Privacy policy

User anonymity and personal information

Log files are maintained and analysed of all requests for files on this website's web servers. Log files do not capture personal information but do capture the user's IP address, which is automatically recognised by our web servers.

Aggregated analysis of these log files is used to monitor website usage. These analyses may be made to available to LSE Cities staff only to allow them to measure, for example, overall popularity of the site and typical user paths through the site.

Except as stated already, LSE Cities will make no attempt to identify individual users. You should be aware, however, that access to web pages will generally create log entries in the systems of your ISP or network service provider. These entities may be in a position to identify the client computer equipment used to access a page. Such monitoring would be done by the provider of network services and is beyond the responsibility or control of LSE Cities.

LSE Cities will make no attempt to track or identify individual users, except where there is a reasonable suspicion that unauthorised access to systems is being attempted. In the case of all users, LSE Cities reserves the right to attempt to identify and track any individual who is reasonably suspected of trying to gain unauthorised access to computer systems or resources operating as part of LSE Cities web services.

As a condition of use of this site, all users must give permission for LSE Cities to use its access logs to attempt to track users who are reasonably suspected of gaining, or attempting to gain, unauthorised access.

All log file information collected by LSE Cities is kept secure and no access to raw log files is given to any third party unless we are required to do so by law.

Cookies

"A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that is downloaded on to your computer when you visit a website. Cookies are used by many websites and can do a number of things, eg remembering your preferences, recording what you have put in your shopping basket, and counting the number of people looking at a website."

From the Information Commissioner's Office - see https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/online/cookies/.

Website operators are now required by law - specifically the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (UK Regulations) - to provide clear and comprehensive information about the use of cookies, and ensure that users have consented to this use.

Types of cookie

There are four types of cookie:

• Strictly necessary - Technically essential to the provision of the LSE website. For example, some cookies are used to enable secure login to restricted areas.
• Performance - Monitor and assess the LSE website and its use. For example, recording visits to reveal how a website is used and which parts are most popular.
• Functionality - Enable additional functionality to improve user experience. For example, recording settings for future visits so as to save users having to repeat making the same choices.
• Advertising/targeting - Use an identification number to monitor personal preferences for the purposes of personalising pages and gathering further information. For example, presenting adverts or promotions for products similar to those previously viewed or purchased.

LSE Cities's use of cookies

Various cookies are in use across the LSE Cities website, with the cookies in use subject to changes as the website develops. The following table details the cookies used on the LSE Cities website following our latest audit (July 2012).

Essentially, we only use and set anonymous first party cookies that are essential to the functioning of the website, and third party cookies not linked to any personal data, as detailed below, to allow us to analyse how visitors use our website. If you would prefer our website not to set any third party cookies at all, please enable the "Do Not Track" flag in your browser and we won't set any such cookie. See http://donottrack.us/ for more information on how to set the Do Not Track flag.

Further information

Comprehensive information about cookies can be found at AboutCookies.org and AllAboutCookies.org.