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Creating a cookie policy

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Zane P
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What is a cookie policy?

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 cookie policy is a legal requirement for websites that use cookies. It informs users about the types of cookies in use and the purpose of each, and typically appears as a standalone page or as a section within the website's privacy policy.

Note: MC Professional has partnered with Termly to help you create and publish your organization's policies. As an MC Professional customer, you have access to discounted rates.

A cookie is a chunk of data — typically stored as a text file — placed on your device when you visit a website. The website uses it to identify your device so that on subsequent visits it can load your preferences, accept your credentials automatically, or otherwise personalize the experience. Cookies identify your device, not your personal information.

For example, third-party cookies are used by Google Analytics to track website traffic. If you embed a Facebook widget on your MC Professional website, Facebook may place a cookie to personalize your online experience.

The table below lists all cookies placed on MC Professional websites.

Cookie 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

A cookie policy typically includes:

  • An explanation of what cookies are and how they are used on your website.
  • The types of cookies your organization uses and the purpose of each.
  • 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 GDPR or CCPA.

See the Society for Conservation GIS's cookie policy as an example.

Note: MC Professional cannot advise you on or help you write your organization's policies.

The following resources can help you create a cookie policy:

Using Termly

A 2011 EU privacy law requires websites to obtain consent from visitors before placing cookies on their devices. Termly's Pro+ subscription includes cookie consent management tools that let you generate a cookie policy and display a consent banner for visitors.

For instructions on finding the embed code for a policy or consent banner, see these Termly help articles:

Add a cookie policy to your site

Note: These steps only work if you have copied the Termly code in HTML format. To add a Termly code snippet directly to your website, contact our Support Team.
  1. Go to Website > Articles.
  2. Select the article where you want to display your cookie policy.
  3. Select the HTML button in the article editor.
  4. Paste the HTML code from Termly into the HTML Source Editor, then select Update.
  5. Navigate to the article on your website to view the policy.

To make the cookie policy accessible from your navigation, add the article as a menu item. See Menu items for instructions.

Add a cookie consent banner

See Adding a cookie banner to your website with Termly for step-by-step instructions.

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