Bright Horizons Global Cookie Notice
Owner: Privacy Department
Approver: Global Privacy Officer
Version: January 2025
Last reviewed: January 2025
Introduction
Terms used in this Cookie Notice
Strictly Necessary
Performance
Functional
Targeting Advertising / Social Media
How do I Disable/Enable Cookies & Similar Technologies?
Universal Opt Out Signals: Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
Further Information
Bright Horizons websites and applications use cookies and Similar Technologies. This Global Cookie Notice provides you with information about cookies and similar technologies we use and how to control them.
Terms used in this Cookie Notice
“Cookie” - a cookie is a small text file that a website saves on your computer or mobile device when you visit the website. Cookies are then sent back to the originating website on each subsequent visit, or to another website that recognises that cookie, to develop a record of the user’s online activity.
“Similar Technologies” - functions usually performed by a cookie can be achieved by other means. This could include, for example, using certain characteristics to identify devices so that visits to a website can be analysed. Examples include HTML5 local storage, fingerprinting techniques and technologies like scripts, tracking pixels and plugins, and SDKs.
“Affiliate” — an affiliate is a website operator who can send traffic to our website using links from another website or visa versa.
“First-Party and Third-Party Cookies” — whether a cookie is ‘first’ or ‘third’ party refers to the domain placing the cookie. First-Party cookies are those set by us when visited by the user at the time — the website displayed in the URL window. Third-Party cookies are cookies that are set by a domain other than us. If a user visits our website and another entity sets a cookie through our website, then this would be a Third-Party cookie.
“Persistent Cookies” — these cookies remain on a user’s device for the period of time specified in the cookie.
“Session Cookies” — these cookies allow us to link the actions of a user during a browser session. A browser session starts when a user opens the browser window and finishes when they close the browser. Session cookies are created temporarily and once you close the browser, all session cookies are deleted.
“Inherent” Functionality- functionality that is a necessary and inseparable part of the Software Developer Kit (SDK) that cannot be turned off.
Cookies & Similar Technologies Used on our Website
Not all cookies & Similar Technologies are the same or have the same purpose. We use cookies & Similar Technologies for the following four purposes:
- Strictly Necessary
- Performance
- Functional
- Targeted Advertising/Social Media
These tracking technologies enable our website to function and support its core functionality. The purpose of these cookies & Similar Technologies is to enable our website to function. In other words, the website would not be able to operate correctly without them as they relate to core functionality. Examples include: logging into secure areas of our website, make use of e-billing services or load balancing.
The purpose of these cookies & Similar Technologies is to provide information on the performance of our websites/applications and details of the user’s experience that allows us to improve our websites / applications and troubleshoot (fix, manage or debug) issues. The type of information collected includes count visits, traffic sources and details of user’s website/application activity on both an aggregate and identifiable level.
Examples include:
- Web analytics — where the data collected is used in managing the performance and design of the website. These cookies & Similar Technologies can be provided by third-parties, but the information collected is for our exclusive use only.
- Advertising response rates — where the data collected is used exclusively for calculating response rates (click-through rates) to improve the effectiveness of advertising purchased on a site external to ours. This data can’t be used to re-target adverts on a third-party site.
- Affiliate tracking — where data collected is used by the affiliate, Bright Horizons or third-party, can be used for the effectiveness of the website and be used to track referrals. .
- Session replay – tools which enable us to see our websites/applications through the eyes of our users. The data collected is used to identify source of errors in the aggregate or for individual user session, as well as to help investigate, manage and resolve errors and improve visitor website/application experience.
- Error management — where the data collected is used to measure errors presented on our website/application, support service improvement or complaint management.
- Testing designs — where the data collected is used to test variations of website/application design to ensure a consistent look and feel is maintained for users in the current and subsequent sessions.
The purpose of these cookies & Similar Technologies is to increase the functionality of our websites/applications and personalize the user’s experience such as remembering user setting preferences, name, language, country or allowing access to accounts and process orders. These cookies & Similar Technologies may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages.
Examples include cookies & Similar Technologies which:
- record the user’s preferred settings to enable localisation functionality such as language.
- ensure consistency in the information displayed to the user (for instance, ensuring a consistent contact number for us is provided to each user).
Targeting Advertising / Social Media
The purpose of these cookies & Similar Technologies is to help us learn what a user is interested in so we can show them relevant adverts on other websites. Switching off these cookies & Similar Technologies will mean we won’t be sharing the user’s personal information with other websites for the purposes of personalizing the advertisements the user will see on those websites.
These cookies & Similar Technologies also are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable users to share our content with their friends and networks. They are capable of tracking the user’s browser across other sites. This may impact the content and messages the user sees on other websites they visit.
Examples include cookies & Similar Technologies:
- used to limit the number times a user sees a particular ad on our website.
- placed by advertising networks to collect browsing habits in order to target relevant adverts to the user.
- placed by advertising networks to increase functionality, such as commenting on a blog, adding a website to the user’s social network, providing maps or counters of visitors to a website.
How do I Disable/Enable Cookies & Similar Technologies?
You have the option of being able to accept or reject cookies & Similar Technologies by modifying the settings in your browser and / or the cookie banner on our website. You should be aware that you may not be able to use all the interactive features of our websites/applications if cookies & Similar Technologies are disabled.
To manage settings on cookies & Similar Technologies through the cookie banner, click on the cookie banner and you’ll be provided with preference options.
The tool will record when you have consented to our cookie policy and will ask for consent again every six months to ensure users stay up-to-date with changes to our cookie and privacy policies. Cookies & Similar Technologies that are categorized as Strictly Necessary can’t be disabled. Your consent preferences on our website will not apply on third-party websites.
Click here to read more about how to manage and / or delete Cookies & Similar Technologies in a web browser. (This link open in a new window to an external website; please note we can't be responsible for the content of external websites.)
For SDKs in Mobile Apps there is an exception for managing and deleting Similar Technologies. Within SDK’s there is “inherent” functionality that cannot be turned off or disabled by Bright Horizons therefore some Similar Technologies will be considered “Strictly Necessary” when using our mobile applications. Bright Horizons will only use SDKs which contain functional or performance categories.
Universal Opt Out Signals: Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
Bright Horizons recognizes the following Universal Opt Out Signals for Targeted Advertising / Social Media Cookies & Similar Technologies:
You can read about how to implement these tools by clicking on the links below:
- Do Not Track
o Google Chrome
o Internet Explorer - Global Privacy Control
This link open in a new window to an external website; please note we can't be responsible for the content of external websites.)
For questions, contact the Global Privacy Officer at dataprivacy@brighthorizons.com