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What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device by websites you visit. They are widely used to make websites work, improve performance, and provide information to site owners.
How we use cookies
We aim to keep cookies to a minimum. Where used, cookies help us understand site usage and improve performance. Some third-party services (like OpenWeatherMap APIs, Google Analytics, or content delivery networks) may also set cookies that are essential for their features to work.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand how our COPD support community uses our website. This helps us improve our resources and support services. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information about:
- How many people visit our COPD support website
- Which pages are most popular with our community
- How users navigate through our COPD resources
- Which devices and browsers our community uses
- Geographic location of our COPD support community
This information is collected anonymously and helps us understand how to better serve our COPD community. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Types of cookies we may use
- Strictly necessary: Required for core functionality and security. These cannot be switched off in our systems.
- Performance/analytics: Help us count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve site performance. This includes Google Analytics cookies (_ga, _ga_*, _gid) that help us understand our COPD community's usage patterns.
- Functionality: Enable enhanced functionality and personalisation, such as remembering preferences.
Air Quality Widget and Local Storage
Our air quality widget uses browser local storage (not traditional cookies) to improve your experience:
- Location Permission Storage: Stores your location permission preference to avoid repeated permission requests.
- Location Data Cache: Temporarily stores your approximate location and air quality data for up to 30 minutes to provide faster loading.
- Widget Preferences: Remembers your air quality widget settings and preferences.
- Third-Party API Cookies: OpenWeatherMap and IQAir APIs may set their own cookies when fetching air quality data.
Note: Local storage data is stored only on your device and is not transmitted to our servers. You can clear this data through your browser's developer tools or settings.
Managing cookies
You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. To learn more, visit AboutCookies.org or your browser’s help pages. If you block some cookies, parts of the site may not function properly.
Third-party cookies
Some content and features on our website rely on third-party services. These services may set their own cookies. We recommend reviewing the privacy and cookies policies of those providers (e.g., OpenWeatherMap) for details.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Cookies Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last updated” date.