A cookie is a small text file that is downloaded onto ‘terminal equipment’ (eg a computer or smartphone) when the user accesses a website. It allows the website to recognise that user’s device and store some information about the user’s preferences or past actions.
Our website uses cookies and collects server log and analytical information. This helps us to provide you with a more personalised experience when you browse the website and allows us to improve our website. For further details of specific cookies and their purpose see below.
We use Google Analytics Demographics and Interests Reports to collect anonymised demographic information (such as age and gender) about our visitors without needing to interrupt their visit with a survey. This data is retained for a maximum of 26 months. If you would like to opt out from this service you can visit here.
Occasionally, we use Hotjar in order to better understand our users’ needs and to optimize this service and experience. Hotjar is a technology service that helps us better understand our users experience (eg how much time they spend on which pages, which links they choose to click, what users do and don’t like, etc.) and this enables us to build and maintain our service with user feedback. Hotjar uses cookies and other technologies to collect data on our users’ behavior and their devices (in particular device’s IP address (captured and stored only in anonymised form), device screen size, device type (unique device identifiers), browser information, geographic location (country only), preferred language used to display our website). Hotjar stores this information in a pseudonymised user profile. Neither Hotjar nor a-n The Artists Information Company will ever use this information to identify individual users or to match it with further data on an individual user. For further details, please see Hotjar’s privacy policy by clicking on this link.
You can opt-out to the creation of a user profile, Hotjar’s storing of data about your usage of our site and Hotjar’s use of tracking cookies on other websites by following this opt-out link.
About the cookies we use
| Cookie | Type | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHPSESSID | Essential | Session | To identify your unique session on the website. |
| an_cookies_are
_fine |
Non-Essential but Harmless | 1 Year | To confirm that you agreed to access the site despite the fact we use all these cookies. |
| wordpress_logged
_in_[hash] |
Essential | Session | After login, wordpress sets the wordpress_logged_in_[hash] cookie, which indicates when you’re logged in, and who you are, for most interface use. |
| wordpress_test
_cookie |
Non-Essential but Harmless | Session | WordPress test cookie |
| wordpress_[hash] | Essential | Session | On login, wordpress uses the wordpress_[hash] cookie to store your authentication details. Its use is limited to the admin console area and is needed to keep users securely logged in. |
| wp-settings-time
-[UID] |
Non-Essential but Harmless | 1 Year | WordPress also sets a few wp-settings-{time}-[UID] cookies. The number on the end is your individual user ID from the users database table. This is used to customize your view of admin interface, and possibly also the main site interface. |
| wp-settings-[UID] | Essential | 1 Year | WordPress also sets a few wp-settings-[UID] cookies. The number on the end is your individual user ID from the users database table. This is used to customize your view of admin interface, and possibly also the main site interface. |
| _ga and Google Analytics | Fairly Intrusive | Session – 2 Year | We collect information about how visitors use our site. We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve the site. These cookies collect information in an anonymous form, including the number of visitors to the site, where visitors have come to the site from and the pages they visited. These cookies can include _ga, __utma, __utmb, __utmc, __utmz, and __utmv. |
| __cfduid | Non-Essential but Harmless | Until Dec. 2019 | In order to protect our website from security threats such as hackers and to boost its performance, we route our DNS through CloudFlare. The “__cfduid” cookie is set by the CloudFlare service and stores no personally identifiable data. |
| twitter: pid & guest_id | 2 Years | These cookies are created by Twitter. In this case they are present because a Twitter widget or button is being used on this website. | |
| ukfederation:
JSESSIONID |
Essential for UKFederation members access | Session | A random unique number or string of letters and numbers. A session cookie is required to follow your progress through the Services and Sites. |