Cookies Policy

– IES (informationexchangestandard.org)

1. Introduction

The Information Exchange Standard (IES) aims to provide digital services that are accessible, useful, and easy to use. To help us achieve this, small data files known as cookies are placed on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile phone) when you visit our website.

Cookies help us to:

• • Recognise your device so you don’t have to re-enter information multiple times.
  • Measure how users interact with our website, so we can continue to improve it.

2. Use of Cookies on This Website

The IES website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience and understand how the site is used.

We also use Google Analytics to collect anonymous usage data, helping us make improvements. We do not allow Google to use or share our analytics data for advertising or commercial profiling.

To learn more about cookies and how to manage them, visit www.aboutcookies.org.uk.

3. Google Analytics Cookies

The following cookies are used to help us analyse visitor behaviour:

Name	Expires	Purpose
_ga	2 years	Distinguishes users
_gid	24 hours	Distinguishes users
_gat	1 minute	Throttles request rate to Google Analytics
_collect	Session	Sends data to Google Analytics about the visitor’s device and behaviour

For more details on Google Analytics cookies, visit the Google Developer website.

4. Internal Cookies

These cookies help improve your experience on our website by remembering your preferences and login details.

Name	Expires	Purpose
sessionid	2 weeks	Maintains session ID
hide_cookie_notice	30 days	Hides the cookie notice after you accept it
django_language	1 year	Remembers your language choice
csrftoken	1 year	Prevents Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks
cookies_preferences_set	1 year	Saves your cookie preferences for future visits
cookies_policy	1 year	Saves your cookie preferences for future visits

5. Third-Party Cookies

We may use third-party services, such as YouTube for embedded videos. These services may place cookies on your device.

Name

Expires

Purpose

Name	Expires	Purpose
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE	6 months	Measures internet connection speed for YouTube videos
GPS	30 minutes	Used for YouTube’s location tracking on mobile devices
YSC	Session	Used when watching embedded YouTube videos
PREF	2 years	Remembers YouTube preferences

If you do not want to accept third-party cookies, you can disable them in your browser settings.

6. Managing Cookies

You can control and delete cookies as you wish:

• • Most web browsers allow you to block or delete cookies.
  • You can adjust your cookie preferences in your browser settings.
  • Visit www.aboutcookies.org.uk for guidance on managing cookies.

If you disable cookies, some parts of our website may not function properly.

7. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in how we use cookies. Please review this page regularly for any updates.

For any questions, contact us at IES@businessandtrade.gov.uk.