Privacy and Cookies Statement
This Defence Academy website does not store or capture personal information, but merely logs the user's IP address which is automatically recognised by the web server. Our log files do not contain any personal information or information about which other sites you have visited.
We do not use cookies for collecting user information from the site and we will not collect any information about you except that required for system administration of the web server and analysis of site traffic (to assist in improving the user experience).
Cookies
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 pieces of information are used to improve services for you through, for example:
- enabling a service to recognise your device so you don't have to give the same information several times during one task
- recognising that you may already have given a username and password so you don't need to do it for every web page requested
- measuring how many people are using services, so they can be made easier to use and there's enough capacity to ensure they are fast
- analysing anonymised data to help us understand how people interact with govt services so we can make them better
You can manage these small files yourself and learn more about them through "Internet browser cookies - what they are and how to manage them"
If you'd like to learn how to remove cookies set on your device, visit http://www.aboutcookies.org/Default.aspx?page=1
Our use of Cookies
The table below outlines the cookies that may be stored in your browser, their purpose, and expiry date.
Our Cookies - for improving the provision of services
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Intrusiveness Level | Typical Value | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cookie-accept | Records your consent to having cookies from this website stored on your computer | Minimal | 1 | 31 Dec 2020 |
| _ac | Created once you have logged on with username and password, so you don’t have to do it for every Web page you request from our service. | Minimal | Randomly generated value | On browser close |
| dtpref_cols | To remember your selections or preferences that you’ve already made when looking at information or using a service. | Minimal | Percentage value | 1 year |
| dtpref_rows | To remember your selections or preferences that you’ve already made when looking at information or using a service. | Minimal | Number | 1 year |
| wstyle | To remember your selections or preferences that you’ve already made when looking at information or using a service. | Minimal | "Large Font" or "Small Font" | 1 year |
'Third-Party' Cookies
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Intrusiveness Level | Typical Value | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| _utma | Google Analytics - Identify unique site visitors To understand what visitors want to use and not to use, so we can improve the service you receive and archive what is not used. |
Minimal | Randomly generated value | 2 years |
| _utmb | Google Analytics - Determining visit sessions To understand what visitors want to use and not to use, so we can improve the service you receive and archive what is not used. |
Minimal | Randomly generated value | 30 minutes |
| _utmc | Google Analytics - Determining visit sessions To understand what visitors want to use and not to use, so we can improve the service you receive and archive what is not used. |
Minimal | Randomly generated value | NA |
| _utmz | Google Analytics - Tracking traffic sources and navigation within site To understand what visitors want to use and not to use, so we can improve the service you receive and archive what is not used. |
Minimal | Randomly generated value | 6 months |
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 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 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.
Glossary
- Cookie
Message given to a browser program by a web server. The message is then stored by the browser in a text file. Each time the browser requests a page from the server, this message is sent back. A cookie's main objective is to identify users and personalise their visit by customising web pages for them for example by welcoming them by name next time they visit the same site. A site using cookies will usually invite you to provide personal information such as your name, e-mail address and interests. In our case, we do not use cookies to store personal information. - IP address
Every machine connecting to the Internet has a four-number address (e.g. 146.9.80.88) which may or may not stay constant between sessions online. Many web users connect indirectly to the Internet via an intermediary (proxy) server - Log files
Every time our web site is accessed an entry is made in the web server's log file. This tells us broadly where an access is coming from, when it was made, which file was requested and whether the request was successful or not. It usually does not allow us to identify individual users. The data is used to assess usage levels and spot technical problems (such as broken pages or web server errors). - Web server
The machine which on which the Defence Academy website is physically located, which delivers (serves up) web pages to your computer.