Cookie Policy
Our Privacy Policy explains our principles when it comes to the collection, processing, and storage of your information. This policy specifically explains how we, our partners, and users of our services deploy cookies, as well as the options you have to control them.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small pieces of data, stored in text files, that are stored on your computer or other device when websites are loaded in a browser. They are widely used to ârememberâ you and your preferences, either for a single visit (through a âsession cookieâ) or for multiple repeat visits (using a âpersistent cookieâ). They ensure a consistent and efficient experience for visitors, and perform essential functions such as allowing users to register and remain logged in. Cookies may be set by the site that you are visiting (known as âfirst party cookiesâ), or by third parties, such as those who serve content or provide advertising or analytics services on the website (âthird party cookiesâ).
Both websites and HTML emails may also contain other tracking technologies such as âweb beaconsâ or âpixels.â These are typically small transparent images that provide us with statistics, for similar purposes as cookies. They are often used in conjunction with cookies, though they are not stored on your computer in the same way. As a result, if you disable cookies, web beacons may still load, but their functionality will be restricted.
How we use cookies
We use cookies for a number of different purposes. Some cookies are necessary for technical reasons; some enable a personalized experience for both visitors and registered users; and some allow the display of advertising from selected third party networks. Some of these cookies may be set when a page is loaded, or when a visitor takes a particular action (clicking the âlikeâ or âfollowâ button on a post, for example).
Many of the cookies we use are only set if you are a registered WordPress.com user (so you donât have to log in every time, for example), while others are set whenever you visit one of our websites, irrespective of whether you have an account.
For more information on the choices you have about the cookies we use, please see the Controlling Cookies section below.
Where we place cookies
We set cookies in a number of different locations across our services. These include:
- On our websites.
- In the administrative dashboards of our websites.
- In the emails we send.
Types of Cookie
The table below explains the types of cookies we use on our websites and why we use them.
| Category of cookies | Why we use these cookies |
| Strictly Necessary | These cookies are essential for websites on our services to perform their basic functions. These include those required to allow registered users to authenticate and perform account related functions, as well as to save the contents of virtual âcartsâ on sites that have an ecommerce functionality. |
| Functionality | These cookies are used to store preferences set by users such as account name, language, and location. |
| Security | We use these cookies to help identify and prevent potential security risks. |
| Analytics and Performance | Performance cookies collect information on how users interact with our websites, including what pages are visited most, as well as other analytical data. We use these details to improve how our websites function and to understand how users interact with them. |
| Advertising | These cookies are used to display relevant advertising to visitors who use our services or visit websites we host or provide, as well as to understand and report on the efficacy of ads served on our websites. They track details such as the number of unique visitors, the number of times particular ads have been displayed, and the number of clicks the ads have received. They are also used to build user profiles, including showing you ads based on products youâve viewed or acts you have taken on our (and other) websites. These are set by Automattic and trusted third party networks, and are generally persistent in nature. |
| Third Party / Embedded Content | These include social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter (through the use of sharing buttons), or embedded content from Youtube and Vimeo. As a result, cookies may be set by these third parties, and used by them to track your online activity. We have no direct control over the information that is collected by these cookies. |
User Sites
In addition to the cookies set on our own sites, we utilize cookies for our Site Stats feature. This tallies the unique numbers of visitors to a site, as well as the number from specific geographic locations. A visitor is counted when we see a user or browser for the first time in a given period.
Examples
Below are examples of the cookies set by Automattic, with explanations of their purpose. Some of these cookies are set across our whole network, whereas some are specific to individual services. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, but rather aims to be representative. Information about cookies that may be set by third parties, such as our ads partners, is below.
Strictly Necessary
| Cookie | Purpose |
| country_code | Used in order to determine whether or not the cookie banner should be shown. Set immediately on page load and retained for 6 hours to remember the visitorâs country. |
| sensitive_pixel_option | Remembers the state of visitor acceptance to the cookie banner. Only set when the visitor clicks Accept. |
| twostep_auth | Set when the user is logged in using two factor authentication. |
| wordpress_test_cookie | Checks if cookies are enabled to provide appropriate user experience. |
| Cookie Name | Purpose |
| eucookielaw | Remembers the state of visitor acceptance to the EU Cookie Law banner. |
Please note that this section is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather aims to be representative, and that our users may set additional cookies (such as Google Analytics), depending on the features they have chosen to enable or the plugins they have installed.
Controlling Cookies
Visitors may wish to restrict the use of cookies or completely prevent them from being set. Most browsers provide for ways to control cookie behavior such as the length of time they are stored â either through built-in functionality or by utilizing third party plugins. If you disable cookies, please be aware that some of the features of our service may not function correctly.
To find out more on how to manage and delete cookies, visit aboutcookies.org. For more details on your choices regarding use of your web browsing activity for interest-based advertising you may visit the following sites:
- networkadvertising.org
- optout.aboutads.info
- youradchoices.com
- youronlinechoices.eu
On a mobile device, you may also be to adjust your settings to limit ad tracking.
You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing <Googleâs opt-out browser add-on.>
Our Internal Analytics Tool
In order to better understand how our services are used, we monitor certain user activities that take place within our products, including page views and clicks on any links used when managing a site via our dashboards.
We call each one of these actions an âevent.â Analytics events are attached to your account and are handled via a first party system that Automattic owns and maintains. In general, we record the following data for each event: IP address, user ID and username, user agent, referring URL, timestamp of event, browser language, and country code.
We use this information to improve our products, make our marketing to you more relevant, personalize your experience, and for the other purposes described in our Privacy Policy.
You may opt out of our analytics program through your user settings. By doing so, you wonât share information with our analytics tool about events or actions that happen after the opt-out, while logged in to your account. Note that opting out does not disable the functionality of the actions we track â for example, if you publish a post, we will still have record of that (donât worry!), but for an event or action after you opt out, we will not have other data associated with that action or event in the analytics tool.
Consent for Advertising Cookies on Our Sites
You may see a âcookie bannerâ on our websites and dashboards. If you are visiting one of our usersâ sites from the EU, then we do not set, or allow our ad partners to set, cookies that are used to show you targeted ads before you click to accept. When you consent in this manner, we and our advertising partners may set advertising cookies on the site you are visiting and on other of our websites, dashboards, and services. Weâll display the banner to you periodically, just in case you change your mind.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about our use of cookies, you can find the most relevant contact details in our Privacy Policy.