COOKIE POLICY
ArthOny™ Media Cookie Policy
1. Introduction
1.1 What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, smartphone, tablet) when you visit a website. Cookies allow the website to recognise your device, remember your preferences, and improve your browsing experience.amtivo+2
Cookies can be set by the website you are visiting (first‑party cookies) or by third parties such as analytics providers, advertisers, or social media platforms (third‑party cookies).
1.2 Similar technologies
In addition to cookies, we also use similar tracking technologies, including:mayerbrown+2
- Web beacons (pixels): Small invisible images embedded in web pages or emails that track page views, email opens, and user behaviour
- Local storage: Browser‑based storage (e.g., HTML5 localStorage) that stores data on your device
- Session storage: Temporary storage that expires when you close your browser
- Device fingerprinting: Techniques that collect device and browser characteristics to create a unique identifier
For simplicity, this Cookie Policy refers to all these technologies collectively as “cookies” unless otherwise specified.
1.3 Why we use cookies
We use cookies to:
- Provide essential Site functionality (e.g., authentication, security, shopping cart)
- Remember your preferences and settings
- Analyse how visitors use the Site and improve performance
- Personalise content and recommendations
- Deliver relevant advertising and measure campaign effectiveness
- Enable social media features and integration
2. Legal Basis for Using Cookies
2.1 UK law: PECR and UK GDPR
The use of cookies and similar technologies in the UK is governed by:
- Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (PECR) as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
Under PECR, we must obtain your explicit consent before placing cookies on your device, unless the cookie is:
- Strictly necessary to provide a service you have requested (e.g., authentication, security, load balancing), or
- Used for communications purposes (e.g., to transmit data over a network)
Non‑essential cookies (such as analytics, advertising, and personalisation cookies) require your informed, specific, and freely given consent before being placed.
2.2 Recent legal changes (2025–2026)
The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, which came into force on 5 February 2026, has introduced some easing of cookie consent requirements and significantly increased penalties for non‑compliance:
- Increased fines: Maximum PECR fines have increased from £500,000 to £17.5 million or 4% of annual global turnover (whichever is higher), bringing PECR penalties in line with UK GDPR
- Clarifications on exemptions: The Act provides clearer guidance on when cookies may be considered “strictly necessary”
- ICO enforcement focus: The ICO has stated its intent to clamp down on cookie non‑compliance, including audits of the top 1000 UK websites
2.3 Our approach to consent
We take cookie compliance seriously. We:
- Display a cookie banner when you first visit the Site
- Clearly explain what cookies we use and why
- Allow you to accept, reject, or customise your cookie preferences
- Do not place non‑essential cookies until you have given consent
- Honour your preferences across all pages of the Site
- Provide an easy way to change your preferences at any time
3. Types of Cookies We Use
We categorise cookies into the following groups based on their purpose and legal basis:amtivo+2
3.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies
Purpose: These cookies are essential for providing the core functionality of the Site and enabling you to use its features. Without these cookies, the Site cannot function properly.
Legal basis: PECR exemption—no consent required (these cookies are strictly necessary to provide a service you have requested)
Examples:
- Authentication: Remembering that you are logged in to your account
- Security: Protecting against Cross‑Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks, detecting fraudulent activity
- Load balancing: Distributing traffic across servers to ensure Site stability
- Session management: Maintaining your shopping cart or course progress during your visit
- Cookie consent: Storing your cookie preferences so we don’t ask you again on every page
Cookies in this category (examples):
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
session_id | Maintains your session while you browse the Site | Session (expires when you close the browser) |
csrf_token | Protects against CSRF attacks | Session |
cookie_consent | Stores your cookie consent preferences | 12 months |
lb_token | Load balancing and server routing | Session |
Third parties: None (first‑party cookies only)
3.2 Functional Cookies
Purpose: These cookies enhance Site functionality and personalisation by remembering your preferences, settings, and choices.
Legal basis: Consent required (Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR and PECR)
Examples:
- Remembering your language or regional preferences
- Remembering your username or display name (if you choose)
- Storing your layout or display preferences (e.g., grid vs list view)
- Remembering items you have added to wishlists or favourites
Cookies in this category (examples):
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
user_language | Remembers your language preference | 12 months |
layout_pref | Stores your preferred layout (grid/list) | 6 months |
theme | Remembers light/dark mode preference | 12 months |
Third parties: None (first‑party cookies only)
3.3 Analytics and Performance Cookies
Purpose: These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with the Site by collecting anonymised or aggregated information about page views, traffic sources, bounce rates, and user journeys. We use this data to improve the Site’s performance, content, and user experience.
Legal basis: Consent required (Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR and PECR)
Examples:
- Tracking which pages are most popular
- Identifying technical errors or slow‑loading pages
- Understanding which traffic sources (e.g., search engines, social media) bring visitors to the Site
- Measuring the effectiveness of content and layout changes
Cookies in this category (examples):
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
_ga, _gid, _gat | Google Analytics | Tracks anonymous usage statistics and page views | _ga: 2 years _gid: 24 hours; _gat: 1 minute |
_hjid, _hjSessionUser_* | Hotjar | Records user behaviour (heatmaps, session replays) for UX analysis | 12 months |
Third parties: Google LLC, Hotjar Ltd
Opt‑out: You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt‑out Browser Add‑on or by rejecting analytics cookies in our cookie banner.
3.4 Advertising and Targeting Cookies
Purpose: These cookies are used to deliver personalised advertisements, measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, and limit the number of times you see an ad. They may track your browsing activity across multiple websites to build a profile of your interests.
Legal basis: Consent required (Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR and PECR)
Examples:
- Displaying ads relevant to your interests based on your browsing history
- Measuring how many people clicked on an ad or made a purchase after seeing an ad
- Preventing the same ad from being shown to you repeatedly (frequency capping)
- Attributing conversions and sales to specific advertising campaigns
Cookies in this category (examples):
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
_fbp, fr | Meta (Facebook) | Delivers targeted ads and measures ad performance on Facebook and Instagram | 3 months (_fbp); Session (fr) |
IDE, test_cookie | Google (DoubleClick) | Serves personalised ads via Google Ad Network | 13 months |
_gcl_au | Google AdSense | Measures ad conversion and attribution | 3 months |
Third parties: Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook), Google LLC, and other advertising networks
Opt‑out: You can opt out of personalised advertising by:
- Rejecting advertising cookies in our cookie banner
- Adjusting your ad preferences on Google Ads Settings and Facebook Ad Preferences
- Using browser extensions that block third‑party tracking (e.g., Privacy Badger, uBlock Origin)
- Enabling “Do Not Track” in your browser settings (note: not all advertisers honour this signal)
3.5 Social Media Cookies
Purpose: These cookies enable social media features such as sharing content, liking posts, or embedding social media feeds. They also allow social media platforms to track your activity across the web for advertising and analytics purposes.
Legal basis: Consent required (Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR and PECR)
Examples:
- Enabling “Share on Facebook” or “Tweet this” buttons
- Displaying embedded social media posts or feeds
- Allowing you to log in using your social media account
Cookies in this category (examples):
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various | Facebook, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube | Enable social sharing, embeds, and login; track activity for advertising | Varies (typically from a session to 2 years) |
Third parties: Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Google (YouTube)
Note: When you interact with social media features (e.g., clicking “Share”), the social media platform may place its own cookies and collect data about your activity, subject to that platform’s privacy policy.
4. How We Obtain Your Consent
4.1 Cookie banner
When you first visit our Site, a cookie banner (also called a “cookie consent manager” or “cookie notice”) will appear.
The banner will:
- Explain that we use cookies and similar technologies
- Provide a brief summary of cookie categories and their purposes
- Offer clear choices: “Accept All”, “Reject All”, or “Customise” (to select specific categories)
- Include a link to this full Cookie Policy for detailed information
Important: Non‑essential cookies (functional, analytics, advertising, social media) will not be placed until you have given your consent by clicking “Accept All” or by selecting specific categories and clicking “Save Preferences”.
Strictly necessary cookies may be placed immediately, as they are exempt from the consent requirement.
4.2 Customising your preferences
You can customise which types of cookies you allow by clicking “Customise” or “Cookie Settings” in the banner. This will display a detailed consent manager where you can:
- View descriptions of each cookie category
- Toggle categories on or off (except strictly necessary cookies, which are always enabled)
- Save your preferences
Your preferences will be stored in a cookie (e.g., cookie_consent) so we remember your choices on future visits.
4.3 Changing your preferences later
You can change your cookie preferences at any time by:
- Clicking the “Cookie Settings” link in the footer of the Site
- Visiting https://arthony.org/cookie-settings
- Clearing your cookies via your browser settings (see Section 5 below)
If you withdraw consent for certain cookies, those cookies will be deleted or will no longer be refreshed, but any data already collected may be retained in accordance with our Privacy Policy retention periods.
5. How to Manage or Block Cookies in Your Browser
You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:
- View and delete cookies already stored on your device
- Block all cookies from being placed (not recommended, as it may break Site functionality)
- Block third‑party cookies while allowing first‑party cookies
- Set preferences per‑site (allow cookies from some sites, block from others)
- Enable “Do Not Track” requests (though not all websites honour this)
Important: If you block or delete strictly necessary cookies, some features of the Site (such as logging in, maintaining your shopping cart, or saving preferences) may not work properly.
5.1 Browser‑specific instructions
Below are links to cookie management guides for popular browsers:
- Google Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647
- Mozilla Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/cookies-information-websites-store-on-your-computer
- Microsoft Edge: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/delete-cookies-in-microsoft-edge-63947406-40ac-c3b8-57b9-2a946a29ae09
- Safari (macOS): https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/manage-cookies-sfri11471/mac
- Safari (iOS): https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201265
5.2 Opt‑out tools and browser extensions
You can also use third‑party opt‑out tools and privacy extensions to manage tracking:mayerbrown+1
- Google Analytics Opt‑out Add‑on: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
- Your Online Choices (EU): https://www.youronlinechoices.com/
- Privacy Badger (EFF): https://privacybadger.org/
- uBlock Origin: https://ublockorigin.com/
6. Cookie Lifespan and Retention
Cookies have different lifespans:
6.1 Session cookies
Session cookies are temporary and are deleted automatically when you close your browser. They are typically used for essential functions like authentication and session management.
Example: session_id, csrf_token
6.2 Persistent cookies
Persistent cookies remain on your device for a set period of time (specified by the cookie’s expiry date) or until you manually delete them. They are used for functions like remembering your preferences and tracking long‑term analytics.
Example: _ga (Google Analytics, 2 years), cookie_consent (12 months)
6.3 Maximum retention
In line with ICO guidance and PECR, we limit the lifespan of non‑essential cookies to a maximum of 13 months, after which they expire or must be refreshed (requiring fresh consent).
7. Do Not Track (DNT) Signals
Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (DNT) feature that sends a signal to websites requesting that your browsing activity not be tracked.mayerbrown+1
Our response to DNT:
At present, there is no universally accepted standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals. We honour your cookie preferences as set via our cookie banner, but we do not automatically respond to browser DNT signals.
If you enable DNT in your browser, we recommend also using our cookie banner to reject non‑essential cookies.
8. Updates to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in:amtivo+2
- The cookies we use
- Legal or regulatory requirements
- Our technology or business practices
When we make material changes, we will:
- Update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this document
- Notify you via the cookie banner or by a prominent notice on the Site
- Where required by law, obtain fresh consent for any new cookies or tracking technologies
We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically.
9. Contact Us
If you have questions or concerns about our use of cookies, or if you need assistance managing your cookie preferences, please contact us:
ArthOny Media
Email: privacy@arthony.org or mail@arthony.org
Website: https://arthony.org/
For complaints or regulatory enquiries, you may contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
- Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
- Helpline: 0303 123 1113
- Address: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, United Kingdom
By continuing to use the ArthOny Media website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Cookie Policy and consent to our use of cookies in accordance with your preferences as expressed via our cookie banner.
END OF COOKIE POLICY