Cookie Policy

By accepting our use of cookies, you agree that we can place the cookies described below on your device.

Cookies are text files containing small amounts of information which are downloaded to your device when you visit a website. Cookies are then sent back to the originating website on each subsequent visit, or to another website that recognises that cookie. Cookies are useful because they allow a website to recognise a user's device.

ou can find more information about cookies at:

Cookies do lots of different jobs, like letting you navigate between pages efficiently, remembering your preferences, and generally improve the user experience. They can also help to ensure that adverts you see online are more relevant to you and your interests.

The cookies used on our BSI websites have been categorized based on the categories found in the ICC UK Cookie guide. A list of all the cookies used on our BSI website by category is set out below. Our BSI website runs most efficiently with cookies enabled. The cookies used on our BSI website cannot harm your computer.

Category 1: Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the website. Without these cookies services you have asked for, like BSOL or e-shop and e-billing, cannot be provided.

Websessionstart
Cookie set to identify the start of web session by the user
MSCSProfile
commerce server Cookie to manage user profile
SessionAuthenticationType
checks if the user is authenticated via Athens or by Ecommerce site
UserUseInstitutionalAccountDuringSession
checks if user is using institutional account during session
MyDownloadsSessionId
created to manage Mydownloads feature (BSOL)
NotificationProducts
stores the product that user attempts to add/remove from notification (BSOL)
refineSearchArea
maintains the refine search option selected by user (BSOL)
AddingProducts
maintains products added for custom collection activation (BSOL)

Category 2: Performance Cookies

These cookies collect information about how our visitors use our website, for instance, which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies do not collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. It is only used to improve how our BSI website works.

The Category 2 Cookies that we use on our website are:

_utmb, _utmc, _utma, _utmz
Google Analytics cookies
AddThisCookie
Used by by AddThis sharebar
WRUID
used by clicktale to identify users
op[client id][name of test]gum
ensures that visitors will see the same version of a page which has variants being tested. (optimost)
op[client id][name of test]liid
This cookie is used to measure user behaviour based on the test version of a page. (optimost)

Category 3: Functionality Cookies

These cookies allow our BSI website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features. These cookies can also be used to remember changes you have made to the text size, fonts and other parts of the web pages that you can customise. The information these cookies collect may be anonymised and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.

The Category 3 Cookies that we use on our website are:

Jquery.cookie
manages User selection of navigation in left nav tree/accordion (maintaining selected tree sub menu item etc)
LastSearchResults
maintains last search results link
BSIPollCookie
stores poll options

Category 4: Targeting/advertising Cookies

These cookies are used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers. Quite often targeting or advertising cookies will be linked to site functionality provided by the other organisation.

The Category 4 Cookies that we use on our website are:

Affiliate
redirect cookie lasting 30 days for tracking Affiliate information

Google Analytics Advertising features

Google Adwords Remarketing - This website uses the Google Adwords remarketing service to advertise on third party websites (including Google) to previous visitors to our site. It could mean that we advertise to previous visitors who haven't completed a task on our site, for example using the contact form to make an enquiry. This could be in the form of an advertisement on the Google search results page, or a site in the Google Display Network. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on someone's past visits to the BSI Group website. Of course, any data collected will be used in accordance with our own privacy policy and Google's privacy policy. To opt out of Google adwords remarketing please set your advertising preferences here
Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting - We have implemented Google Analytics features based on Display Advertising (Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting). We will use the data provided by Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting to develop the site and content around our users' interests. You can opt-out of Google Analytics for Display Advertising and customize Google Display Network ads using the Ads Settings. In addition, you can use the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on to disable tracking by Google Analytics.

Other types of cookie

These cookies are specialist in nature and are for specific use. BSI does not use any other types of cookie not falling within one of the categories above.

Disabling cookies

BSI websites are designed to function optimally with cookies enabled. However, if you wish to disable cookies, this can be controlled through your browser settings.

Please note:
If you do deactivate cookies it may mean some of the website features become disabled. Even with all cookies disabled, a tiny amount of information will continue to be retrieved from your web browser. This information is necessary for the basic functioning of our website.

For instructions on changing your cookie setting, select your browser: