Cookies

How we use cookies

When you browse our website, we collect ‘cookies’ to help us understand more about how our site is used by visitors, and to develop and improve our services to you.

A ‘cookie’ is a bit of information kept on your computer. It tells us things like what device you’re using and what pages you click on.

We use cookies to:

  • track aspects of your visits, including the length of your visit, your browser, geographic location and the use of the search facility on this website
  • remember the contrast and/or text resizing style preferences you’ve chosen for this website – if relevant
  • record your video preferences for our YouTube videos viewed on this website

How to manage or delete cookies

If you don’t want to receive cookies, you can change the settings in your web browser. You can also delete cookies that have already been set.

To find instructions on how to restrict or block cookies, click on Help in your web browser and search for ‘cookies’.

You can find out more about cookies and how to delete them on the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website.

First party cookies

Cookie name About this cookie (where known) Expires
__utma This is one of the four main cookies set by the Google Analytics service which enables website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. This cookie lasts for 2 years by default and distinguishes between users and sessions. It it used to calculate new and returning visitor statistics. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics.† 2 years from set/update
__utmb This is one of the four main cookies set by the Google Analytics service which enables website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. This cookie determines new sessions and visits and expires after 30 minutes. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics.† 30 minutes from set/update
__utmc This is one of the four main cookies set by the Google Analytics service which enables website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. It is set to enable interoperability with the older version of Google Analytics code known as Urchin. In this older versions this was used in combination with the __utmb cookie to identify new sessions/ visits for returning visitors. When used by Google Analytics this is always a Session cookie which is destroyed when the user closes their browser. When the user exits the browser
__utmz This is one of the four main cookies set by the Google Analytics service which enables website owners to track visitor behaviour measure of site performance. This cookie identifies the source of traffic to the site – so Google Analytics can tell site owners where visitors came from when arriving on the site. The cookie has a life span of 6 months and is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics.† 6 months from set/update
__utmv This is an optional additional cookie set by the Google Analytics service which enables website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. This cookie is used when site owners create custom visitor-level variables for customising what can be measured. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics. 0 days
testSessionCookie
AGLogon Stores login details if the “Remember me” option has been selected. 90 days
ANONID Anonymous session cookie. Used where information you have entered needs to be used over several pages. For example the contact form and letter generators. When the user exits the browser
eprivacy Stops the banner message about cookies showing on every page. It is only shown on the first three pages visited, or until it is closed. 1 year
extent Used to remember which part are of the UK you prefer to view information in. This allows you to skip the splash screen. 1 month
_lgn_cscv2
t
REQURL  Allows a user to be sent to the correct page following a login.  At end of session
SESSION Required so users can log in. At end of session

Third party cookies from web chat service

Cookie name Purpose Expires
LivePersonID Set cookie with site page address, includes LivePerson VisitorID and creation time. 1 year
LivePersonID Set cookie with site page address, includes LivePerson VisitorID and creation time. 1 year
HumanClickKEY The session key of a visit. At end of session
HumanClickACTIVE Acceptance test cookie. 1 day
HumanClickSiteContainer

ID_

LivePerson server identificiation. At end of session
HumanClickCHATKEY Unique key to identify each chat session. At end of session
PHPSESSID Maintains a web chat session. At end of session

Third party cookies from .twitter.com, twitter.com

Twitter does not currently provide information on the use of specific cookies.

Cookie name Expires
_twitter_sess 0 days
k 7 days
guest_id 331 days
remember_checked 3254 days
remember_checked_on 3254 days
secure_session 6906 days
twll 3254 days
auth_token 6906 days
pid 547 days
lang 0 days

Third party cookies from .google.com, .youtube.com

Cookie name About this cookie (where known) Expires
SID This cookie is used by Google in combination with HSID to verify a Google user account and most recent login time. 3646 days
NID 183 days
PREF This is a common Google cookie, used across several of their services. Stores user preference and can be used to personalise ads on google searches. 730 days
APSID 331 days
HSID Used by Google in combination with SID to verify Google user account and most recent login time. 331 days
SAPISID 331 days
SSID 331 days
LOGIN_INFO 3650 days
lwb 7 days
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE This cookie is used as a unique identifier to track viewing of videos. 241 days

Third party cookies from plusone.google.com, apis.google.com, plus.google.com

Cookie name Expires
BEAT 1 day
ULS 0 days
OTZ 30 days

Third party cookies from accounts.google.com

Cookie name Expires
GAPS 730 days

Third party cookies from .facebook.com

Cookie name Expires
wd 0 days
datr 331 days
lu 331 days

Third party cookies from .wufoo.com

Cookie name Expires
ep201 0 days
ep202 1 year
SSID 1 year
SSLB 0 days
SSPV 1 year
SSRT 1 year
SSSC 0 days

Third party cookies from .logo-net.co.uk

Cookie name Expires
LGNref 360 days

Third party cookies from newsletter.citizensadvice.org.uk

Cookie name Expires
IEMSESSIONID 0 days

Find out more about Google Analytics tracking.

Please note, we only use web analytics for the purpose of tracking the web sites performance .None of the data that we collect is used for any sort of user profiling, advertising or any other commercial purposes.

Contact us about your data

You can contact us at any time and ask us:

  • what information we’ve stored about you
  • to change or update your details
  • to delete your details from our records

Send us a message at feedback@citizensadvice.org.uk.

If you want to make a complaint

If you’re not happy with how we’ve handled your data, you can make a complaint.

This privacy policy only covers this website citizensadvice.org.uk and it’s subdomains; other websites linked from this website are not covered by this policy. Once you have accessed another website via one of our links you will be subject to the security and privacy policy of that site.