Coventry University’s progressive web app will process information about you in the following ways:

  • Personal details given to us by you via on-line forms will be used to provide you with information, goods or services you have requested, such as course brochures or prospectuses. The details you provide will not be used for marketing purposes unless you have been informed of this and been given the opportunity to opt-out of having your details used for this purpose
  • Information provided by you via feedback forms or questionnaires will be used to improve our site
  • Logging information, such as your machine’s IP address, is collected automatically by the server and used for statistical purposes only
  • Cookies may be used to collect user data to enhance your experience of our site. For example, we may use cookies to determine whether your browser can accept a particular type of software, or to stop pop-up boxes appearing each time you visit our site. We may use cookies for other purposes in the future, as our site develops and this statement will be amended to reflect any such changes.
Information about you will only be disclosed to relevant employees of Coventry University, and will not be revealed to third parties outside the University. You have a right to ask for a copy of the information we hold on you at any time, and to have that information corrected if it is inaccurate. For further information please see Freedom of Information Policy.  

What are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites that you visit. They are widely used to make websites work and to function more effectively. For example, they may be required to keep you logged in to a service, or to remember your user preferences or shopping cart contents. A cookie will typically contain a record of the web site which issued it, its own name, and a value which is often a randomly generated unique number.   A cookie will have a ‘lifetime’, which tells your browser when to delete it. Cookies can be set by the website domain itself, or by another domain, for example by Google Maps.  

Cookie types

There are several different types of cookie. These are the most common ones   Session cookie A session cookie only lasts for the duration of the user’s website visit. A web browser normally deletes session cookies when it quits.   Persistent cookie A persistent cookie will outlast user sessions. If a persistent cookie has its maximum age set to 1 year, then, within the year, the initial value set in that cookie would be sent back to the server every time the user visited the server. This could be used to record a piece of information such as how the user initially came to this website. For this reason persistent cookies are also called tracking cookies.   Secure cookie A secure cookie is only used when a browser is visiting a server via HTTPS, ensuring that the cookie is always encrypted when transmitting from client to server.   First-party cookie First-party cookies are cookies set with the same domain (or its subdomain) in the browser’s address bar.   Third-party cookie Third-party cookies are cookies set with different domains from the one shown on the address bar (i.e. the web pages on that domain may feature content from a third-party domain – e.g. Google Maps or YouTube). Privacy setting options in most modern browsers allow you to block third-party tracking cookies.  

Cookie uses

Cookies perform many different functions. These are the most common: Essential cookies Some cookies are essential for the operation of our websites. For example, some cookies allow us to identify logged in users and ensure they can access the relevant pages.   Performance Cookies We utilise other cookies to analyse how our visitors use our websites and to monitor website performance. This allows us to provide a high quality experience by customising our offering and quickly identifying and fixing any issues that arise. For example, we might use performance cookies to keep track of which pages are most popular, which method of linking between pages is most effective, and to determine why some pages are receiving error messages.   Functionality Cookies We use functionality cookies to allow us to remember your preferences, for example which language you want to see the website in. We also use functionality cookies to provide you with enhanced services such as allowing you to watch a video online.   Behaviourally Targeted Advertising Cookies We do not use this type of cookie.    

The law

The principal law which governs how websites use cookies and similar technologies when storing information on a user’s equipment, such as their computer or mobile device, is the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations. The regulations were amended on 26 May 2011.   Regulation 6 covers the use of electronic communications networks to store information (e.g. cookies) or to gain access to information stored in the terminal equipment of a subscriber or user. The change in the law was prompted by concerns about online tracking of individuals and is intended to protect the privacy of users by requiring their knowledge and agreement to the use of cookies, even where the information collected is not directly personally identifiable.  

Can I turn off cookies?

You can manually disable cookies on your computer, or delete existing cookies. You may also be able to view the cookies already in your system. This will depend on your browser. Please note that cookies are essential to the effective functioning of some of the services we offer online. If you disable cookies, a number of important functions and services will be unavailable to you and our websites may not operate correctly in your browser.  

Coventry University cookies and personal information

Coventry University does not use cookies to store personal information about you, and will make no attempt to identify you through use of cookies.  

Summary of terms

Browser – software used to locate and display Web pages Cookies – files stored on the user’s machine which are designed to identify users and collect user information IP address – the Internet Protocol address is an identifier allocated to a computer using the Web. IP addresses may be static (a particular computer always has the same address) or dynamic (the address is different each time the computer connects to the Web) Progressive web apps – are technically regular web pages (or websites) but can appear to the user like traditional applications or (native) mobile applications.