Cookie policy – December 2020
Here we offer a complete list of the cookies used, specific cookie names and the purposes of each one. We provide details about how the cookie data is stored on your computer, and where such cookies are not essential to the operation of the suite of websites listed, allow you to opt out of their storage on your computer.
Updated: 9 December 2020
Understanding and managing cookies
What are cookies?
Cookies are small pieces of textual data that websites ask your web browser to store on your computer, and then give back each time you visit a page. Essentially this allows the website(s) to know a bit more about you as you move from page to page within the suite of websites and from visit to visit.
If you do not agree to the use of cookies, as set out below, you can adjust your browser settings. If you choose to reject all cookies in your browser settings, we cannot guarantee that your experience will be as fulfilling as it would otherwise be, or that you will be able to access all features.
A complete list of cookies, specific cookie names and purposes can be found towards the bottom of the page.
How to manage cookies
If you do not agree to the use of cookies, as set out below, you can adjust your browser settings. If you choose to reject all cookies in your browser settings, we cannot guarantee that your experience will be as fulfilling as it would otherwise be, or that you will be able to access all features across the suite of websites.
How you control or delete cookies depends on which version of your internet browser you’re using. You can check this by going to the ‘Help’ section of your browser.
To find out more about cookies, and how to manage cookies on particular browsers, websites such as aboutcookies.org and www.allaboutcookies.org provide more detailed information and instructions for managing cookies from your browser. You can also visit your browser developer’s website for further information.
These are third party websites, and we are not responsible for the information provided there.
Your data and privacy
Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (the PECR), we must provide full disclosure about the cookie data that we store on your computer, and where such cookies are not essential to the operation within the suite of websites, allow you to opt out of their storage on your computer.
To find out more about how we use your information and protect your privacy when using our website, please read our Privacy Policy and information about using this Website.
Third party links
The suite of websites may include links to third-party websites, which may also use cookies. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for the cookies they use, or their cookie policies or privacy statements. We cannot be responsible for the cookie policies and practices of other websites even if you accessed the third party website using links from our Website, or you linked to our Website from a third party website.
We recommend that you check the cookie policy and privacy policy of each website you visit and contact the owner or operator of such website if you have any concerns or questions.
Types of cookies we use
We use or may use the following types of cookies:
Strictly necessary cookies
These are cookies that are required for the operation of a website and without which the website could not perform basic functions. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of a website, use a shopping cart or make use of e-billing services.
Analytical/Performance cookies
These collect information about how visitors use a website, for example, counting page visits, dwell time, bounce rates, technologies used to access the site, and page load speeds. This is used to improve the way a website works, for example, by ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily.
Functionality cookies
These are used to recognise you when you return to a website. They allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features.
The boxes below shows the specific cookies that we store on your computer. Some of them are classed as essential to the operation of the site (so your only choice if you are not happy with them is not to use the site), but others are optional and you may opt out of them if you wish.
The preferences that you choose are specific to the computer or device that you are currently using.
Please see the complete list of cookies, specific cookie names and purposes below.
Cookies on all of our sites
Google Analytics
Cookie
_ga
Purpose
Performance/Analytics
What does this cookie do?
This cookie is used to distinguish unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. It is included in each page request in a site and used to calculate visitor, session and campaign data for the sites analytics reports.
We use this cookie to collect information about how visitors use our Website, and to improve how our Website works.
These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous.
Cookie
_gat
Purpose
Performance/Analytics
What does this cookie do?
This cookie is used to throttle the request rate to limit the collection of data on high traffic sites. It expires after 10 minutes.
We use this cookie to collect information about how visitors use our Website, and to improve how our Website works.
These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous.
Cookie name
_gid
Purpose
Performance/Analytics
What does this cookie do?
This cookie is used to collect information about how visitors use our Website. We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve how our Website works.
The cookies collect information in an anonymous form, including the number of visitors to the website, where visitors have come to the website from and the pages they visited.
HotJar
Cookie
_hjIncludedInSample
Purpose
Performance/Analytics
What does this cookie do?
This cookie uniquely identifies a visitor during a single browser session and indicates they are included in an audience sample.
We may use this cookie to collect information about how visitors use our Website, and to improve how our Website works.
These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous.
Cookie name
_hjid
Purpose
Performance/Analytics
What does this cookie do?
This cookie is set when the customer first lands on a page with the Hotjar script. It is used to persist the random user ID, unique to that site, on the browser. This ensures that behaviour in subsequent visits to the same site will be attributed to the same user ID.
We may use this cookie to collect information about how visitors use our Website, and to improve how our Website works.
These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous.
BSC website only
Cookies on all of our sites
We use Google Analytics and Hotjar Heatmaps across our suite of websites and further information is set out in the Cookies on ‘All of our sites section’ of this page.
AddThis – social sharing widget
Cookie
__atuvc and __atuvs
Purpose
Functional
What do these cookies do?
These cookies are associated with the AddThis social sharing widget which is embedded in websites to enable visitors to share content with a range of networking and sharing platforms. It stores an updated page share count.
The main purpose of these cookies is to improve functionality; they allow a website to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, personalised features.
My BSC dashboard
Cookie
my-elexon
Purpose
Performance/Analytics and Functional
What does this cookie do?
This cookie is used to track ‘My BSC’ views and actions on our website, to provide a better user experience.
Vimeo – video service
Cookie
vuid
Purpose
Functional
What does this cookie do?
We embed videos from Vimeo. When you press play, Vimeo will drop third party cookies to enable the video to play and to collect analytics data such as how long a viewer has watched the video.
These cookies do not track individuals.
BSC Portal only
Cookies on all of our sites
We use Google Analytics and Hotjar Heatmaps across our suite of websites and further information is set out in the Cookies on ‘All of our sites section’ of this page.
Cookie
PHP session
Purpose
Essential
What does this cookie do?
When you visit the BSC Portal (whether you are logged in or not), calculations are carried out to to work out what you are/are not allowed to access in your current state. To preserve performance of the site, rather than carrying out all these calculations every time you load a page, we cache them in a web server “session”, and store a cookie on your computer with the session ID. If we didn’t do this, the performance of the site would not be able to be maintained, so we class this as essential to the site’s operation. This cookie does not contain any personally identifiable information.
Cookie
Portal cookie preference
Purpose
If you choose to opt out of any Elexon Portal cookies, a cookie will be stored on your computer to signify this. While it may seem counter-intuitive to store a cookie to specify that you don’t want any cookies, this is the only way that we can know about your preference when you return to the site.
Cookie
Portal login
Purpose
Essential
What does this cookie do?
When you choose to log in to the BSC Portal, additional set of login cookie information is stored on your computer to tell the back-end security systems who you are and to validate that you are logged in. The reason this is done with a separate login cookie (rather than using the session cookie for example) is because each of your page views has to be verified against our back-end single sign on architecture, and because your session cookie is destroyed when you close your browser (so we wouldn’t be able to remember you when you come back later).
Cookie
Javascript – tree state
Purpose
Functional?
What does this cookie do?
When you expand or contract the content tree in the sidebar, javascript is used to store these tree expansion states in a cookie so that the tree remains in your chosen state as you navigate from page to page. If you opt out, the tree will revert to its default state every time you load a new page, which we feel may affect your user experience, so we recommend that you allow this cookie type. This cookie does not contain any personally identifiable information.
Elexon Kinnect only
Cookies on all of our sites
We use Google Analytics and Hotjar Heatmaps across our suite of websites and further information is set out in the Cookies on ‘All of our sites section’ of this page.
Cookie
QCQQ
Purpose
Essential
What does this cookie do?
Used to detect the official Elexon Kinnect login page.
Cookie
sid
Purpose
Essential
What does this cookie do?
Used to validate an Elexon Kinnect user session.
Cookie
sid_Client
Purpose
Essential
What does this cookie do?
Used to validate platform id and user id on Elexon Kinnect.
Cookie
idccsrf
Purpose
Essential
What does this cookie do?
Used for single sign-on authentication as cross-site request forgery protection.
Cookie
rsid
Purpose
Essential
What does this cookie do?
Used for an admin user to “log in as” one of their platform users.
Cookie
rsid2
Purpose
Essential
What does this cookie do?
Used for an admin user to “log in as” one of their portal users.
Cookie
RRetURL
Purpose
Essential
What does this cookie do?
Used for “log in as” to return to original page.
Cookie
RRetURL2
Purpose
Essential
What does this cookie do?
Used for portal “log in as” to return to original page.
Cookie
alohaEpt
Purpose
Functional
What does this cookie do?
Used to log page load experience page time for custom pages.
Cookie
clientSrc
Purpose
Functional
What does this cookie do?
Used to validate the IP from where a user logs in.
Cookie
oinfo
Purpose
Functional
What does this cookie do?
Used to track the State, Edition and ID of a customer’s platform.
Cookie
autocomplete
Purpose
Functional
What does this cookie do?
Used to determine whether the internet browser remembers a user’s login username.
Cookie
inst
Purpose
Functional
What does this cookie do?
Used to optimise routing to the user’s instance.
Cookie
expid_[Community Prefix]
Purpose
Functional
What does this cookie do?
Used to render pages based on specified brand.
Cookie
disco
Purpose
Functional
What does this cookie do?
Used to verify the last platform that was accessed on the same browser for session discovery.
Cookie
oid
Purpose
Functional
What does this cookie do?
Used to redirect a user to the correct platform and assist the user for the next login.
BMRS only
Cookies on all of our sites
We use Google Analytics and Hotjar Heatmaps across our suite of websites and further information is set out in the Cookies on ‘All of our sites section’ of this page.
Cookies relating to BMRS
You can view the Privacy Policy on the BMRS website.
When you first visit the BMRS website a cookie pop-up will appear where you can change your settings regarding analytics.
TAAMT only
Cookies on all of our sites
We use Google Analytics and Hotjar Heatmaps across our suite of websites and further information is set out in the Cookies on ‘All of our sites section’ of this page.
Cookies relating to TAAMT
You can find details about cookies on the TAAMT’s privacy policy page.