Contact email address: dhi@sheffield.ac.uk

The following statement explains our policy regarding the personal information we collect about you when you visit websites which are developed and hosted by the Humanities Research Institute at the University of Sheffield. The websites might use our conventional web address (www.dhi.ac.uk or www.hrionline.ac.uk) or a unique web address which is specific to the website itself (eg. www.oldbaileyonline.org).

The personal information which we collect is used to improve the content of our web pages, to customise the content and/or layout of our page. For some of our websites personal information is also collected in order to provide you with additional services, although these types of services require you to explicitly provide us with the information by registering for an account (see the section Create an account on our website).

We will share personal information amongst the partners who jointly own a website, so that they are able to assist us when improving the content, layout and functionality. Our partners are typically academic colleagues within other universities or professionals within heritage organisations who have worked with us in developing the website. These partners are clearly identified on our websites. For websites which have private account areas (requiring registration) we sometimes require our partners to confirm that the personal information which has been provided is genuine, in order to limit spam and other types of misuse. Apart from sharing information with our partners, we never sell, rent or share any of the information we collect (except anonymous aggregate information) with any third party.

Information which we collect as you browse our web sites

Our web server automatically collects standard information, including your IP address, browser type, operating system and access times.

Google Analytics
What is Google Analytics?

Our websites use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (‘Google’). Google Analytics uses ‘cookies’, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyze how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators such as the Humanities Research Institute and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage.

Why do we use Google Analytics?

The information on website activity which Google collects and reports to us plays a key part in ensuring that the website functions correctly (it will record errors which you might not report to us personally) and in enabling us to introduce improvements to the content and functionality of the website.

Google Analytics and your privacy

Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser.

By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.

Google Adsense
What is Google Adsense?

Some of our websites use Google Adsense, a web advertising service provided by Google, Inc. (‘Google’). The websites which currently use this are:

The Old Bailey Proceedings Online (http://www.oldbaileyonline.org)

London Lives (http://www.londonlives.org)

Locating London (http://www.locatinglondon.org)

Google Adsense uses ‘cookies’, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website provide you with advertisements which it believes might be of interest to you. Cookies enable the website to display advertisements which might be based on the content or subject matter of other websites which you have visited earlier, in addition to displaying advertisements which are relevant to the content of the current website.

In return for displaying these advertisements, the website’s owners and operators receive a small income.

Why do we use Google Adsense?

The website which use Google Adsense were developed with the help of public funding from a UK Higher Education Research Council. However, Research Councils do not provide funding to maintain these websites over the longer term, even though they require regular maintenance by specialist staff in order to remain operable and new content in order to remain fresh and relevant to the interests of its users. As a publicly-funded educational establishment it is therefore necessary for us to carry advertisements on this website in order to generate a small income which will assist us with the site’s sustainability.

Google Adsense and your privacy

Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser.

You can find more information about Google’s advertising programmes and how they relate to your privacy by visiting the following website:

http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/ads/

By using our websites you consent to the use of cookies for the purpose of displaying advertisements unless you have opted out of the use of cookies in one of the following ways:

Creating an account on our website

Some of our websites optionally enable you to create an account in order to access additional features. In order to facilitate this functionality we need to store some personal information about you on our server and also create a cookie on your computer when ever you log in.

Personal information which we store on our server

When you create an account with our website we need to store your email address (or username) and password in a database on our server. Although we need to retain this information in order to identify you, you will not be contacted except in response to a request to be reminded of your password or username; or if information which you are choosing to store in your account area is in danger of being corrupted or deleted. Your email will not be passed on to third parties or used to distribute any other information of any kind unless this is the reason for providing your personal information in the first place (for example, if we host a website which invites you to register your research interests in a particular discipline we will contact you from time to time with information which is relevant to those interests). Statistics based on the number of registered users may be generated from the database of registered users from time to time.

Requesting the removal of your personal information from our server

You can request that your account and any associated personal information be deleted at any time by sending an email to the website operators at hri-support@sheffield.ac.uk or using a removal request form if it is available on the website.

The cookie which we place on your computer

When you log in to an account which you have created with our website we need to store a cookie on your computer. The cookie is a text file which, in this instance, is known as a ‘session cookie’ because it identifies that you are currently logged in to your account while your browser window remains open and you have not explicitly logged out. The cookie does not store or transmit any personal information. Instead it uses a random code to identify your web browser with the account which you have logged in to. The cookie only exists on your computer while you are logged in to your account and the browser window remains open. After logging out or closing your browser window the cookie is automatically deleted from your computer.

It is best practice to always close the browser window when you have finished using a personal account, even if you have explicitly logged out, in order to ensure that the cookie has definitely been deleted. This is especially important when using computers which might be used by other people.

Our services and your privacy

It is not possible for us to register you for an account on our website if you do not permit us to store the information described above. Further, it is not possible for you to log in and use your account if you do not permit the use of cookies on your computer.

By registering for an account with this website you consent to us storing the information described above.

By logging in to your account area on this website you consent to us placing a session cookie on your computer until you have logged out and/or closed your browser window.