On this page
- Overview
- What is a cookie?
- What is included in a cookie policy?
- How to write a cookie policy
- Obtaining consent to use cookies with Termly
- To display a cookie policy using Termly code
- To display a consent banner using Termly code
Overview
When you visit an MC Professional website – as an administrator, member, or visitor – cookies may be placed on your computer by MC Professional or a third party. A list of cookies placed by MC Professional on your website is provided below.
Cookie policies help websites comply with privacy regulations and provide transparency to users about their data practices. They typically appear as a separate page on the website or as a section within the website's privacy policy.
A cookie policy is a legal requirement for websites that use cookies. A cookie policy informs users about the types of cookies being used on the website and the purpose of each.
MC Professional has partnered with Termly to help you create and publish your organization's policies on your website. As an MC Professional customer, you have special access to discounted rates with Termly.
What is a cookie?
A cookie is a chunk of data – typically stored as a text file – that is placed on your device when you visit a website. The cookie is used by the website to identify your device so that when you visit again the site can load your preferences, automatically accept your credentials, or otherwise personalize the experience.
Cookies don't store your personal information, just information that identifies your device. This allows websites to function more smoothly. For example, third-party cookies are used by Google Analytics for tracking website traffic. In another example, if you embed a Facebook widget on your MC Professional website, Facebook may place a cookie to personalize your online experience.
See below for a full list of cookies MC Professional websites use.
Type |
Source |
Expiration |
Notes |
|
<uuid> |
Necessary |
Native |
Session |
|
Login |
Necessary |
Native |
Session |
|
ZDEDebuggerPresent |
Necessary |
Native |
Session |
|
serviceID |
Necessary |
Native |
Session |
|
activeProfile |
Necessary |
Native |
5 hours |
|
mcid_token |
Necessary |
Native |
12 months |
|
currentURI |
Necessary |
Native |
1 day |
|
__cfduid |
Necessary |
CloudFlare |
12 months |
Content Delivery Network |
__cfruid |
Necessary |
CloudFlare |
Session |
Content Delivery Network |
JSESSIONID |
Statistics |
New Relic |
Session |
Application performance monitoring |
__utma |
Statistics |
Google Analytics |
24 months |
Only present if Google Analytics enabled |
__utmb |
Statistics |
Google Analytics |
5 hours |
Only present if Google Analytics enabled |
__utmc |
Statistics |
Google Analytics |
Session |
Only present if Google Analytics enabled |
__utmt |
Statistics |
Google Analytics |
4 hours |
Only present if Google Analytics enabled |
What is included in a cookie policy?
- An explanation of what cookies are and how they are used on your website.
- The types of cookies used by your organization and the purpose of each type.
- Information about how users can control or manage cookies, including how to opt-out or delete them.
- Details about any third-party services or cookies used on your website.
- Legal information, including your organization's compliance with relevant laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the United States.
See the Society for Conservation GIS's cookie policy as an example.
How to write a cookie policy
MC Professional can't advise you or help you write your organization's policies, but the following resources can help you create and manage policies for your organization:
As an MC Professional customer, you have special access to discounted rates with Termly.
Obtaining consent to use cookies with Termly
A 2011 European Union privacy law requires websites to obtain consent from visitors before placing cookies on their devices.
Termly offers cookie consent management with their Pro+ subscription. With Termly, you can generate a cookie policy and create a banner for members to accept your cookie policy when they land on your website. For detailed instructions on how to find the embed code for either a policy or consent banner view the following articles from Termly's help center:
As an MC Professional customer, you have special access to discounted rates with Termly.
To display a cookie policy using Termly code
A cookie policy is a document containing a list of all the cookies used on a website, along with detailed information about each. It helps users understand how their data is used, and how long the cookies will remain on their device. Termly generates a cookie policy for you, based on your specifications. Once you've obtained the HTML code from Termly, you can insert the code for your cookie policy into an article or menu item on your website. The code must be in HTML format. To do so, follow the steps below.
The instructions below only work if you've copied the code in HTML format. To add a code snippet from Termly to your website, please reach out to our support team.
1. In your administrator dashboard, navigate to Website > Articles.
2. In the Article Manager, select the article you want to add your cookie policy or banner to.
3. In the article editor, click the HTML button.
4. In the HTML Source Editor, paste the HTML code of your cookie policy obtained through Termly. Click Update when you're finished.
5. Navigate to the article on your website to view your cookie policy.
You can also link to your cookie policy on your website and add it as a menu item. To add your cookie policy article as a menu item view our article on Menu items. To add a code snippet from Termly to your website, please reach out to our support team.
To display a cookie consent banner using Termly code
See Adding a cookie banner to your website with Termly for step-by-step instructions.