What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are, with your agreement, placed on your computer by the websites you visit. They can be used to improve website performance, remember your preferences and help us to promote our events and courses to you on other websites, based on what you’ve looked at.

There are four main categories of cookie:

  • First party cookies. These are set by the website you are visiting and can be used to see how users are using the site.
  • Third party cookies. These can be set by other websites not owned by the site you’re visiting.  These may be set by sites whose content is shown on our website, such as YouTube.  Edinburgh Napier has no control over third party cookies.
  • Session.  These are temporary cookies that are stored while browsing and deleted once a user closes their web browser.
  • Persistent.  These are data files stored in a web browser and are used to remember user preferences, settings and information for future visits.

Most web browsers allow some control of most cookies through the browser settings. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been stored on your browser or hard drive and how to manage and delete them, visit All About Cookies.

Please be aware that if you if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of certain websites.

How we use cookies

Edinburgh Napier University uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website by collecting standard internet log information, e.g. IP address, browser type and date and time the site was visited, and details of visitor behaviour patterns. Our internal website for staff also uses cookies.

We use the following types of cookies:

  • Essential cookies. These are cookies that are required for the operation of our website. They include cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website.
  • Analytical cookies. These cookies allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors to our website and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. This information helps us make better decisions about content and features on our website, aimed at improving the overall user experience.
  • Marketing cookies. These cookies allows us to track conversions on our marketing campaigns and enable us to deliver ads relevant to you on various social media and search channels like Facebook and Google.

Cookies used on our site

TikTok

We use the TikTok pixel to target our marketing campaigns, provide us with statistics to improve our marketing and provide TikTok users with information which is useful and appropriate to them based on their browsing activity, preferences and demographic information.

The TikTok pixel is a piece of JavaScript code that enables us to understand how many TikTok users have acted after seeing one of our adverts. It also allows us to tailor our marketing campaigns on TikTok to users who have previously shown interest in the University on our websites, or who click on our advertisements seen on the TikTok platform and display the most relevant advertisements to them on TikTok.

Collecting data allows TikTok to report on marketing activity and understand the demographic of TikTok users (“audience”) who are interested in the University and courses. TikTok will also serve our adverts on the TikTok platform to users who fit a certain demographic profile. 

The TikTok pixel will capture browser level information including:

  • Your IP address;  
  • Which of our websites you are landing on and how you are finding that site (if you are being ‘referred’ through a link from another website, email or Ad);  
  • Which web browser you are using (e.g. Safari, Firefox, Edge, etc.), device make, model and operating system; 
  • Ad/ Event information: Information about the advertisement a TikTok user has clicked or an event that was triggered; 
  • Timestamp: Time that the pixel event fired. This is used to determine when website actions took place, like when a page was viewed, when a product was purchased, etc.; 

View the full statement on how we use TikTok.

Snapchat

We use the Snapchat pixel to target our marketing campaigns, provide us with statistics to improve our marketing and provide Snapchat users with information which is useful and appropriate to them based on their browsing activity.

The Snapchat pixel is a piece of JavaScript code that enables us to track conversion, in essence telling us how many Snapchatters have taken action after seeing one of our Ads. It also allows us to tailor our marketing campaigns on Snapchat to users who have previously shown interest on our site, and display the most relevant Ads to them on Snapchat. 

Collecting data allows Snapchat to report on marketing activity and understand the demographic of Snapchatters ('audience') who are interested in our University and courses. The pixel will capture browser level information including:
  • Your IP address; 
  • Which of our websites you are landing on and how you are finding that site (if you are being ‘referred’ through a link from another website, email or ad); 
  • Which web browser you are using (for example Safari, Firefox or Edge);

This 'audience' information will be stored for 30 days by Snapchat then deleted.

  • When you visit our website we ask you to consent to receiving electronic marketing by agreeing to our Cookie Policy - you can choose to opt out at any time via Snapchat
  • If you have any queries about the use of your data by Snapchat please see their Privacy Notice and GDPR Compliance page.
  • You can view Snapchat’s cookie policy (please see the section on Analytics and Advertising Services).
  • Please note that although Snapchat are a US based company they are Privacy Shield registered to comply with EU data protection legislation.

Microsoft Ads (Bing)

We use Microsoft Universal Event Tracking (UET) to target our marketing campaigns, provide us with statistics to improve our marketing and provide Bing users with information which is useful and appropriate to them based on their browsing activity.

The UET is a piece of JavaScript code that enables us to track conversion, in essence telling us how many Bing users have taken action after seeing one of our Ads. It also allows us to tailor our marketing campaigns on Bing to users who have previously shown interest on our site, and display the most relevant Ads to them on Bing. 

Collecting data allows Microsoft Ads to report on marketing activity and understand the demographic of Bing (“audience”) who are interested in our University and courses. The data that Microsoft collect can be broken down into the below categories:
  • Web browsing and online searches: they use your search history and the history aggregated from other people to give you better search results.
  • Places you go: location information you provide, or that Microsoft detect using technologies such as GPS or IP addresses, help to give you directions to places you want to go and show you information relevant to where you are.
  • To show more interesting ads: they use data such as your location, Bing web searches, Microsoft or advertiser web pages that you view, demographics and things that you’ve added to your favourites to show you more interesting ads
When you visit our website we ask you to consent to receiving electronic marketing by agreeing to our Cookie Policy - you can choose to opt out at any time via Microsoft.

If you have any queries about the use of your data by Microsoft Ads please see their Privacy overview and Privacy Statement.
 
Please note that although Microsoft are a US based company they are Privacy Shield registered to comply with EU data protection legislation.

Facebook and Instagram (Meta)

We use the Facebook pixel to track conversions on our marketing campaigns.

The pixel is a small piece of code that allows Facebook to see what information is being viewed by users logged into their service. We can then use this information to provide relevant ads to users based on the content they were interested in.

Consent cannot automatically be revoked, but you can opt out on the Facebook site. View Facebook’s cookie policy.

We also use custom audiences based on personal information, such as email addresses, of prospective students, including applicants and enquirers. We do this to present you with information about studying at Edinburgh Napier University, and to identify people with similar interests who may also find it useful. For more information on how we manage personal data, please refer to the Privacy Policy.  

Blis

We use the Blis pixel to track conversions on our marketing campaigns from ads placed on their media platform.

The pixel is a small piece of code that allows Blis to see what information is being viewed by users of their service. They then use this information to provide relevant ads to users based on their behaviour.

Read more about Blis's commitment to privacy.

Quantcast

We use the Quantcast pixel to track conversions on our marketing campaigns.

The pixel is a small piece of code that allows Quantcast to see what information is being viewed by users logged into their service. They then use this information to provide relevant ads to users based on the content they are interested in.

Read more about Quantcast's privacy policy.

Google

We use Google products to see how our site is used and to target ads to those searching for products we offer.  View Google’s cookie policy. 

Google Analytics (GA)

We use Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors use our website. A cookie is set the first time a user visits our website and expires after two years. If you would like to prevent your data being used by Google, you can do so using a web browser add-on. Please see here for more information: Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on Download Page. Google cookies include:

Name Description Duration
_ga Used to distinguish users. 2 years
_gid Used to distinguish users. 24 hours
_gat Used to throttle request rate. If Google Analytics is deployed via Google Tag Manager, this cookie will be named _dc_gtm_<property-id>.</property-id> 1 minute
AMP_TOKEN Contains a token that can be used to retrieve a Client ID from AMP Client ID service. Other possible values indicate opt-out, inflight request or an error retrieving a Client ID from AMP Client ID service. 30 seconds to 1 year
_gac_<property-id> Contains campaign related information for the user. If you have linked your Google Analytics and Google Ads accounts, Google Ads website conversion tags will read this cookie unless you opt-out. Learn more. 90 days
_gac_<container-id>
 Used to persist session state. 2 years
_gac_gb_<container-id>
 Contains campaign related information. If you have linked your Google Analytics and Google Ads accounts, Google Ads website conversion tags will read this cookie unless you opt-out. Learn more. 90 days

Google Tag Manager (GTM)

We use Google Tag Manager to track specific on-page activities, such as clicks, course searches and enquiry form submissions.  Personal data from enquiry forms is stored securely in a Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) and not shared with any third parties as part of this tracking.

Google Ads

These ads appear at the top of Google search results (they’re the ones with “Ad” next to them) if you have searched for something we’re promoting (e.g. Clearing and Open Days).

We use cookies to track how many people click through to our site from these ads.  Again, no personally identifiable data is collected in this type of tracking.

Consent can’t automatically be revoked but you can opt out / change your ad settings on the Google site.

Google Display and Video 360 (DV360)

We use Google DV360 to place ads across a range of platforms. A pixel on our site allows the monitoring of which ads are generating visits to our site.

Hotjar

Hotjar allows us to see visually how people use our site through heatmaps and recordings.  It also allows us to see how many users follow predicted navigation routes (funnels) through our website and gives us a chance to ask them questions via short polls and surveys.  This information is then used to help us improve the overall user experience of our site.

You can opt out of this tracking on the Hotjar website. Hotjar uses the following cookies:

Name Description Duration
_hjClosedSurveyInvites Hotjar cookie. This cookie is set once a visitor interacts with a Survey invitation modal popup. It is used to ensure that the same invite does not re-appear if it has already been shown. 365 days
_hjDonePolls Hotjar cookie. This cookie is set once a visitor completes a poll using the Feedback Poll widget. It is used to ensure that the same poll does not re-appear if it has already been filled in. 365 days
_hjMinimizedPolls Hotjar cookie. This cookie is set once a visitor minimizes a Feedback Poll widget. It is used to ensure that the widget stays minimizes when the visitor navigates through your site. 365 days
_hjDoneTestersWidgets Hotjar cookie. This cookie is set once a visitor submits their information in the Recruit User Testers widget. It is used to ensure that the same form does not re-appear if it has already been filled in. 365 days
_hjMinimizedTestersWidgets Hotjar cookie. This cookie is set once a visitor minimizes a Recruit User Testers widget. It is used to ensure that the widget stays minimizes when the visitor navigates through your site. 365 days
_hjIncludedInSample
 Hotjar cookie. This session cookie is set to let Hotjar know whether that visitor is included in the sample which is used to generate funnels. 365 days
_hjShownFeedbackMessage
 This cookie is set when a visitor minimizes or completes Incoming Feedback. This is done so that the Incoming Feedback will load as minimized immediately if they navigate to another page where it is set to show. 365 days

Sitecore

We use the Sitecore content management system (CMS) to power our website. It uses the following cookies to identify repeat visits from a single user and check if they are logged in:

Name Description Duration
SC_ANALYTICS_GLOBAL_COOKIE To identify repeat visits from a single user, Sitecore sends a persistent session cookie to the web client. The persistent session cookie expires one year after the last page requested from the solution by the web client.
SC_ANALYTICS_SESSION_COOKIE To identify a sequence of HTTP requests from a single user, Sitecore sends an Engagement Analytics session cookie to the web client. The value of the analytics session cookie before the first pipe character ("|") matches a value in the VisitId column of the Visits table to identify an analytics visit record in the Analytics database. This cookie expires when the user closes the Web client.
sc_expview To identify if user is logged in to Sitecore CMS and viewing page in Experience Editor mode. This cookie is set to false when the user logs out of Sitecore.
napierAcceptCookies Stored to say that the user has accepted the “Accept Cookies” message. 20 years
LightboxSeen_{<page ID>} Stored to say popup lightbox element seen on page detailed in page ID. This stops the same lightbox appearing for a set duration after the first view. 4 days

Video Service

Edinburgh Napier developed their own video service which is used to host content produced by staff and lecturers that we wouldn’t otherwise host on YouTube.  It uses the following cookie:

Name Description Duration
ASP.NET_SessionId This cookie is created as soon as a user accesses the site. Deleted when the user leaves the site, not persistent.

WordPress

We host a blog service for staff and students powered using the WordPress content management system (CMS).  The service features cookies that allows users to log in and also to monitor activity of users on the website, including:

Name Description Duration
PHPSESSID This session cookie is created as soon as a user logs onto the admin system. All cookies are deleted either when the user logs out of the service or closes down the browser.
__atuvc
_uid
 
 These analytical cookies are added by addthis.com to enable and monitor page sharing via sharing buttons. 2 years
__utma
__utmb
__utmc
__utmz
 
 These analytical cookies are created by Google Analytics and used to collect information about how visitors use our WordPress blog service, e.g. what pages they visit and how long they spend on the site. 2 years

YouTube

We embed videos from our official YouTube channel using YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode. This mode 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 using the privacy-enhanced mode. Find out more about YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode.

Third party cookies

We have no control over cookies used by third parties such as Google Analytics or YouTube. If you are concerned about cookies used by third parties, please visit All About Cookies to see how to control cookie usage.

Your privacy

Edinburgh Napier University is committed to protecting your privacy. View our privacy policy which sets out the basis on which your personal information is collected, processed and used.