Sections
- What are cookies?
- How we use cookies
- Where we place cookies
- Types of Cookie
- Examples
- Visitors to Sites with Jetpack installed
- Controlling Cookies
- Consent for Advertising Cookies on Our Sites
- Consent and Choices for Advertisements on Our Users’ Sites Through Our Ads Program
- Contact Us
What are cookies?
Cookies are small pieces of data, stored in text files, that are stored on your computer or other device when websites are loaded in a browser. They are widely used to “remember” you and your preferences, either for a single visit (through a “session cookie”) or for multiple repeat visits (using a “persistent cookie”). They ensure a consistent and efficient experience for visitors, and perform essential functions such as allowing users to register and remain logged in. Cookies may be set by the site that you are visiting (known as “first party cookies”), or by third parties, such as those who serve content or provide advertising or analytics services on the website (“third party cookies”).
Both websites and HTML emails may also contain other tracking technologies such as “web beacons” or “pixels.” These are typically small transparent images that provide us with statistics, for similar purposes as cookies. They are often used in conjunction with cookies, though they are not stored on your computer in the same way. As a result, if you disable cookies, web beacons may still load, but their functionality will be restricted.
How we use cookies
We use cookies for a number of different purposes. Some cookies are necessary for technical reasons; some enable a personalized experience for both visitors and registered users; and some allow the display of advertising from selected third party networks. Some of these cookies may be set when a page is loaded, or when a visitor takes a particular action (clicking the “like” or “follow” button, for example).
The cookies we use are set whenever you visit one of our websites, irrespective of whether you have an account.
For more information on the choices you have about the cookies we use, please see the Controlling Cookies section below.
Where we place cookies
We set cookies on our website www.mcpmediaservices.com
Types of Cookie
The table below explains the types of cookies we use on our websites and why we use them.
| Category of cookies | Why we use these cookies |
| Security | We use these cookies to help identify and prevent potential security risks. |
| Analytics and Performance | Performance cookies collect information on how users interact with our website, including what pages are visited, as well as other analytical data. We use these details to improve how our website functions and to understand how users interact with it |
| Advertising | These cookies are used to display relevant advertising to visitors who use our services or visit our website, as well as to understand and report on the efficacy of ads served on our website. They track details such as the number of unique visitors, the number of times particular ads have been displayed, and the number of clicks the ads have received. They are also used to build user profiles, including showing you ads based on products you’ve viewed or acts you have taken on our (and other) websites. These are set by MCP Media Services and trusted third party networks and are generally persistent in nature. |
| Third Party / Embedded Content | MCP Media Services website is hosted on WordPress.com. Sites hosted on WordPress.com make use of different third-party applications and services to enhance the experience of website visitors. These include social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter (through the use of sharing buttons), or embedded content from YouTube and Vimeo. As a result, cookies may be set by these third parties, and used by them to track your online activity. We have no direct control over the information that is collected by these cookies. |
Examples
Below are examples of the cookies set by Automattic (WordPress.com), with explanations of their purpose. Some of these cookies are set across our whole network, whereas some are specific to individual services (e.g. WordPress.com, Longreads, etc). Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, but rather aims to be representative. Information about cookies that may be set by third parties, such as our ads partners, is below. Additionally, we occasionally set referrer cookies on Jetpack connected sites, using WooCommerce.
In addition, people and companies that use our services to publish or host their own sites may place additional cookies. We provide more information on these cookies below.
Advertising
| Cookie | Purpose |
| ads | Tracks if a visitor has clicked an ad before. |
| lr_nw | Counts and tracks pageviews on Longreads.com. Used to determine whether or not to show our Membership popup message. |
| wordpress_eli | Reduces the display of ads for repeat visitors. |
Please also see the section below on third party advertisements that you may see on our sites or sites that use our services.
Analytics and Performance
| Cookie | Purpose |
| __pdvt | Used in log of Polldaddy survey data to aid in debugging customer problems |
| ab | Used for “AB testing” of new features. |
| nux_flow_name | Identifies which user signup flow was shown to the user. |
| tk_ni / tk_ai / tk_qs | Gathers information for our own, first party analytics tool about how our services are used. A collection of internal metrics for user activity, used to improve user experience. |
| tk_*r | Referral cookies used to analyse referrer behavior for Jetpack connected sites using WooCommerce. |
| wp-affiliate-tracker | Remembers the ID of the affiliate that referred the current user to WordPress.com |
| utma / utmb / utmc / utmt / utmz / ga / gat / gid | Google Analytics. Gathers information that helps us understand how visitors interact with our websites, which allow us to create a better experience for our visitors. Our users may also implement Google Analytics on their own websites. |
Functionality
| Cookie | Purpose |
| _longreads_prod_new | Authentication for Longreads.com Member accounts. Only active when logged in, on *.longreads.com domains. |
| akm_mobile | Stores whether a user has chosen to view the mobile version of a website. |
| botdlang | Used to track the language a user has selected to view popular blogs in. |
| landingpage_currency | Defines the currency displayed in WordPress.com landing pages. |
| pd_dashboard | Records last used folder in Polldaddy dashboard, so it can be reopened upon user’s next visit. |
| PD_USER_AUTH | Login cookie used to identify Polldaddy user. |
| wordpress_logged_in* | Checks whether or not the current visitor is a logged in WordPress.com user. |
| wp-settings-{user_id} | Persists a user’s wp-admin configuration. |
| wp_sharing_{id} | Tracks whether or not a user has already performed an action. |
Security
| Cookie | Purpose |
| csrftoken | Python/Ajax security cookie used on accounts.longreads.com. |
Strictly Necessary
| Cookie | Purpose |
| country_code | Used in order to determine whether or not the cookie banner should be shown. Set immediately on page load and retained for 6 hours to remember the visitor’s country. |
| sensitive_pixel_option | Remembers the state of visitor acceptance to the cookie banner. Only set when the visitor clicks Accept. |
| twostep_auth | Set when the user is logged in using two factor authentication. |
| wordpress_test_cookie | Checks if cookies are enabled to provide appropriate user experience. |
Advertisements from Third Parties Ads Program
MCP Media Services may also choose to place ads on our site through a third-party ads program. We may operate our ads program in partnership with third party vendors. As part of the operation of our ads program, we use cookies to collect certain information. Advertising cookies enable us and our partners to serve ads and to personalize those ads based on information like visits to our sites and other sites on the Internet.
Below is a representative list of our advertising program partners, along with information on the cookies that that each partner sets. The partners we work with change from time to time, and this is not an exhaustive list. Your choices to control cookies related to our ads program are described below.
| Partner | Cookie Info |
| Amazon | https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=footer_iba?ie=UTF8&nodeId=201909150 |
| Google (AdSense, DoubleClick Ad Exchange “AdX”) | https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads |
| https://www.facebook.com/privacy/explanation |
Visitors to Sites with Jetpack installed
Below are examples of the cookies set for visitors to sites with the Jetpack plugin installed. For more details on the cookies set for administrators, please see https://jetpack.com/support/cookies/.
Jetpack Comments
| Cookie Name | Purpose |
| comment_author_{HASH} | Remembers the value entered into the comment form‘s name field. Specific to the site from which it is set. This cookie mirrors one set by the core WordPress software for commenting purposes. |
| comment_author_email_{HASH} | Remembers the value entered into the comment form‘s email field. Specific to the site from which it is set. This cookie mirrors one set by the core WordPress software for commenting purposes. |
| comment_author_url_{HASH} | Remembers the value entered into the comment form‘s URL field. Specific to the site from which it is set. This cookie mirrors one set by the core WordPress software for commenting purposes |
Mobile Theme
| Cookie Name | Purpose |
| akm_mobile | Remembers whether or not a user wishes to view the mobile version of a site. |
Subscriptions
| Cookie Name | Purpose |
| jetpack_comments_subscribe_{HASH} | Remembers the state of the post and comment subscription checkboxes. |
| jetpack_blog_subscribe_{HASH} | Remembers the state of the post and comment subscription checkboxes. |
EU Cookie Law Banner
| Cookie Name | Purpose |
| eucookielaw | Remembers the state of visitor acceptance to the EU Cookie Law banner. |
Please note that this section is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather aims to be representative, and that our users may set additional cookies (such as Google Analytics), depending on the features they have chosen to enable or the plugins they have installed.
Controlling Cookies
Visitors may wish to restrict the use of cookies or completely prevent them from being set. Most browsers provide for ways to control cookie behavior such as the length of time they are stored – either through built-in functionality or by utilizing third party plugins. If you disable cookies, please be aware that some of the features of our service may not function correctly.
To find out more on how to manage and delete cookies, visit aboutcookies.org. For more details on your choices regarding use of your web browsing activity for interest-based advertising visit youronlinechoices.eu (EU based) or optout.aboutads.info (US based). On a mobile device, you may also be to adjust your settings to limit ad tracking.
You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing Google’s opt-out browser add-on.
Consent for Advertising Cookies on Our Sites
You may see a “cookie banner” on our websites. If you are visiting one of our users’ sites from the EU, then we do not set, or allow our ad partners to set, cookies that are used to show you targeted ads before you click to accept. When you consent in this manner, we and our advertising partners may set advertising cookies on the site you are visiting and on other of our websites, dashboards, and services. We’ll display the banner to you periodically, just in case you change your mind.
Consent and Choices for Advertisements on Our Users’ Sites Through Our Ads Program
You may see a “cookie banner” on our users’ websites, particularly if you are in the European Union. If so, then our ad program does not set, or allow our ad partners to set, cookies that are used to show you targeted ads before you accept. When you consent in this manner, we and our advertising partners may set third party advertising cookies on our network in order to show you personalized ads. We’ll display the banner to you periodically, just in case you change your mind.
* Please note this consent feature will start on May 22, 2018.
We set a cookie to help us understand how visitors engage with websites that participate in our ad program. Visitors may opt out of our use of this information by visiting this link (the opt-out will be processed immediately with no confirmation step). When you opt out, we replace the unique value for that cookie with an opt-out value. The opt-out works across all websites in our ads program. If you have opted out by accident, or wish to opt back in, you may do so by visiting this link. Please note that this option is browser specific, and so if you use a different device or browser or clear your cookies, then you will need to repeat the process.
How to Reach Us
If you have any questions about our use of cookies, you can find the most relevant contact details in our Privacy Policy.
If you would like to contact us about any of the in the sections section above, please email us.
Change log
- August 16, 2018:Added more specific information to help clarify our practices and added information to reflect the requirements of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.