Some of our pages display content from external providers, e.g. YouTube, Facebook etc.
To view this third-party content, you first have to accept their specific terms and conditions. This includes their cookie policies, which we have no control over.
But if you do not view this content, no third-party cookies are installed on your device.
Third-party providers on our web-site
You Tube
Internet Archive
Google Maps
Google Analytics
Facebook
Google
These third-party services are outside of our control. Providers may, at any time, change their terms of service, purpose and use of cookies, etc.
Analytics cookies
We use these purely for internal research on how we can improve the service we provide for all our users.
The cookies simply assess how you interact with our website – as an anonymous user (the data gathered does not identify you personally).
Also, this data is not shared with any third parties or used for any other purpose.
However, you are free to refuse these types of cookies –via the cookie banner you’ll see on the first page you visit.
Name | Service | Purpose | Cookie type and duration |
_pk_id# | Corporate web analytics service, based on Matomo open source software | Recognises website visitors (anonymously – no personal information is collected on the user). | First-party persistent cookie, 13 months |
_pk_ses# | Corporate web analytics service, based on Matomo open source software | Identifies the pages viewed by the same user during the same visit. (anonymously – no personal information is collected on the user). | First-party persistent cookie, 30 minutes |
How can you manage cookies?
You can manage/delete cookies as you wish – for details, see aboutcookies.or
Removing cookies from your device
You can delete all cookies that are already on your device by clearing the browsing history of your browser. This will remove all cookies from all websites you have visited.
Be aware though that you may also lose some saved information (e.g. saved login details, site preferences).
Managing site-specific cookies
For more detailed control over site-specific cookies, check the privacy and cookie settings in your preferred browser.
Blocking cookies
You can set most modern browsers to prevent any cookies being placed on your device, but you may then have to manually adjust some preferences every time you visit a site/page. And some services and functionalities may not work properly at all (e.g. profile logging-in).