Cookie Policy
In this policy statement whenever we use the words ‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’ this refers to Operation Smile UK (OSUK). OSUK is an international medical volunteer-based charity registered with the Charities Commission in England and Wales registration number 1091316 and is also a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered with Companies House, registration number 04317039.
This policy covers information collected through our website, microsites, and social media. This information may be similar to that collected as listed on our privacy policy – see our privacy policy to learn about how we manage your personal data/information.
The rules on cookies are covered by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and sits alongside Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR. It gives people specific privacy rights in relation to electronic communications.
What are cookies?
A cookie is a small file containing a string of characters that is sent to your computer, smart phone, tablet and other electronic devices when you visit a website. A cookie helps us recognise you when you visit our site or digital properties again. Cookies may store user preferences and other information. You can configure your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, some website features or services may not function properly without cookies. A cookie cannot read data off your computer hard disk, nor can it read cookie files created by other websites.
What category of cookies are there?
Strictly Necessary Cookies – These cookies are essential for you to browse the website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the site for example the donation form to make a financial transaction. These only last until you close your browser.
Functional Cookies – Also known as “functionality cookies,” these cookies allow a website to remember choices you have made in the past, like what language you prefer etc. This cookie cannot track your online activity to other websites.
Social Media Cookies – These cookies are set by a range of social media services that we may have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies, you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
Performance or Analytical Cookies – Also known as “performance cookies,” these cookies collect information about how you use a website, like which pages you visited, and which links you clicked on. None of this information can be used to identify you. It is all aggregated and, therefore, anonymised. Their sole purpose is to improve website functions. This includes cookies from third-party analytics services if the cookies are for the exclusive use of the owner of the website visited.
Targeting or Advertising Cookies – These cookies track your online activity to help us deliver more relevant advertising or to limit how many times you see an advert. They are linked to services provided by third parties, such as Facebook and other social media sites. The third party provides these services in return for recognising that you have visited our website.
Session Cookies – also called Non-Persistent Cookies or Temporary Cookies, are stored in memory and never written to the disk. Session cookies remain active as long as the browser remains active – once the browser is closed, the cookies vanish.
Persistent Cookies – are stored on a user’s device to help remember information, settings, preferences, or sign-on credentials that a user has previously saved. This helps create a convenient and faster website experience. These cookies have an expiration date issued to it by the webserver. Basically, this type of cookie is saved on your computer so when you close it and start it up again, the cookie is still there. Once the expiration date is reached, it is destroyed by the owner. Persistent cookies track visitors as they move around the website to figure out what people like about the website to help improve the user experience. The most popular persistent cookie is a Google Analytics cookie.
First Party Cookies – First-party cookies are directly stored by the website (or domain) you visit. These cookies allow website owners to collect analytics data, remember language settings, and perform other useful functions that provide a good user experience. The domain host can see the data that the cookie retrieves. First-party cookies can’t usually be used to track a user’s activity on another site other than the original website it was placed on. These types of cookies include things such as your sign-on credentials, items you put in the shopping cart or your preferred language. First-party cookies are set by the publisher’s web server, or any JavaScript loaded on the website.
Third Party Cookies – Third-party cookies are created by domains that are not on the website (or domain) that you are visiting. These are usually used for online-advertising purposes and placed on a website through adding scripts or tags. A third-party cookie is accessible on any website that loads the third-party server’s code. Online advertising is the most common use of third-party cookies. By adding their tags to a page, which may or may not display adverts, advertisers can track a user (or their device) across many of the websites they visit.
How can I manage my cookie preference with Operation Smile UK?
Operation Smile United Kingdom uses a custom consent management tool to enable you to manage your cookie preferences. The tool controls cookies which are Analytics and Marketing related, which you can choose to make active or keep disabled. The tool will appear at the bottom of our website when you first visit, or you can edit your cookie preferences anytime by clicking Cookie Preferences in the footer.
Strictly necessary cookies cannot be disabled, and third-party cookies are not set by Operation Smile United Kingdom.
Alternatively, you can easily control and disable cookies, including third party cookies, through your browser settings.
How does Operation Smile UK use cookies and similar technologies?
Operation Smile United Kingdom uses cookies and tracking technologies to:
• Improve the user experience on our website
• Monitor the effectiveness of any fundraising activities
• Use the information to make potential marketing decisions
• Monitor email activity
• Measure what content is popular on our website and track user’s movements through our websites to build a wider picture on site performance
• To build an audience of people like those who visit our sites. This helps us find new potential supporters.
• Provide us with aggregate statistics about how people use our website
The collected data is NOT personally identifiable and therefore cannot be tied back to an individual user. This information is not used to develop a personal profile of you.
Google Analytics
Our website uses Google Analytics to analyse traffic and provide anonymous information about your use of the website.
For further details please read Google Analytics Overview
You can opt out of Google Analytics cookies by using Google’s Opt Out Tool
What cookies does Operation Smile use?
Cookie List
A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
| Cookie Subgroup | Cookies | Cookies used |
|---|---|---|
| operationsmile.uk | ARRAffinity | First Party |
| .operationsmile.uk | OptanonAlertBoxClosed, OptanonConsent | First Party |
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources, so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not know when you have visited our site.
| Cookie Subgroup | Cookies | Cookies used |
|---|---|---|
| operationsmile.uk | nmstat, _uetvid, _pk_id*, _gclxxxx, _gat_UA-, _pk_ses* | First Party |
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
| Cookie Subgroup | Cookies | Cookies used |
|---|---|---|
| operationsmile.uk | _uetsid, awxxxx, _fbp | First Party |
| youtube.com | CONSENT, VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE, YSC | Third Party |
| adnxs.com | uuid2, anj | Third Party |
| bing.com | MUID | Third Party |
| doubleclick.net | test_cookie | Third Party |
| www.facebook.com | Third Party | |
| ctnsnet.com | cid | Third Party |
| facebook.com | fr | Third Party |
| yahoo.com | A3, B | Third Party |
Changes and review to this policy
This policy will be reviewed periodically and may be changed/updated to reflect the review. Please ensure that you stay up to date by visiting our website and checking.
Last review date: August 2022
Next Review Date: January 2023