MACI puts small files (known as "cookies") onto your computer to collect information about how you browse the site.
Cookies are used to:
- measure how you use the website so it can be updated and improved based on your needs
- remember the notifications you’ve seen so that we don’t show them to you again
MACI cookies aren't used to identify you personally.
You'll normally see a message on the site before we store a cookie on your computer.
Find out more about how to manage cookies.
How cookies are used on MACI
Measuring website usage (Google Analytics)
We use Google Analytics software to collect information about how you use MACI. We do this to help make sure the site is meeting the needs of its users and to help us make improvements
Google Analytics stores information about:
- the pages you visit on MACI
- how long you spend on each MACI page
- how you got to the site
- what you click on while you're visiting the site
We don't collect or store your personal information (eg your name or address) so this information can't be used to identify who you are.
We don't allow Google to use or share our analytics data.
Google Analytics sets the following cookies:
Universal Analytics
Name
Purpose
Expires
_ga
This helps us count how many people visit MACI by tracking if you’ve visited before
2 years
_gat
Used to manage the rate at which page view requests are made
10 minutes
Google Analytics
Name
Purpose
Expires
_utma
Like _ga, this lets us know if you’ve visited before, so we can count how many of our visitors are new to MACIor to a certain page
2 years
_utmb
This works with _utmc to calculate the average length of time you spend on MACI
30 minutes
_utmc
This works with _utmb to calculate when you close your browser
when you close your browser
_utmz
This tells us how you reached MACI (eg from another website or a search engine)
6 months
You can opt out of Google Analytics cookies.
MACI events
Name
Purpose
Expires
analytics_next_page_call
This lets us know the next page you visit on MACI, so we can make journeys better
when you close your browser
govuk_contact_referrer
This lets us know the last page you visited before using the contact MACI form
1 day
Our introductory message
You may see a pop-up welcome message when you first visit MACI. We’ll store a cookie so that your computer knows you've seen it and knows not to show it again.
Name
Purpose
Expires
seen_cookie_message
Saves a message to let us know that you've seen our cookie message
1 month
Your progress when applying for a licence
When you apply for a licence using the "apply for a licence" service, we’ll set a cookie to remember your progress through the forms. These cookies don’t store your personal data and are deleted once you've completed the transaction.
Name
Purpose
Expires
licensing_session
Set to remember information you’ve entered into a form when applying for a licence
When you close your browser
YouTube videos
We use YouTube to provide videos on some pages of the site. YouTube sets cookies when you visit one of these pages.
Name
Purpose
Expires
_use_hitbox
This is a randomly generated number that identifies your browser
When you close your browser
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
Lets Youtube count the views of embedded Youtube videos
9 months
Government services
Most services we link to are run by different government departments, eg HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) or the Home Office. These services may set additional cookies and, if so, will have their own cookies policy.
Browser upgrade prompt
We log a cookie the first time you visit MACI to let us know you've visited once.
If you're using an out-of-date browser the next time you visit, we'll show you a message suggesting you upgrade.
We'll also save a cookie that lets us know you don't want to see the prompt if you dismiss it.
Name
Purpose
Expires
govuk_not_first_visit
Stops us prompting you to upgrade an out-of-date browser until after your first visit
28 days
govuk_browser_upgrade_dismissed
Saves a message to let us know you’ve seen and dismissed the browser upgrade prompt
28 days