V1.0 Last Updated 08/11/2018
When you visit the HBD website we and our service providers acting on our behalf automatically collect certain data using tracking technologies like cookies and web beacons. This notice describes what tracking technologies we use and what we use them for.
What’s a Cookie?
A cookie is a piece of data contained in a very small text file that is stored in your browser or elsewhere on your hard drive. Cookies allow HBD to identify your device as you navigate through our publicly-accessible website (the HBD Site) or our account portal. We also use them to recognize return visitors to the HBD Site. This helps make navigating and interacting with the HBD Site and our account portal more efficient, easy and meaningful.
By themselves, cookies do not identify you specifically. Rather, they recognize your web browser. So, unless you identify yourself specifically to HBD like signing into the account portal, we don’t know who you are just because you visited the HBD Site.
HBD uses both session and persistent cookies. Session cookies are cookies that disappear from your computer or browser when you turn off your computer. Persistent cookies stay on your computer even after you’ve turned it off.
You can turn off your web browser’s ability to accept cookies. But, if you do that, certain parts of the HBD Site or account portal may not work for you.
| Cookie Type | Description | Management Settings |
| Required cookies | Required 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 HBD 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 cookies | Functionality cookies allow the HBD 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 HBD’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 HBD Account. | To manage privacy and storage settings for Flash cookies, click here. | |
| Performance cookies | These cookies collect data about how visitors use the HBD 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 HBD 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 may use web beacons along with cookies to gather data about use of the HBD Site and account portal and interaction with emails from HBD. Web beacons are clear electronic images that can recognize 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 HBD Site or one of its pages. We may use web beacons to operate and improve the HBD Site and email communications.
What We Do With IP Addresses
When you visit the HBD Site, account portal, we may 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 may use IP addresses to track which regions visitors to our HBD 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 HBD should interpret Do Not Track signals. Therefore, HBD does not currently commit to respond to DNT signals, whether that signal is received on a computer or on a mobile device. HBD 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.
How you contact us
You may contact the Data Protection by Email at Patientservices@healthbridgedirect.co.uk
or, you may write to us at the address listed below.
Healthbridge Direct Limited
The Vintry, Redbridge Lane East, Ilford, United Kingdom, IG4 5EY