When we provide services, we want to make them easy, useful and reliable. Where services are delivered on the internet, this sometimes involves placing small amounts of information on your device, for example, computer or mobile phone. These include small files known as cookies. They cannot be used to identify you personally.
These are cookies set by DCMS web domain known as 'first-party' cookies. Some are necessary to the functionality of the site, others provide information to us that we analyse to monitor and improve the site. These first-party cookies do not store or collect any personal information or anything that make you personally identifiable to us. Typically, the cookies generate a random, unique number to store information about a user.
Cookies for managing your current visit
ASP.NET_SessionId
Purpose: to store the user's session ID to allow the site to recognise your movement around the site as being from one computer
Data stored by cookie: information about the session
Duration of cookie:expires at the end of the session (when you close your browser)
Impact on user’s experience of the site: if cookies are turned off, graphical maps and charts generated by the lottery database won't be displayed
WS_pecr-ga_cookie_perm
Purpose: to allow the visitor to turn off the cookie information banner at the top of the page. When a user selects the option 'Don't show this message again' a cookie is set that will remember this preference for the user's subsequent visits
Data stored by cookie: a flag set for 'true'
Duration of cookie: one year
Where it is used: every page of the site
Impact on user’s experience of the site: if the preference is not set the visitor will see the banner on every visit. When the preference is set the banner is removed
Cookies for measuring website usage
Google Analytics cookies: _utma, _utmb, _utmc, _utmv, _utmd,_utmz
Purpose: to record how many people are using the website and how they move around the site once they've arrived. Google's privacy policy
Data stored by cookies:
_utma stores each user’s number of visits, time of the first visit, the previous visit and the current visit
_utmb and _utmc checks how long a visitor stays on the site: when a visit starts and ends
_utmz tracks where a visitor came from (search engine, search keyword, link)
_utmv and _utmd track visitor journeys through the site and classifies them into groups
Duration of cookies:
_utma expires two years after your last visit to this site
_utmb expires 30 minutes after your visit, or after 30 minutes of inactivity
_utmc expires at the end of a session (when you close your browser)
_utmz expires six months after it was last set
_utmv (not set) expires immediately
_utmd (not set) expires immediately
Where it is used: all pages of DCMS website and DCMS blogs
Third-party cookies (cookies set by other websites through our pages)
Social media cookies
Some cookies are served by an external service when you use a page on our site, known as 'third-party' cookies. For example, on a number of pages we use 'plug ins' or embedded media such asYouTube videos. These cookies are specific to the third-party site domain - the data stored in them can be seen and managed by the third party, not by us. Although we can control whether we use the third-party services within our websites we do not have control over the cookies themselves. It is not always possible to identify precisely the information that the cookies store.
Purpose: to allow you to subscribe to DCMS social media channels or share DCMS content via Facebook. These cookies track registration effectiveness by recording how the user came to Facebook and are set when the browser is either not a Facebook user or is not logged in to Facebook. Add this Privacy Policy
Data stored by cookies:
reg_ext_ref: Follow us...Facebook cookie stores the external referrer, i.e. the DCMS web page addess from which Facebook was accessed
reg_fb_gate: Share this...Facebook cookie stores the DCMS web page address as the first page identfier as well as logged-out or non facebook visitor information
reg_fb_ref: Share this...Facebook cookie stores DCMS web page address as the last page identfier as well as logged-out or non facebook visitor information
Duration of cookies:
reg_ext_ref: expires at the end of the session (when a user closes their browser)
reg_fb_gate: expires at the end of the session (when a user closes their browser)
reg_fb_ref: expires at the end of the session (when a user closes their browser)
Where it is used: news stories and blog posts on the DCMS website
Impact on user's experience of the site: none
Google Maps: NID, SNID
Purpose: to enable traffic analysis to Google Maps
Data stored by the cookie: a unique identifier to allow visitor analysis; data is only used in aggregate
Duration of cookie: expires after six months
Where it is used: on web pages with embedded google maps (for example how to find us)
Impact on user’s experience of the site: none
Google Maps: PREF
Purpose: to set preferences for various services on Google
Data stored by the cookie: a unique identifier that allows visitor analysis
Duration of cookie: expires after two years
Where it is used: on web pages with embedded google services (for example how to find us)
Purpose: to track visitor views of YouTube videos embedded in DCMS web pages and usage of its services
Data stored by cookies: unique identifier that allow visitor analysis, data is only used in aggregate.
Duration of cookie:
GEO expires after seven months
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE expires after seven months
use_hitbox expires at the end of a session (when a user closes your browser).
PREF expires after 10 years
recently_watched_video_id_list expires after 7 months
Where it is used: on web pages with embedded you tube videos, for example DCMS website index pages
Impact on user's experience of the site: none
Vimeo video cookies: aka_debug
Purpose:
Duration: expires at the end of the session (when you close your browser)
Vimeo google analytics cookies: _utma, _utmb, _utmc, _utmv
Purpose: to track visitor views of Vimeo videos embedded in DCMS web pages and usage of its services. Vimeo uses google analytics tracking cookies and these functions and duration are described in the Google Analytics section above.
Flash cookies are small pieces of information set and accessed by Adobe Flash the browser application that lets you play or display Flash media files such as YouTube and Vimeo videos. The cookies are stored in a different location on your hard drive than standard cookies. More information about this cookie and how to remove it is available Adobe Macromedia’s Flash Player Help.
Purpose: stores information between sessions of using embedded Flash content
Data stored by cookies: a unique ID, tracking information, some configuration information about the computer running the movie.
Duration of cookie: no expiration date
Where it is used: on web pages with embedded flash content
Impact on user's experience of the site: none
How to control and delete cookies
We will not use cookies to collect personally identifiable information about you. However, if you wish to restrict or block the cookies which are set by our websites, or indeed any other website, you can do this through your browser settings. The ‘Help’ function within your browser should tell you how.
Alternatively, you may wish to visit the About Cookies website, which contains comprehensive information on how to do this on a wide variety of browsers. You will also find details on how to delete cookies from your machine as well as more general information about cookies.
Please be aware that restricting cookies may have an impact upon the functionality of our website.
If you wish to view your cookie code, just click on a cookie to open it. You'll see a short string of text and numbers. The numbers are your identification card, which can only be seen by the server that gave you the cookie.
For information on how to do this on the browser of your mobile phone you will need to refer to your handset manual. To opt-out of third-parties collecting any data regarding your interaction on our website, please refer to their websites for further information.
Personal data
Personal data (i.e. information which could identify you) submitted to us, for example in response to a consultation, will only be used to respond to your feedback. We will not pass it on to any third party (including other Government departments or agencies) without your consent.
This privacy statement covers the Department for Culture, Media and Sport websites at http://www.culture.gov.uk/ and DCMS blogs. This statement does not cover links within this site to other websites.