St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM) uses cookies and similar technologies to help provide, protect, and improve the SMCM web experience. This policy explains how and why we use these technologies and the choices you have.
A cookie is a small data file that is transferred to your device (e.g. your phone or your computer). For example, a cookie could allow us to recognize your browser, while another could store your preferences. There are two types of cookies used on the SMCM websites: (1) “session cookies” and (2) “persistent cookies.” Session cookies normally expire when you close your browser, while persistent cookies remain on your device after you close your browser, and can be used again the next time you access the SMCM websites.
We also use other technologies with similar functionality to cookies, such as web beacons, pixels, mobile identifiers, and tracking URLs, to obtain Log Data (as described in the Privacy Policy). For example, our email messages may contain web beacons and tracking URLs to determine whether you have opened a certain message or accessed a certain link.
Why SMCM Uses These Technologies
We use these technologies for a number of purposes, such as:
- To enable, facilitate and streamline the functioning of and your access to the SMCM websites.
- To better understand how you navigate through and interact with the SMCM websites and to improve the SMCM websites.
- To serve you tailored advertising (such as on the SMCM website, emails and on third party websites).
- To show you content that is more relevant to you.
- To monitor and analyze the performance, operation, and effectiveness of the SMCM websites and advertisements.
- For fraud detection and prevention, trust and safety, and investigations.
- For purposes of our own customer support, analytics, research, product development, and regulatory compliance.
Cookies
When you visit our websites we place cookies on your computer. Cookies are small text files that websites send to your computer or other Internet-connected device to uniquely identify your browser or to store information or settings in your browser. Cookies allow us to recognize you when you return. They also help us provide a customized experience and can enable us to detect certain kinds of fraud.
In many cases you can manage cookie preferences and opt-out of having cookies and other data collection technologies used by adjusting the settings on your browser. All browsers are different so visit the “help” section of your browser to learn about cookie preferences and other privacy settings that may be available. Please note that if you choose to remove or reject cookies or clear local storage this could affect the features, availability, and functionality of our websites.
Pixel Tags and Web Beacons
Pixel tags and web beacons are tiny graphic images and small blocks of code placed on website pages, ads, or in our emails that allow us to determine whether you performed a specific action. When you access these pages, or when you open an email, the pixel tags and web beacons let us know you have accessed the web page or opened the email. These tools help us measure response to our communications and improve our web pages and promotions.
Server Logs and Other Technologies
We collect many different types of information from server logs and other technologies. For example, we collect information about the device you use to access our websites, your operating system type, browser type, domain, and other system settings, as well as the language your system uses and the country and time zone where your device is located. Our server logs also record the IP address of the device you use to connect to the Internet. An IP address is a unique identifier that devices require to identify and communicate with each other on the Internet. We may also collect information about the website you were visiting before you came to our websites and the website you visit after you leave our sites. These tools help us improve user experience and deliver our services.
Device Information
We may use device-related information to authenticate users. For example, we may use your IP address, browser information, or other data provided by your browser or device to identify the device being used to access our platform. We may also use these device-related techniques for associating you with different devices that you may use to access our content including for fraud-protection purposes and to better target advertising.
Third Parties
We may also allow certain business partners to place these technologies on the SMCM websites. These partners use these technologies to (1) help us analyze how you use the SMCM websites, such as by noting the third party services from which you arrived, (2) market and advertise SMCM to you on the SMCM websites and third party websites, (3) help us detect or prevent fraud or conduct risk assessments, or (4) collect information about your activities on the SMCM websites, other sites, and/or the ads you have clicked on. For example, to help us better understand how people use the SMCM websites, we work with a number of analytics partners, including Google Analytics. To prevent Google Analytics from using your information for analytics, you may install the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser by clicking here.
Third parties may also use such tracking technologies to serve ads that they believe are most likely to be of interest to you and measure the effectiveness of their ads both on the SMCM websites and on other websites and online services. Targeting and advertising cookies we use may include Google, and other advertising networks and services we use from time to time. For more information about targeting and advertising cookies and how you can opt out, you can visit the Network Advertising Initiative’s opt-out page, the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out page, or http://youronlinechoices.eu. To opt out of Google Analytics for display advertising or customize Google display network ads, you can visit the Google Ads Settings page. To the extent advertising technology is integrated into the SMCM websites and you opt-out of tailored advertising, you may still receive advertising content. In that case, the advertising content will just not be tailored to your interests. Also, we do not control any of these opt-out links and are not responsible for the availability or accuracy of these mechanisms.
Third Party Social Plugins
The SMCM websites may use social plugins provided and operated by third parties, such as Facebook’s Like Button. As a result of this, you may send to the third party the information that you are viewing on a certain part of the SMCM websites. If you are not logged in to your account with the third party, then the third party may not know your identity. If you are logged in to your account with the third party, then the third party may be able to link information or actions about your interactions with the SMCM websites to your account with them. Please refer to the third party’s privacy policies to learn more about its data practices.
Your Choices
Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can modify your browser setting to decline cookies by visiting the Help portion of your browser’s toolbar.
Your mobile device may allow you to control cookies through its settings function. Refer to your device manufacturer’s instructions for more information.
If you choose to decline cookies, some parts of the SMCM websites may not work as intended or may not work at all.