Cookies at the University of Kent

Cookies are small text files stored on your computer or mobile device 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. A cookie is set by a particular website, and only that website will be able to retrieve or read the contents of that cookie - which will be sent by your computer 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. In addition, 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.

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.

The University of Kent sets the following cookies:

• Google Analytics
  Google Analytics is a web analytics service used by many organisations. It allows us to recognise the areas of the website that visitors are engaging with, how they are navigating around the site as well as limited anonymous information about audience of the site, including demographic and interest information. This allows us to make decisions about how to construct and structure the content of the website - allowing visitors to find what they're looking for easily.Google provide details of what information Google Analytics collects and their privacy policies on the Google Analytics website. Users can choose not to submit certain information by opting-out.In addition Kent Business School are currently running a remarketing campaign via data collected on the Kent Business School website. Only visitors to the KBS pages will be affected. This remarketing campaign is not used to target KBS visitors with advertisements on other 3rd party websites, but is only used to increase advertising presence within Google search results for previous KBS visitors. Users can opt out using this browser plugin or the opt out link above. In addition you can find further information about all Google advertising cookies on their cookies page.
• Google remarketing
  The Kent site uses Google remarketing cookies to identify users who have landed on certain pages. This cookie is used to serve that user relevant advertisements when they land on other 3rd party websites. Users who have visited the Kent site may see reminder advertisements on other 3rd party websites concerning course availability at Kent.Adverts are served to users only on the basis that they have visited selected pages on the Kent website and for no other reason. You can modify your Google settingsto restrict these advertisements. Please be aware these ads may appear on different devices if you have enabled Google to associate your web and app browsing history with your Google account and for Google to use information from your Google account to personalise ads, when signed in.All Google users can control their ads experience (or opt out of personalised ads altogether) at My Account.​
• Facebook remarketing
  The Kent site uses Facebook remarketing cookies to identify users who have landed on certain pages. This cookie is used to serve that user relevant advertisements within Facebook. Users who have visited the Kent site may see reminder advertisements in Facebook concerning course availability at Kent.Adverts are served to users only on the basis that they have visited selected pages on the Kent website and for no other reason. You can modify your Facebook Ad settings to restrict these advertisements. Navigate to Settings/Adverts in your Facebook account to adjust your preferences. Learn more about the different types of Facebook advertising.
• Twitter remarketing
  The Kent site uses Twitter remarketing cookies to identify users who have landed on certain pages. This cookie is used to serve that user relevant advertisements within Twitter. Users who have visited the Kent site may see reminder advertisements in Twitter concerning course availability at Kent.Adverts are served to users only on the basis that they have visited selected pages on the Kent website and for no other reason. You can modify your Twitter Ads personalisation settings to restrict these advertisements. Navigate to Settings in your Twitter account via visiting the Personalization and data settings and adjust the setting Personalize ads to adjust your preferences. Learn more about Twitter advertising.
• Crazy Egg
  Crazy Egg is another web analytics service used on the University of Kent's website. This service 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. Crazy Egg cookies are used only to distinguish between new and returning visitors - they do not contain personally identifiable information such as name, phone number, e-mail address or mailing address. They have a comprehensive and clear privacy policy on their website.You can opt out of Crazy Egg cookies at any time - please see here for details on how to opt out.
• Hotjar
  The University of Kent uses Hotjar - an analytics and feedback tool which helps us to improve the usability of our site. Hotjar sets persistent cookies (up to 365 days) for analytics purposes and to display the correct content to our visitors. You can read about what cookies are stored by visiting Hotjar's website. Hotjar also records visitor information including mouse clicks and movements, scrolling activity and user input on our website (for example on the search box) - this information is anonymous. Recordings are automatically destroyed after 365 days.You can opt out of Hotjar collecting your information at any time by following these instructions.
• Optimizely
  Optimizely uses persistent visitor-level cookies to track how our web visitors engage with pages on the Kent website, similarly to Crazy Egg and Hotjar. It allows us to use a technique known as multivariate testing to test different versions of a page and make improve the website for our users. A number of cookies are set by Optimizely, each storing a different set of data - they do not contain personally identifiable information such as name, phone number, e-mail address or mailing address. For more information on the cookies used by this service, please see Optimizely's website.You can opt out of Optimizely collecting your information on the University of Kent's website by visiting www.kent.ac.uk/?optimizely_opt_out=true.Please see the Optimizely website for more information on opting out.
• AddThis
  Allows you to share our content over a variety of social networks, including Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. AddThis has its own privacy policyand collects no personally identifiable data on your visit to the site.To opt out of AddThis setting cookies, please visit their website.
• Issuu
  The University of Kent use the Issuu digital publishing platform for regular publications. This may set cookies on your computer once you click on an embedded digital publication from one of our webpages.For example, they may use cookies or Flash objects to count the number of unique computers accessing their website. This cookie does not identify you personally unless you are logged into Issuu, in which case it is linked to your Issuu and/or Facebook account. The cookie will expire 5 years after your last visit to an Issuu embedded publication.Please see Issuu's privacy policy for more information. To opt out of Issuu setting cookies on your machine, please click here to opt out.
• SlideShare
  SlideShare set a number of cookies on any page that includes a SlideShare comment box. While we have no control over the cookies set by SlideShare, they appear to include a mixture of pieces of information to measure the number and behaviour of SlideShare users, including information that links your visits to our website with your Facebook or SlideShare account if you are signed in to one. This cookie does not identify you personally unless you are logged into SlideShare, in which case it is linked to your SlideShare and/or Facebook account.Please see SlideShare's privacy policy for more information. SlideShare sets 2 types of cookies which users can opt out of at any time:
  • Opt out of quantserve/quantcast tracking
  • Opt out of scorecard research tracking
• Vimeo
  We may from time to time embed videos from different Vimeo channels. This may set cookies on your computer once you click on the Vimeo video player, but Vimeo will not store personally identifiable cookie information for playbacks of embedded videos.Please see Vimeo's privacy policy for more information - this page also contains information on how to opt out.
• Youtube
  We embed videos from different YouTube channels. This may set cookies on your computer once you click on the YouTube video player, but YouTube will not store personally identifiable cookie information for playbacks of embedded videos.Please see Google's privacy policy for more information. You can also opt out by following the instructions here.
• SiteImprove
  Site Improve is a web content management service used by many organisations. It allows us to check for broken links and improve the accessibility of our web pages. It also provides website statistics which allow us to recognise the areas of the website that visitors are engaging with, how they are navigating around the site as well as limited anonymous information about audience of the site, including demographic and interest information. This allows us to make decisions about how to construct and structure the content of the website - allowing visitors to find what they're looking for easily.Site Improve provide details of what information they collect and their privacy policies on their website.

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