Cookies track user activity and enable various types of functionality on websites. They are essential to online shopping and any website where the identity of the user must be preserved when navigating from page to page. Cookies are used on nearly all modern websites (especially websites where you have to ‘log in’ to a user account). It is important that users are aware of this fact, but it is only recommended that you disable cookies if you have particular privacy concerns.
On the Acorn House College website, cookies are part of the following functions and services:
- Caching: Used to speed up page loading speeds when users return to a page they have visited before.
- Google Analytics: Used to track information about who is using our website (new or returning visitor, IP address, browser make, operating system, language, country).
- Facebook: Enables users who are logged into Facebook to ‘like ‘a particular page on our website or join the Acorn House College Facebook page.
- Security: Used to track general user activity on the site for security purposes
Although we use Google Analytics for market research purposes, Acorn House College does not use cookies to collect data for direct advertising and will not pass any data on to a third party. The only exception is where we think our website security may have been breached by a malicious user, in which case we may report an IP address to an internet security website.
Typically it is possible to delete any cookies that are stored on your computer by using a system clean-up tool such as CCleaner (Windows) or by deleting cookies using your browser settings.
If you are particularly concerned about privacy, it is possible to disable cookies at any time by finding the relevant ‘privacy’ option in the settings of most popular browsers. (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera). However, this may impact on your ability to use features or to carry out tasks on different websites.
If you have any questions or concerns about the cookies in use on the Acorn House College website, please contact [email protected]