Confidentiality policy

1. WHAT IS A COOKIE?

1.1 Definition

A cookie is a small text file designed to be stored in a dedicated space on the hard disk of your device (the hardware - computer, tablet, smartphone, etc. - you use to browse or display a website, app or advertising content) when you use a browser to access an online service.
A cookie allows its sender to identify the device on which it is saved throughout the period during which the cookie is valid or stored. 
Cookies are therefore data used by a web server to send stateful information to a user’s browser, and to send stateful information back from the browser to the originating server. Stateful information may include, for example, a session identifier, language, expiry date, response domain, etc.

1.2 Legal framework

Clause 32 of the French data protection act (loi informatique et liberté) pursuant to the transposition into French law of the first Telecoms Package by law 2004-669 of 9 July 2004 governing electronic communications and audiovisual communication services requires that all users are informed clearly and comprehensively of the purpose of each type of cookie and the options available for blocking their installation.

2. WHICH TYPES OF COOKIE DO WE USE?

We use four main types of cookie, whose purposes are described below. 

2.1 Analytics cookies

These are cookies that allow us to analyse the use and performance of our website, compile statistics, measure the volume of hits and usage for various components of our website (content visited, browser pathway, etc.), which helps us to improve the relevance and user experience of our services (most visited pages and/or sections, most read articles, etc.) and store your browsing preference data (e.g. choice of language).
On our website, cookies are transferred by france.fr to your device for the purposes of browsing, optimising and personalising services offered by the website (these cookies are used mainly by our web analytics solutions).

2.2 Session cookies

These cookies are deleted as soon as the user leaves the website.

2.3 Persistent cookies

These cookies remain on the user's device until they expire or are deleted by the user via the browser.

Express agreement to the installation of persistent, analytics or session cookies is not obligatory, because the data generated are used for statistical purposes, and clear information is provided here regarding the nature, type and use of cookies.

2.4 Tracking cookies

These cookies provide user traceability and raw hit data for a given identifier (e.g. IP address). These data are retained for a maximum of six (6) months from first installation, and it is not possible for this period to be extended by repeat visits. After this deadline, these data are deleted and/or anonymised.

Express agreement to the installation of tracking cookies is not obligatory, because we use a system that deletes and/or anonymises the data gathered after six (6) months.

The third-party cookie described below is not used by Atout France, and is referred to only for the purpose of providing you with complete information.

2.6 Third-party cookies

The transmission and use of cookies by third parties are subject to the cookie policies of these third parties. We inform you of the purpose of those cookies we are aware of and the resources available to you to make informed choices regarding these cookies. More particularly, it is likely that our website will contain applications produced by third parties which enable you to share our website content with other people, inform other people that you have viewed the website or give your opinion regarding the content of our website. This applies particularly to the ‘Share’, ‘Recommend’, ‘Tweet’ and similar buttons provided by social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+. The social media providing such app-based buttons may identify you through the use of this button, even if you have not used it while visiting our website. In practical terms, this type of app-based button can enable the social media channel concerned to track your browsing of our website simply because your social media account was active on your device (open session) at the time you browsed our website.

We have no control over the process used by social media to collect data relating to your browsing of our website and the associated personal data available to them.

We recommend that you refer to the privacy protection policies of these social media to find out more about the ultimate uses, especially advertising uses, made of browsing data gathered using these app-based buttons. These protection policies should allow you to make choices regarding these social media, particularly in terms of configuring your social media accounts accordingly. The third-party cookies transmitted by our website originate in applications integrated into our website, the most important of which are: Add this (Social media sharing): atuvc di2  dt  loc  uid  uit Google Analytics (Statistical measurements)  utma  utmb  utmc  utmz

3. HOW TO BLOCK/DELETE COOKIES

The storage of a cookie on a device is essentially subject to the permission of the device user, who may grant, deny or modify permission at any time free of charge. 

If, by using your browser software, you have accepted that cookies will be saved on your device, the cookies embedded in the pages and content you have viewed may be stored temporarily in a dedicated data storage space on your device. 

Here are the options available for you to accept/refuse or delete cookies originating from our website: 

The majority of browsers accept cookies by default. However, you may decide to block these cookies or configure your browser to warn you when a website tries to install a cookie on your device. 
To change the way in which cookies are managed by your browser, you can change the settings in the confidentiality tab. 
Each browser manages cookies in different ways, and the configuration options also differ. The process is described in the help menu of your browser, which will explain how to change the way cookies are managed: 

For Internet Explorer (External link)
For Safari (External link)
For Google Chrome (External link)
For Firefox (External link)
For Opera (External link)

Using a cookie management platform for sharing cookies and advertising cookies
 
You will find more information on behavioural advertising and online privacy protection here: http://www.youronlinechoices.com/fr/ (External link) , where you will also be able to see which registered companies offer you the option to reject or accept the cookies used by those companies in order to adapt the advertising likely to be displayed on your device in accordance with your browser data. 
Cookies stored as a result of using sharing buttons are also included on this platform. 

N.B. Application of the choices you make also relies on a cookie. If you delete all cookies stored on your device (via your browser), we or our service providers will not know that you have chosen this option.

4. MORE INFORMATION ABOUT COOKIES

On the website of the French data protection agency (CNIL): http://www.cnil.fr/vos-droits/vos-traces/les-cookies/ (External link)

The French Direct and Digital Marketing Union (UFMD) good practice guide
http://www.sri-france.org/documentation/documents-juridiques/guide-ufmd-de-bonnes-pratiques-concernant-lusage-des-cookies-publicitaires/ (External link)