Cookies (Last updated 25 August 2017)

Our website uses cookies to differentiate between distinct users who access it. A cookie is a small alpha-numeric archive which is stored on the hard drive or in the browser of a computer, tablet, smartphone or similar device when it browses the internet. Cookies allow us to offer relevant information on our products and services and to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website.

The majority of the cookies we use are of the analytic type, which count number of users, help us to understand how they navigate our site and improve the way it works, for instance by making search results more accurate. We also use certain cookies for publicity purposes, so that we can more efficiently manage the presentation of our products on other platforms where users may request services, such as Facebook.

None of our cookies store any personal information such as your name or address.

WHAT KIND OF COOKIES DO WE USE?

According to the type of organisation which administers them:

• First party cookies: installed by our own website.
• Third party cookies: installed by websites which don’t belong to us. For instance, where we include content from Youtube or Flickr on our own website or buttons which users can use to share content on social networks, a user accessing such content from our own website may have cookies added from these third parties. The British Council doesn’t control these third party cookies and so the user must review the cookie policies of these other websites for further information.
  According to the length of time they remain active in the user’s system:
• Session cookies: collect and store data only whilst the user is visiting the website.
  Persistent cookies: remain stored in a computer and may be accessed and managed by the organisation responsible for the cookie for a specific length of time, or until the user deletes it.
  According to the purpose for which data are collected through the cookies:
• Technical cookies: allow the user to make use of the different options they facilitate: for example controlling data traffic and communication, identifying a session, accessing restricted areas, carrying out a purchase, requesting a subscription or participating in an event etc.
  Personalisation cookies: allow the user to access services with certain personalised characteristics such as language, browser type, configuration for the region from which the user accesses services etc.
• Analytical cookies: allow website managers to follow and analyse the behaviour of users on a website so that they can make improvements informed by data analysis on the use of the website by users of its services.
• Advertising cookies: help with the management of advertising spaces which a web editor has included on a website where services are offered, based on criteria such as the type of content or the frequency with which the content is shown.

Turning off Cookies

You can block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. Below are links to the 'Help' pages of major browsers which explain how you can do this. However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of our site or any other websites that you visit.

Internet Explorer | Firefox | Chrome | Safari OS X | Opera | Safari iOS | Windows Mobile

You can opt out of Facebook Pixel cookies by visiting the Adverts tab in your Facebook profile settings. You can also sign out of Optimizely variant testing by following these instructions.

Except for essential cookies, all cookies will expire after a period of time.