An overview of how we collect and use information.
At The Merrion Centre we collect different types of information about our users for the following main reasons:
- To provide an interactive web site where email is used to communicate with our users.
- To provide a security mechanism whereby we can restrict content to certain groups of users.
- To help us to improve the service we offer.
Use of anonymous information
This website automatically gathers anonymous information to monitor the use of the website like the numbers and frequency of visitors to it’s areas. This collective data helps us determine how much our users visit different parts of the site. This means we can improve the Merrion Centre website to ensure that it is as appealing as we can make it and as easy to use for as many users as possible. The Merrion Centre may publish or provide this aggregate data to other people.
Use of Cookies and IP Addresses
To enable us to monitor and improve the Website, we gather and record on our servers certain information about all users who visit the Website, including without limitation, details of the operating system, browser version, internet service provider, domain name and IP address of the user, the URL which a user has come from, the parts of our Website visited and the date and length of each visit (“collected information”).
We use certain cookies (small files containing information about you which are stored on your hard drive by our browser) to monitor your use of the Website. We use the following cookies on our website:
| Cookie Name | Typical Content | Expires | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google utma Analytic | Randomly generated number | Two years | This cookie is used to identify unique visitors to our sites. The results are sent to our Google Analytics account so that we may see how many unique visitors come to this site based over a period of time. |
| Google utmb Analytic | Randomly generated number | 30mins | This cookie is used by Google Analytics to determine the visitor session times on our sites. Each time you visit a new page on the site the cookie is set to expire within 30 minutes, if it does not find an existing cookie, a new one is created. |
| Google utmc Analytic | Randomly generated number | When you exit your browser | This cookie is used by Google Analytics in conjunction with _utmb to determine visitor sessions. Unlike _utmb this cookie does not have an expiry date, it determines whether a new session should be created based on whether you have previously closed your browser, re-opened it and come back to the site. |
| Google utmz Analytic | Randomly generated number | Six months | This cookie is used by Google Analytics to determine the type of referral used by each visitor to arrive at our site. The cookie determines if the user has come directly to the site or via a search engine, email or email campaign. We use this data to understand how our users arrive at the website. |
Most web browsers allow some control of most cookies through the use of browser settings. If you want to find out more information about cookies including how to control what cookies are put on your computer and how to delete them then please click here.
If you would like to opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics then click here.
Our Principles
We are absolutely committed to protecting your privacy. Our policy can be summarised in one sentence: we will not share your information with others without your consent.
We have established the following two principles:
- We will respect your email privacy. You will only receive email from The Merrion Centre in relation to areas you have expressly signed up for.
- We will not share any individual user details (including your email address) to any third party without your consent.
What information do we collect?
We collect information on our users through registration.
The minimum information we need to register a user is your email address.
Who will have access to your information?
You have control over who is able to access specific items of information. Your information will not be visible to anyone else using the site. You can unsubscribe directly through any communication (emails) we send you.
What else you should know about privacy
Remember to close your browser when you have finished your user session. This is to ensure that others cannot access your personal information and correspondence if you share a computer with someone else or are using a computer in a public place like a library or Internet cafe. You as an individual are responsible for the security of, and access to, your own computer.
Please be aware that whenever you voluntarily disclose personal information over the Internet that this information can be collected and used by others. In short, if you post personal information in publicly accessible online forums, you may receive unsolicited messages from other parties in return. Ultimately, you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your usernames and passwords and any account information. Please be careful and responsible whenever you are using the Internet.
Our pages may contain links to other websites, and you should be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices on other websites.
Any Questions?
If you have any further questions regarding your privacy please contact us.