What are cookies, web beacons and similar techniques?
A cookie is a tiny data file, which is stored on your computer within the web browser, when certain web pages are visited. A cookie does not contain or collect information in isolation, but when read by a server via a web browser; it can give information to facilitate a more user friendly service such as detecting errors. We do not retain a cookie longer than necessary.
Web beacons are small graphic images (also called "pixel tags" called or "clear POISON's") that may be installed on or in our websites, communication services, applications and other used tools. Web beacons are used for different purposes, including measuring performance of our websites, tracking the number of visitors to our web sites and how to navigate it accordingly.
Under similar techniques for storing information we understand other technologies that store information on your browser or device and that use local shared objects or local storage. Examples include flash cookies, HTML 5 cookies and other web application software methods.
For simplicity, we use the term cookie in our policy to cover the total scope of cookies, web beacons and similar techniques.
To use our website fully, you will need to have cookies enabled. If you do not wish to enable cookies, you can still browse the site; however certain features of the site may be limited.
This information is outlined as part of our efforts to comply with recent legislation and to ensure that we are open, honest and clear about cookies and privacy. Please refer to our Lease a Bike Privacy Policy for more information about privacy.
How do we use cookies?
You may notice the presence of different types of cookies generated on your visit to this website. We use the following types of cookies:
- Functional cookies;
- Analytical cookies;
- Advertising cookies;
- Social media cookies.
Functional cookies
These cookies are necessary to make it possible to surf the website(s) of BMS and use the website's functions, such as accessing protected areas of the website. Without these cookies, such functions, including shopping baskets and electronic payment, are not possible.
We might use these cookies for:
- Authentication of users for a secured login;
- Remembering products that you add to your shopping basket during online purchasing;
- Remembering information that you fill in on the various pages when paying or ordering so that you don't have to fill in all your details repeatedly;
- Passing on information from one page to the next, for instance if a long survey is being filled in or if you need to fill in a large number of details for an online order;
- Storing preferences such as language, location, the number of search results to be displayed etc;
- Storing settings for optimal video display, such as buffer size and your screen's resolution details;
- Reading your browser settings so that we can display our website optimally on your screen;
- Locating misuse of our website and services, for example by recording several consecutive failed log-in attempts;
- Loading the website evenly so that it remains accessible;
- Offering the option of storing log-in details so that you don't have to enter them every time;
- Making it possible to place a reaction on our website.
Analytical cookies
These cookies gather information about the surfing behavior of visitors to our websites, such as which pages are visited often and whether visitors receive error messages. By doing this we are able to make the structure, navigation and content of the website as user-friendly as possible for you. We do not link the statistics and other reports to individuals.
We might use these cookies for:
- Keeping track of the number of visitors to our web pages;
- Keeping track of the length of time that each visitor spends on our web pages;
- Determining the order in which a visitor visits the various pages on our website;
- Assessing which parts of our site need to be improved;
- Optimizing the website.
We might use software like Google Analytics to analyze page use, page interactions and the routes taken through our sites. These are known as "website metrics" or ‘analytics’.
Google Analytics is a web analysis service that is offered by Google Inc. (Google). Google Analytics uses cookies to analyze the usage of the website by Users. Google uses aggregated statistical data to give BMS an insight in the way Users use the website. Based on the guidelines of the Dutch Data Protection Authority, we made Google Analytics more privacy friendly by:
- Ensuring we have a "Processing Contract" with Google;
- Activating in Google Analytics the IP addresses anonymization;
- Ensuring sharing of data with Google will not take place.
Google may only provide this data to third parties if Google is required to do so by law, or to the extent necessary for third parties processing this data on behalf of Google.
You can prevent collection of the data generated by the cookie and pertaining to their use of the website (including your IP address) by Google and the processing of such data by Google by downloading and installing the following browser plug-in: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en-GB.
Advertising cookies
Our aim is to provide visitors to our website with information that is as relevant as possible to them. We therefore endeavor to adapt our site as much as possible to every visitor. We do this not only through the content of our website, but also through the advertisements shown.
To make it possible for these adaptations to be carried out, we try to acquire a picture of your likely interests on the basis of the websites of BMS that you visit in order to develop a segmented profile. Based on these interests, we then adapt the content and the advertisements on our website for various groups of customers.
We might use these cookies for:
- keeping track of which advertisements you have already been shown so that you are not always shown the same ones;
- keeping track of how many visitors click on the advertisement;
- keep track of how many orders are placed by way of the advertisement;
- the websites recording your visit and, as a result assessing your interests;
- checking to see if you have clicked on an advertisement;
- information about your surfing behavior to be passed to other websites;
- using third-party services to show you advertisements;
- displaying more interesting advertisements on the basis of your social media usage.
Even if such cookies are not used, please note that you will be provided with advertisements on our site; however, these advertisements will not be tailored to your interests. These advertisements can, for instance, be modified according to the content of the website. You can compare this type of content-related Internet advertisements with advertising on television. If, say, you are watching a cookery program on TV, you will often see an advertisement about cooking products during the advert breaks while this program is on.
Third parties that set cookies via our website may also try to find out what your interests are in this way. In this case, the information about your current website visit may be combined with information from previous visits to websites other than ours.
Social Media cookies
The articles, pictures and videos that you look at on our website can be shared and liked via social media by means of buttons. Cookies from the social media parties are used to enable these buttons to function, so that they recognize you when you wish to share an article or video.
These cookies make it possible for:
- logged-in users of selected social media to share and like certain content from our website directly.
These social media parties may also collect your personal data for their own purposes. BMS has no influence over how these social media parties make use of your personal data. For more information regarding the cookies set by the social media parties and the possible data that they gather, please refer to the privacy statement(s) made by the social media parties themselves. Below we have listed the privacy statements of the main Social Media channels that are used the most by BMS:
- Facebook
- Google+
- Twitter
- Youtube
Your choices
BMS places and uses the functional cookies when you explore our website to ensure the proper functioning of the website. Only after you have given your consent, BMS places the analytical, advertising and social media cookies. We provide you the choice to set your preference related to the use of the kind of cookies for the first use of the website. We will store you preference for your next visit but you can always adjust your preference.
How to control cookies
You can control and/or delete cookies as you wish – for details, see aboutcookies.org. You can delete all cookies that are already on your computer and you can set most browsers to prevent them from being used. If you do this, however, you may have to manually adjust some preferences every time you visit a site and some services and functionalities may not work.
Policy changes
We may change this Cookie Policy from time to time. We will inform you when we update the cookie policy but we also encourage you to take notice of this policy regularly. This policy was last modified on 11 July 2017. Reviewed and reconfirmed on 7 Dec 2021.
Questions and feedback
Please send us your questions and comments about cookies or privacy to [email protected].
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