GeoCerts Cookie Policy

Effective Date of Cookie Policy

May 25, 2018.

Introduction

To maintain transparency and inform users about how GeoCerts gathers and uses visitor information, we have compiled a list of cookies GeoCerts uses to assist customers and improve GeoCerts' services.

If you do not accept the use of these cookies or other tracking technologies, please disable them using the instructions below, by following the ‘opt-out’ links provided below or by changing your browser settings so that cookies cannot be placed on your device.

What Are Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies?

Cookies are small text files placed on a computer when visiting a website. Cookies are used to provide session information and services, save information between multiple visits to a site, and provide the website operator information about a user’s website experience.

There are two broad categories of cookies:

First-party cookies, served directly by us to your computer or mobile device.
Third-party cookies, which are served by a third party on our behalf. We use third party cookies for functionality, performance/analytics and advertising and purposes, as described below.

Cookies can remain on your computer or mobile device for different periods of time. Some cookies are “session cookies,” meaning that they exist only while your browser is open. These are deleted automatically once you close your browser. Other cookies are “permanent cookies,” meaning that they survive after your browser is closed. They can be used by us to recognize your computer when you open your browser and browse the Internet again.

We also use other tracking technologies such as web beacons. A web beacon (also called a clear GIF or pixel tag) can be embedded in online content and emails, and allows a server to read certain types of information from your device, to know when you have viewed the beacon and the IP address of your device. The type of information collected includes information relating to advertising responses, page views, promotion views and purchases made.

We will include web beacons in certain email messages and newsletters to determine whether the messages have been opened and whether our mailing tools are working correctly and effectively. The web beacons can be used to recognise cookies generated by third parties and inform us and/or third parties of which advertisement or link brought you to our website, allowing us to monitor the efficacy of our business relationships with third parties.

How We Use Cookies

GeoCerts uses the following types of cookies for the following purposes:

Performance Cookies: These session cookies provide a consistent experience between related web pages. These cookies last for a specified amount of time, typically the duration that the user is using the website. Web browsers delete session cookies when the browser is closed.
Functional Cookies: These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization.

Session Cookies: GeoCerts' Session Cookies maintain user settings and information, such as the preferred website language setting and account login status. These cookies keep the user logged in while visiting various pages across the GeoCerts site.
Customer Experience Cookies: Customer experience cookies provide GeoCerts anonymous information about a customer’s use of the GeoCerts website. Cookies are not used to gather personally identifiable information.

Targeting Cookies: These cookies may be set through the Site by our technology providers. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant content 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.

GeoCerts Advertising Cookies: These cookies are primarily used to optimize a user’s browsing experience, provide targeting advertising, and improve GeoCerts' website.
Google AdWords Remarketing: Google AdWords is an advertising tool that uses cookies to help businesses reach potential customers across the web through tailored marketing services. These cookies allow a business to target their marketing efforts towards specific customers by excluding current customers from advertising campaigns specific to non-customers, offering special promotions and discounts to existing customers, and providing similar customized marketing efforts.
MailChimp: MailChimp, a marketing automation solution, uses cookies to provide information on how a user interacts with GeoCerts' website and emails. MailChimp provides valuable information on a user’s visit to high-interest web pages, completion of web forms, and interaction with both marketing and sales emails. These cookies allow GeoCerts to refine our marketing efforts and provide more specific information to users.

Analytics Cookies: These cookies help us to understand your use of our website and how you interact with it.

Google Analytics: Google Analytics are web analysis tools that use cookies to track and compile website information. For example, Google Analytics may use cookies to collect information about the number of website visitors GeoCerts receives on a daily basis, how new customers found the GeoCerts website, and the value GeoCerts' website provides. GeoCerts uses this information to improve its services and website. The information collected by Google Analytics is anonymous and collects only general information and trends.
Crazy Egg: Crazy Egg is a website testing tool that uses cookies to serve unique test versions to a site visitor. For example, a web visitor may view a page that we are trying to improve, and will be shown a different content headline message, whereas another visitor would be shown an alternate copy headline message. Crazy Egg enables GeoCerts to test different versions of pages, determine which version site visitors prefer, and use that data to improve usability of our website. Crazy Egg also uses confetti, recordings and heat mapping tools that allow us to visually understand visitor behavior. The information collected by Crazy Egg is anonymous and collects only general data for testing analysis.

Social Media Cookies: The GeoCerts Website includes social media features, such as a Facebook “Like” button and widgets, as well as share buttons or interactive mini-programs. These features collect the user’s IP address and set their own cookies in order to track the success of their applications or customize applications for you. These cookies allow users to share pages and articles on social media sites while pulling information from the user’s social media profile. GeoCerts cannot access the data collected by such third parties through their social media cookies, nor can such third parties access data in cookies used by GeoCerts.

Google & MailChimp – Removing and Disabling Tracking Cookies

To learn more about how Google’s and MailChimp’s cookies collect and use information, please see Google’s Advertising Privacy FAQ, and MailChimp's Cookie Statement.

How to Control Cookies

Your Preferences: Upon your first visit to our website, you will be asked to opt-in/opt-out to the use of cookies as set out in this Cookie Policy. Once set, your cookie preference will be retained for 12 months, sooner in the event this policy changes materially, after which you will be asked to reset your preference upon your next visit.
Removing Cookies via Browser Preferences: Alternatively, you can configure your Internet browser to reject cookies or alert you before saving cookies. Most browsers allow users to remove undesired cookies.

In Chrome, navigate to the “Chrome” menu and select “Clear browsing data….”
In Internet Explorer, select “Internet Options” and “Delete…” under the Browsing History section.
In Firefox, select "Clear Recent History" under the “History” menu.
In Safari, choose “Reset Safari…” under the general settings menu.
Most browsers also permit users to remove individual cookies. Removing previously collected cookies will reset all website information. This includes removing the settings that exclude existing customers from receiving advertisements meant for non-customers and vice-versa.

Disabling Cookies via Browser Preferences: Most browsers allow users to disable cookies. This option is usually available in the browser’s privacy settings where users can choose to disable cookies entirely or reject cookies from specific providers. Disabling cookies may cause some websites and shopping carts to stop functioning properly and will lead to less personalized and targeted advertising. Disabling cookies may also reset all website information between each visit, causing websites to treat returning customers as new visitors.

How to control web beacons & web bugs

As web beacons are the same as any other content request included in a web page, you cannot opt out or refuse them. However, you can disable web beacons in email messages by not downloading images contained in messages you receive. This will vary depending on the email software used on your device. For more information about this, please refer to the information provided by your email software or service provider. Web beacons can also be rendered ineffective in certain circumstances by opting out of cookies or amending your cookie settings in your browser. Further details on web beacons, and how to manage them, can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_beacon.

Changes to this Cookie Policy

We will occasionally update this Cookie Policy to reflect changes in our practices and services. When we post changes to this Cookie Policy, we will revise the date at the top of this Cookie Policy. We recommend that you check this page from time to time to inform yourself of any changes in this Cookie Policy or any of our other policies.

Cookies that have been set in the past

If you have disabled one or more cookies, we may still use information collected from cookies prior to your disabled preference being set, however, we will stop using the disabled cookie to collect any further information.

More information

For additional information regarding the cookies listed above, check the http://www.cookie-checker.com/check-cookies.php? database.

Contact us

If you have any questions or comments about this Cookie Policy, or privacy matters generally, please contact us via email at privacy@geocerts.com.