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The University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NZ, T +44 (0)1227 764000
Cookies at the University of Kent
What are cookies?
Cookies are small bits of information stored on your computer as you browse the web. They allow websites to remember things about you when you move through a website and if you return at a later date. They are set by a particular website, then sent by your computer only to the same website on your return.
For example, if you log into a website, a cookie might store the information that you have logged in so it doesn’t ask you on every page to login again. A cookie might store preferences you have set on a website or tell the website you are someone who has visited the site before. Or a cookie might be set to see how visitors use the site so the site’s administrators can notice changes in user behavior and change content appropriately.
How are cookies used at Kent?
The University of Kent sets the following cookies on most pages of the website, all of which are designed to make the overall experience of using the site better allowing us to see how users use our site and respond to this.
They allow us to make the University of Kent website easier to use and the content on it more useful. They are set automatically as you move throughout our site.
Website statistics and page sharing
The University of Kent sets the following cookies:
- Google Analytics
Provides analysis of what bits of the site are being used, how and when as well as limited anonymous information about audience of the site. This allows us to make decisions about how to construct and structure the content of the website. Google provide details of what information Google Analytics collects and their privacy policies on the Google Analytics website. - comScore Digital Analytix (Nedstat)
Traces the user throughout the site. Similarly to Google Analytics, this allows us to see how users use the site and shape the site around this use.
comScore apply their own policy to data stored. - Crazy Egg
Crazy Egg allows us to analyse how users of the site move through it visually, based what they click on and where they don’t. It uses heat maps and other similar visual indicators of how a user uses the site to allow us to make the site better. This data contains none of your personal information. This gives us a better idea of how best to arrange information and make design decisions that make the site as usable as possible. They have a comprehensive and clear privacy policy on their website. - AddThis
Allows you to share our content over a variety of social networks, including Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. AddThis has its own privacy policy and collects no personally identifiable data on your visit to the site.
Functional cookies
Staff, students, alumni and members of the public are sometimes requested to sign-up or log-in in order to use some of our online services.
In most cases when a visitor enters their username and password a cookie may be set identifying them as a logged in user. This cookie is removed either when they log out, or when they have not visited the site for some time and therefore their login expires. These systems are typically those that deal explicitly with personal data, transactions, purchasing or borrowing.
Though this cookie will identify the user as a specific person on the system, the University of Kent does not pass any information to market research companies, advertisers or other third parties.
This type of cookie is used in the following type of systems:
- Library borrowing
- Student data
- Shopping and accommodation/fee paying
- Alumni networking
- Online email
- Student learning tools
- Course or job vacancy application tracking services
Blocking cookies
If you wish to restrict or block the cookies which are set by websites, you can do this through your browser settings. The Help function within your browser should tell you how.
Alternatively, you may wish to visit http://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 computer as well as more general information about cookies. For information on how to do this on the browser of your mobile phone you will need to refer to your handset manual.