Cookie policy
Cookies are tiny files that are installed on your web browser, whether on a desktop, tablet or mobile device, when you visit a website. They let websites recognise that a user on an individual computer has previously visited the site. Cookies save information about that user session for use during future website visits.
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Cookie consent
We provide a tool that lets you choose which cookies to accept, apart from 'necessary cookies' needed to make the site work properly. Web browsers give you different ways to set up how they handle cookies. This can vary from only allowing cookies from websites that you trust to blocking all cookies.
Here are official instructions for the most popular browsers:
For more advice on managing cookies, visit the All About Cookies website.
Changes to this policy
In line with changing legal requirements, we will update the Macular Society’s cookie policy as the need arises.
Page last updated: 28 February 2023
Next scheduled review: 28 May 2023
Necessary cookies
Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as page navigation and access to secure areas. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.
Cookie Control by Civic
This tool gives you control over the cookies you allow when you visit our website.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| CookieControl | This cookie records the categories of cookies that you choose to allow or block from other service providers we use. | Persistent |
Umbraco
Umbraco is our website technology platform. We use it to serve static web pages, online forms, site search and our shop.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| n/a | n/a | n/a |
Azure
Our site is hosted on Azure, Microsoft's cloud hosting solution.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| ARRAffinity, ARRAffinitySameSite | Azure Web Sites for load balancing our application and ensures that, during any browsing session, the visitor's page requests are forwarded to the same server | Session |
ASP NET Core
ASP NET Core is the open-source version of ASP.NET, the popular web-development framework for building web apps on the .NET platform.
Umbraco makes use of ASP NET Core functionality.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| ai_session, ai_user |
SessionTelemetryInitializer updates the Id property of the Session context for all telemetry items with value extracted from the ai_session cookie generated by the ApplicationInsights JavaScript instrumentation code running in the user's browser. UserTelemetryInitializer updates the Id and AcquisitionDate properties of User context for all telemetry items with values extracted from the ai_user cookie generated by the Application Insights JavaScript instrumentation code running in the user's browser. |
Session |
| .AspNetCore.Mvc. CookieTempDataProvider |
Determines the settings used to create the cookie in CookieTempDataProvider. SameSite defaults to Lax. Setting this to Strict may cause browsers to not send back the cookie to the server in an OAuth login flow. SecurePolicy defaults to SameAsRequest. HttpOnly defaults to true. IsEssential defaults to false, This property is only considered when a user opts into the CookiePolicyMiddleware. If you are using this middleware and want to use CookieTempDataProvider, then either set this property to true or request user consent for non-essential cookies. |
Session |
| .AspNetCore.Antiforgery | Determines the settings used to create the antiforgery cookies. | Session |
Stripe
We use Stripe to process credit or debit card transactions:
- donations
- shop purchases
- joining the Macular Society as a paid member
- renewing subscriptions
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| __stripe_mid | Stripe is used for credit card payments. Stripe uses a cookie to remember who you are and to enable our website to process payments without storing any credit card information on its our servers. | One year |
| __stripe_sid | Stripe is used for credit card payments. Stripe uses a cookie to remember who you are and to enable our website to process payments without storing any credit card information on its our servers. | One hour |
Recaptcha
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| _GRECAPTCHA | This cookie provides our forms with spam protection. reCAPTCHA sets a necessary cookie (_GRECAPTCHA) when executed for the purpose of providing its risk analysis. | Session |
Analytical cookies
Analytical cookies help us to improve our website by collecting and reporting information on its usage.
Adalyser
We use Adalyser to measure the effectiveness of TV advertising.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| __adal_ca | This cookie stores traffic source/campaign data, for the purposes of being able to see which advertising campaign drove a user to visit our site. | Two years |
| __adal_cw | This cookie stores visit timestamp data, for the purpose of tying back conversion events to earlier visits. | Two years |
| __adal_id | This cookie stores the device ID (generated), in order to uniquely identify a device. | Two years |
| __adal_ses | This cookie determines whether there is a currently active session. When this cookie expires, the session ends. | Two years |
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics (GA) to track website user interaction. We use this data to determine the number of people using our site, to better understand how they find and use our web pages and to see their journey through the website. Although GA records user data such as your geographical location, device, internet browser and operating system, none of this information personally identifies you to us. GA also records your computer’s IP address but Google does not grant us access to this.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | This cookie contains a unique identifier used by Google Analytics to determine that two distinct hits belong to the same user across browsing sessions. | One year |
| _gid | This contains a unique identifier used by Google Analytics to determine that two distinct hits belong to the same user across browsing sessions. | One day |
| __utma | This is used to distinguish users and sessions. The cookie is created when the javascript library executes and no existing __utma cookies exists. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics. | Two years |
| __utmt | This is used to throttle the request rate. | 10 minutes |
| __utmb | This is used to determine new sessions/visits. The cookie is created when the javascript library executes and no existing __utmb cookies exists. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics. | 30 minutes |
| __utmc | This is not used in ga.js. It is set for interoperability with urchin.js. Historically, this cookie operated in conjunction with the__utmbcookie to determine whether the user was in a new session/visit. | |
| __utmz | This stores the traffic source or campaign that explains how the user reached your site. The cookie is created when the javascript library executes and is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics. | Six months |
| __utmv | This is used to store visitor-level custom variable data. The cookie is created when a developer uses the _setCustomVar method with a visitor level custom variable. This cookie was also used for the deprecated _setVar method. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics. | Two years |
Google Tag Manager
We use Google Tag Manager to manage efficiently all the third-party code we add to our website. This code is required by the traffic analysis and online advertising services we use.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| gat_UA-164642617-1 | This is our account ID, used to control the request rate. | Session |
| _dc_gtm_ | This is used to control the request rate. | One mo |
| _gac_ | This contains campaign-related information for the user. | 90 days |
| _gat | This is used to control the request rate. | One minute |
| _gcl_au | This is used for storing and tracking conversions. | Persistent |
Hotjar
We use Hotjar to analyse how well particular pages or sections of our website are working.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| _hjClosedSurveyInvites | This cookie is set once a visitor interacts with an External Link Survey invitation modal. It is used to ensure that the same invite does not reappear if it has already been shown. | One year |
| _hjDonePolls | This is set once a visitor completes a survey using the On-site Survey widget. It is used to ensure that the same survey does not reappear if it has already been filled in. | One year |
| _hjMinimizedPolls | This cookie is set once a visitor minimizes an On-site Survey widget. It is used to ensure that the widget stays minimized when the visitor navigates through your site. | One year |
| _hjShownFeedbackMessage | This is set when a visitor minimizes or completes Incoming Feedback. This is done so that the Incoming Feedback will load as minimized immediately if the visitor navigates to another page where it is set to show. | One year |
| _hjid | This stores the unique user ID. | One year |
| _hjRecordingLastActivity | This should be found in Session storage (as opposed to cookies). This gets updated when a visitor recording starts and when data is sent through the WebSocket (the visitor performs an action that Hotjar records). | Session |
| _hjTLDTest | When the Hotjar script executes, we try to determine the most generic cookie path we should use, instead of the page hostname. This is done so that cookies can be shared across subdomains (where applicable). To determine this, we try to store the _hjTLDTest cookie for different URL substring alternatives until it fails. After this check, the cookie is removed. | Session |
| _hjUserAttributesHash | User Attributes sent through the Hotjar Identify API are cached for the duration of the session in order to know when an attribute has changed and needs to be updated. | Session |
| _hjCachedUserAttributes | This cookie stores User Attributes which are sent through the Hotjar Identify API, whenever the user is not in the sample. These attributes will only be saved if the user interacts with a Hotjar Feedback tool. | Session |
| _hjLocalStorageTest | This cookie is used to check if the Hotjar Tracking Script can use local storage. If it can, a value of 1 is set in this cookie. The data stored in_hjLocalStorageTest has no expiration time, but it is deleted almost immediately after it is created. | <100 miliseconds |
| _hjIncludedInPageviewSample | This cookie is set to let Hotjar know whether that visitor is included in the data sampling defined by your site's pageview limit. | 30 minutes |
| _hjIncludedInSessionSample | This cookie is set to let Hotjar know whether that visitor is included in the data sampling defined by your site's daily session limit. | 30 minutes |
| _hjAbsoluteSessionInProgress | The cookie is set so Hotjar can track the beginning of the user's journey for a total session count. It does not contain any identifiable information. | Session |
Social cookies
We use some social sharing plugins, to allow you to share certain pages of our website on social media. These plugins place cookies so that you can correctly view how many times a page has been shared.
We place advertising on Facebook to raise awareness of macular disease, to solicit donations and to encourage people to join the Macular Society.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| _fbp | This is used by Facebook to track visits across websites to deliver a series of advertisement products such as real-time bidding from third party advertisers. | Three months |
Tawk.to
We embed a third-party chatbot service called GriefChat on our Bereavement Support page. GriefChat runs on the tawk.to platform.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| __tawkuuid | This cookie is used to collect information about how the visitor interacts with the live chat function on the website. | Six months |
| TawkConnectionTime | This allows the website to recoqnise the visitor, in order to optimize the chat-box functionality. | Session |
Marketing cookies
Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. They help advertising platform providers display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user, and thereby more valuable for publishers and third-party advertisers.
Facebook Remarketing allows us to tailor our marketing to better suit your needs and only display ads that are relevant to you in relation to the following purposes:
- Fundraising via donations, lottery and events
- Reach our members and existing supporters to communicate important messages
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| _fr | Provided by Facebook, this pixel matches Facebook user profiles anonymously, enable retargeting on the Facebook platform, as well as the creation of lookalike audiences. This pixel allows Macular Society to analyse marketing efforts, and serve the most relevant advertising to the correct audience. | Three months |
Twitter allows us to tailor our marketing to better suit your needs.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
| Mbox | This cookie is for marketing on developer.twitter.com | Two years |
| __ncuid | This cookie is for doubleclick integration and/or analytics | One year |
| Twtr_pixel_opt_in | This cookie allows you to share pages and content and for advertising to collect information about users browsing behaviour for marketing purposes including digital display and social media advertising. | 14 days |
| Twid | This cookie is for authentication | One year |
| Auth_token | This cookie is for account login and authentication | Four years |
| Kdt | This cookie is to authenticate a known device | Six months |
Guest_id | This cookie is used for authentication | Two years |
| Ads_prefs | This cookie is to opt-out of ads tracking | Four years |
| Ct0 | This cookie is for authentication | Four years |
| Cd_user_id | This cookie is for help center functionality on help.twitter.com | Three months |
| Eu_cn | This cookie is for cookie notices | Four months |
| Dnt | This cookie is for opt-out of ads personalisation | Four years |
| Personalization_id | This cookie tracks activities off Twitter for a personalized experience | One year |
| D_prefs | This cookie is for your cookie preferences | Four months |
| Guest_id_marketing | This cookie is for marketing when logged out | One year |
| Guest_id_ads | This cookie is for advertising when logged out | One year |
LinkedIn allows us to tailor our marketing to better suit your needs.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
| S_tslv | Used to retain and fetch time since last visit in Adobe Analytics | Six months |
Gpv_pn | Used to retain and fetch previous page visited in Adobe Analytics | Six months |
| Lms_ads | Used to identify LinkedIn Members off LinkedIn for advertising | 30 days |
| _gcl_au | Used through Google Analytics to understand user interaction with the site and advertising | Three months |
| VID | ID associated with a visitor to a LinkedIn microsite which is used to determine conversions for lead gen purposes | One year |
| Bcookie | Browser Identifier cookie to uniquely identify devices accessing LinkedIn to detect abuse on the platform | Two years |
| Li_gc | Used to store consent of guests regarding the use of cookies for non-essential purposes | Two years |
| Li_mc | Used as a temporary cache to avoid database lookups for a member's consent for use of non-essential cookies and used for having consent information on the client side to enforce consent on the client side | Two years |
| Lidc | To facilitate data center selection | 24 hours |
| _guid | Used to identify a LinkedIn Member for advertising through Google Ads | 90 days |
| Lms_analytics | Used to identify LinkedIn Members off LinkedIn for analytics | 30 days |
| Aam_uuid | Set for ID sync for Adobe Audience Manager | 30 days |
| Liap | Used by non-www.domains to denote the logged in status of a member | One year |
| Lang | Used to remember a user's language setting to ensure LinkedIn.com displays in the language selected by the user in their settings. | Session |
| AMCV_14215E3D5995C57C0A495C55%40AdobeOrg | Indicates the start of a session for Adobe Experience Cloud | Session |
| AnalyticsSyncHistory | Used to store information about the time a sync took place with the lms_analytics cookie | 30 days |
| UserMatchHistory | Used for id sync process. It stores the last sync time to avoid repeating the syncing process in a frequent manner | 30 days |
We use Google AdWords Remarketing to advertise across the Internet. AdWords remarketing will display relevant ads tailored to you based on what parts of the TriggerApp website you have viewed by placing a cookie on your machine. The cookie is used to say “This person visited this page, so show them ads relating to that page.” Google AdWords Remarketing allows us to tailor our marketing to better suit your needs and only display ads that are relevant to you. We use advertising on Google to raise awareness of macular conditions and the Macular Society.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| _drt_id BCSI-CS-5B059C53EB35D97E ug | We sometimes use third-party agencies to advertise and bring traffic to certain parts of the site, for example where we have a specific campaign. These cookie are placed by one of our third-party agencies to allow them to track the activities of visitors that have come to the site from their adverts. | At least one session |
| __Secure-3PSIDCC | This is a targeting cookie. It builds a profile of the website visitor's interests in order to show relevant and personalised Google advertising. | Two years |
| __Secure-3PSID | This is used by for targeting purposes to build a profile of the website visitor's interests in order to show relevant and personalised Google advertising. | Two years |
| SID | This is used for security purposes to store digitally signed and encrypted records of a user's Google account ID and most recent sign-in time. It allows Google to authenticate users, prevent fraudulent use of login credentials, and protect user data from unauthorised parties. This can also be used for targeting purposes to show relevant and personalised ad content. | One year |
| SIDCC | This security cookie protects a user's data from unauthorized access | Persistent |
| __Secure-3PAPISID | This is used by for targeting purposes to build a profile of the website visitor's interests in order to show relevant and personalised Google advertising. | Two years |
| SSID | This is used to store information about how you use the website and any advertising that you may have seen before visiting this website. It also helps to customise advertising on Google properties by remembering your most recent searches, your previous interactions with an advertiser's ads or search results and your visits to an advertisers website. | One year |
| APISID | This is used by for targeting purposes to build a profile of the website visitor's interests in order to show relevant and personalised Google advertising. | Two years |
| SAPISID | This is used by for targeting purposes to build a profile of the website visitor's interests in order to show relevant and personalised Google advertising. | Two years |
| HSID | This is used for security purposes to store digitally signed and encrypted records of a user's Google account ID and most recent sign-in time which allows Google to authenticate users, prevent fraudulent use of login credentials, and protect user data from unauthorised parties. This can also be used for targeting purposes to show relevant and personalised ad content. | One year |
| 1P_JAR | This collects website statistics and track conversion rates. | 30 days |
| SEARCH_SAMESITE | This allow servers to mitigate the risk of CSRF and information leakage attacks by asserting that a particular cookie should only be sent with requests initiated from the same registrable domain. | Five months and two days |
| CONSENT | This cookie is used to track consent to cookie use. | |
| NID | This is used to store preferences in a unique Google ID to remember your information. This includes your preferred language (for example, English), how many search results you wish to have shown per page (such as 10 or 20), and whether or not you wish to have Google's SafeSearch filter turned on. These preferences can be used for optimised and/or personalised advertising on Google networks | One year |