Last Updated May 2023 When you visit the CHEC website we and our service providers acting on our behalf automatically collect certain data using tracking technologies called cookies and web beacons to ensure our website operates perfectly. We do this by collecting data from users to personalise your visit to our website. Cookies are NOT viruses, trojan or malware. We cannot access your personal files on your computer or device. We wish to be as transparent as possible for our users and this notice describes what tracking technologies we use and what we use them for. What’s a Cookie? A cookie is a small piece of data stored as a text file in your browser or in your browser’s storage on your hard drive. Cookies allow CHEC to recognise your device as you navigate through our publicly accessible website (the CHEC Site) or our account portal. We also use them to recognise return visitors to the CHEC Site, helping make navigation and interaction more efficient, easy, and meaningful. Cookies do not specifically identify you. Instead, they recognise your web browser. Unless you sign into the account portal or otherwise identify yourself to CHEC, we don’t know who you are just because you visited the CHEC Site. CHEC uses both session and persistent cookies. Session cookies disappear from your computer or browser when you close it, while persistent cookies remain for longer – even after you turn off your computer. You can turn off your web browser’s ability to accept cookies. However, doing so may impact certain features, like personalized settings, on the CHEC Site or account portal. Cookie TypeDescriptionManagement SettingsRequired cookiesRequired cookies make it possible for you to access our account portal, navigate within the portal, and access information related to your account.Each time you log into the account portal, a cookie containing an encrypted, unique identifier that is tied to your account is placed on your browser. These cookies allow CHEC to uniquely identify you when you are logged into the account portal and to process your online transactions and requests.Required cookies are necessary to operate the account portal, so you can’t opt out of them.Functionality cookiesFunctionality cookies allow the CHEC Site and account portal to remember information you have entered or preferences you select, and provide enhanced, more personal features. These cookies allow you to optimize your use of CHEC’s account portal after logging in. These cookies can also be used to remember changes you have made to text size, fonts and other parts of web pages that you can customize.You can use your browser settings to opt out of functionality cookies. For more information on how to do that, click here. Note that opting out may affect the functionality of our Site or account portal for you.We may use Flash cookies to store preferences you set inside your CHEC Account.To manage privacy and storage settings for Flash cookies, click here.Performance cookiesThese cookies collect data about how visitors use the CHEC Site. This includes data like which pages visitors go to the most. These cookies don’t collect information that individually identifies visitors. The data these cookies collect is aggregated and intended to be anonymous and used to improve how the site functions and performs.You can use your browser settings to opt out of performance cookies. For more information on how to do that, click here. We may also have third party service providers help us track and analyse usage and volume statistical information from individuals who visit our Site. Or, we may use Flash cookies for this. Flash cookies are different from browser cookies because of the amount of, type of, and how data is stored.To manage privacy and storage settings for Flash cookies, click here.Third party service providers that currently place performance cookies include:Google Analytics – We use Google Analytics to help analyse which pages on the CHEC Site visitors to the site viewed.For information on how to opt-out of tracking technologies from Google Analytics, click here.The above list of third party service providers that place cookies is subject to change and list may not include all such providers at any given time. What’s a Web Beacon? We use web beacons along with cookies to gather data about use of the CHEC Site and account portal and interaction with emails from CHEC. Web beacons are clear electronic images that can recognise certain types of data on your computer, like cookies, when you viewed a particular website tied to the web beacon, and a description of a website tied to the web beacon. For example, we may put web beacons in marketing emails that notify us when you click on a link in the email that directs you to the CHEC Site or one of its pages. We use web beacons to operate and improve the CHEC Site and email communications. What We Do With IP Addresses When you visit the CHEC Site, account portal, or use our products and services, like our APIs, we collect your IP addresses to track and analyse information about the devices that are connecting to our systems and about where those devices are located. For example, we use IP addresses to track which regions visitors to our CHEC Site or Customers logging into our account portal come from and to detect possible fraud. How We Treat Do Not Track Signals Various browsers allow a “do not track” (DNT) setting that relies on a technology known as a DNT header, which sends a signal to websites visited by the individual about the individual’s browser DNT setting. At this time, there is no general agreement on how companies like CHEC should interpret Do Not Track signals. Therefore, CHEC does not currently commit to respond to DNT signals, whether that signal is received on a computer or on a mobile device. CHEC does, however provide meaningful choices to you about the information that is collected through cookies and web beacons through the various opt-out options set forth above. We will continue to monitor developments around DNT browser technology and the implementation of a standard. Managing cookies You can manage and remove any cookies for your personalised preference, by going to your browser settings and making the necessary changes. Please kindly note that this may prevent you from using parts of our website. The following links go to the relevant help sections for the major web browsers and explain how to manage your cookies: Chromehttps://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95647&p=cpn_cookies Safari iOShttp://support.apple.com/kb/HT1677 Edgehttps://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/delete-cookies-in-microsoft-edge-63947406-40ac-c3b8-57b9-2a946a29ae09 Firefoxhttp://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Cookies?s=cookies&r=0&e=es&as=s Androidhttps://support.google.com/accounts/answer/61416?oco=1&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid How you contact us You may contact the Data Protection Team by Email at dpo@chec.ukor, you may write to us at the address listed below: Community Health and Eye Care Limited1-6 Star Building,Oliver’s Place,Fulwood,Preston,PR2 9WT