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Cookies Policy
Published May 2021
Cookies and similar technologies
The Senate and our third-party providers set and use cookies and similar technologies to store and manage user preferences, deliver targeted advertising, enable content, and gather analytic and usage data, for example. The use of cookies and other tracking technologies is standard across websites and apps through which information is collected about your online activities across applications, websites, or other services. More information about how we use cookies and similar technologies and how you can control and manage them is below.
What is a cookie?
A cookie is a small text file that is placed on a computer or other device and is used to identify the user or device and to collect information. Cookies are typically assigned to one of four categories, depending on their function and intended purpose: absolutely necessary cookies, performance cookies, functional cookies, and cookies for marketing purposes.
Types of cookies and why we use them
Absolutely necessary cookies: These cookies are essential to enable you to move around a website and use its features. Without these cookies, Services you have asked for, like adding items to an online shopping cart, cannot be provided.
Performance cookies: These cookies collect information about how you use our websites. Information collected includes, for example, the Internet browsers and operating systems used, the domain name of the website previously visited, the number of visits, average duration of visit, and pages viewed. These cookies only collect information in an aggregated format. Performance cookies are used to improve the user-friendliness of a website and enhance your experience.
Functionality cookies: These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your username or ID, language preference, or the area or region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features. These cookies can also be used to remember changes you have made to text size, fonts, and other customizable parts of web pages. They may also be used to provide Services you have asked for, such as watching a video or commenting on a blog. These cookies cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.
Targeting and advertising cookies: These cookies track browsing habits and are used to deliver targeted (interest-based) advertising. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an ad and to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organizations, such as advertisers.
Managing cookies
You can manage website cookies in your browser settings, and you always have the choice to change these settings by accepting, rejecting, or deleting cookies. If you choose to change your settings, you may find that certain functions and features will not work as intended on the Services. All browser settings are slightly different, so to manage cookies, you should refer to the relevant settings within your browser.
Alternatively, you may wish to visit https://www.aboutcookies.org 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 impact on the functionality of our websites.
Tracking Technologies
We use certain other tracking technologies in addition to cookies:
- Local shared objects/Flash cookies: Flash cookies, also known as local shared objects, are designed to support browser content supported by Adobe® Flash. They are usually used to enable ads and video content on websites. Like other cookies, they will store information on your device, some of which will be specific to the Flash-enabled content. Flash cookies can only be deleted within Adobe Flash rather than via your browser.
- Web beacons: Our web pages may contain electronic images known as web beacons (also called single-pixel gifs and transparent graphic images) that we use to help deliver cookies on our sites, count users who have visited those sites, deliver Services, and analyze the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns, for example. We may also include web beacons in our marketing email messages or newsletters to determine whether an email is opened or if links are clicked.
- Web server & application logs: Our servers automatically collect certain information to help us administer and protect the Services, analyse usage, and improve users’ experience. The information collected includes:
- IP address and browser type
- Device information: including Unique Device Identifier (UDID), MAC address, Identifier For Advertisers (IFA), and similar identifiers we or others may assign
- Device operating system and other technical facts
- The city, state, and country from which you access our website
- Pages visited and content viewed, stored, and purchased
- Information or text entered
- Links and buttons clicked
- URLs visited before and after you use our Services
“Do Not Track” Signals
Some browsers transmit Do Not Track (DNT) signals to websites. Due to the lack of a common interpretation of DNT signals throughout the industry, we do not currently alter, change, or respond to DNT requests or signals from these browsers. We continue to monitor industry activity in this area and reassess our DNT practices as necessary.