Our cookie policy
What are browser cookies, which ones do we use, and why?
A cookie is a piece of information, like a tag, that’s stored on your computer, tablet or phone when you visit a website. It can help identify your device – like your PC or mobile phone – whenever you visit that website.
To make the best use of our website, on whichever device you use, you’ll need to make sure your web browser is set to accept cookies.
How we use cookies
Cookies are small text files stored on your computer when you visit certain websites. We use first party cookies (cookies that we have set, that can only be read by our website) to personalise your online experience. We also use third party cookies (cookies that are set by an organisation other than the owner of the website) for the purposes of website measurement and targeted advertising. If you continue to use this site or close the banner, you consent to our use of cookies.
We use cookies and some other data stored on your device to:
- Give you a better online experience
- Allow you to set personal preferences
- Protect your security
- Measure and improve our service
- Work with partners and measure marketing
How long do cookies stay on my computer?
Session cookies
These only last until you close your browser. They are not stored on your hard drive. They are usually used to track the pages that you visit so that information can be customised for you for that visit.
Persistent cookies
These are stored on your hard drive until you delete them or they reach their expiry date. These may, for example, be used to remember your preferences when you use the site.
How do cookies affect my privacy?
You can visit our website without revealing any personal information. We protect your personal information very carefully. The security and safety of your personal information is very important to us.
We may ask you for personal information so you can buy something from our shop, for security reasons or so you can use our services.
How can I manage my cookie preferences with Parkinson’s UK?
The Tech Guide will record your consent to our cookie policy and will ask for it again every 12 months, to ensure you stay up-to-date with changes to this cookie policy. Strictly Necessary cookies (those that are required for the Tech Guide to work properly) cannot be disabled.
If you remove from your browser the cookie that lets us remember that you’ve opted in or out of cookies (see below) then you will be able to give or withhold consent again.
What cookies do you use?
Strictly necessary cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. Some are set by us directly and others are set by third parties.
You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
Third-party “Strictly necessary” cookies used on our website are set by Cloudflare (the content delivery network we use to make sure the Tech Guide is available globally) and Clerk (who provide the authentication framework behind our user accounts).
- __cf_bm (Cloudflare): bot-management protection cookie.
- _cfuvid (Cloudflare): allow Cloudflare to distinguish individual users who share the same IP address.
- __client (Clerk): a long-lived HttpOnly cookie that is used to issue short-lived session JWTs.
- __client_uat, __client_uat_NZvApviI (Clerk): uat stands for “Updated At” and helps Clerk to check if the user session is still valid.
- __session, __session_NZvApviI (Clerk): short-lived session JWTs to validate requests.
Optional cookies
We use some extra third-party cookies to let us measure how people use the website and so improve its performance. They help us to know, for example, which pages are the most and least popular, and how visitors move around the site. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
We do not store any personally identifiable information in these cookies.
Third-party “Optional” cookies used on our website are set by Pendo (to let us see how you use the site), Google (to let us see how you use the site) and HotJar (to let us occasionally ask you questions about how you use the site).
What happens if I don’t accept cookies?
If you decline cookies, some aspects of the site may not work on your computer or mobile phone and you may not be able to access areas you want on the website. For this reason we recommend that you accept cookies.
What happens if I delete my cookies?
If you delete all your cookies you will have to update your preferences with us again and some aspects of our site may not work.
What happens if I change computers or mobile?
If you use a different device, computer profile or browser you will have to tell us your preferences again.
If you’d like to learn more about cookies in general and how to manage them, visit aboutcookies.org.
We are not responsible for the content of external websites.