document: title: privacy & cookies
text: ## Privacy policy

NERC's website does not store or capture personal information, but for administration purposes merely logs the user's IP address which is automatically recognised by the web server.

## Cookies policy

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.



You can use your web browser's settings to manage these small files yourself.

## Our use of cookies

### Cookies for improving service

We use analytics cookies primarily to monitor which browser types and operating systems people are using. This enables us to create a site that works with many different browsers, improving the service we can offer.

Name | Typical content | Expires  
---|---|---  
_utma | randomly generated number | 2 years  
_utmb | randomly generated number | 30 minutes  
_utmc | randomly generated number | when user exits browser  
_utmz | randomly generated number + info on how the site was reached (eg directly or via a link, organic search or paid search) | 6 months  
  
More details on these cookies can be found on the Google Code pages.

You can  disable these cookies so we can't record this information.

### Cookie for recording the enabling/disabling of cookies

This cookie records whether you wish to enable or disable cookies. If you elect to disable the above cookies this cookie is used to record your decision so you are not prompted each time you visit this site. 

Name | Typical content | Expires  
---|---|---  
cookieConsent | single letter to record acceptance of cookies | 1 year  
  
### Essential cookies for user settings and tracking

Microsoft ASP.NET (a web application framework on which this website is hosted) sets cookies to track a user moving around the website and to remember their selections or preferences that they've already made when looking at information or using a service:

Name | Typical content | Expires  
---|---|---  
ASP.NET_SessionId | randomly generated number | when user exits browser  
  
This website would not function without this cookie. For further details on the cookies set by Microsoft ASP.NET, please refer to the Microsoft website.

## 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.

### Further information

Any enquiries about this policy should be addressed to NERC's Web Team.