Cookie policy
rcpharm.org (Royal College of Pharmacy)
v01.0
Last updated 15th April 2026
Applies to: www.rcpharm.org.
Controller/Operator: Royal College of Pharmacy (including its wholly‑owned subsidiaries, together the RCPharm Group).
This policy uses our latest cookies/SATs template and reflects UK rules under PECR (cookies and similar technologies) and current ICO guidance, noting the ICO’s ongoing refresh following the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (DUAA). We will update this policy if ICO guidance changes materially.
Who we are
This website is operated by the Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm Group). To learn how we handle personal data generally, please read our Website Privacy Notice (insert link to preference centre).
Our websites and third‑party links
This cookie policy only relates to your use of www.rcpharm.org. We link to other websites owned/operated by trusted partners. Those sites may use cookies under their own policies — please review them directly.
What are cookies and ‘storage and access technologies’ (SATs)?
A cookie is a small text file placed on your device when you visit a website. PECR also applies to other storage and access technologies that store or access information on your device (e.g., local storage, SDKs in apps). The same consent/notice rules apply to these technologies.
We group cookies/SATs as follows:
- Strictly necessary — essential to provide a service you request (e.g., sign‑in, load‑balancing, security). These are exempt from consent but still require transparency.
- Analytics/performance — help us understand use and improve the site. Consent required (not ‘strictly necessary’).
- Functionality — remember choices/improve features. Consent required unless strictly necessary for a requested service.
- Advertising/targeting — used to deliver/measure ads and build interest profiles. Consent required.
Consent and how to change your settings
We ask for your prior consent before setting any non‑essential cookies/SATs. We also provide a preference centre where you can accept or reject non‑essential categories with equal prominence, and you can change your decision at any time. Non‑essential cookies are not pre‑enabled.
- Open the preference centre: [Insert link to site’s cookie preference centre].
- You may also control cookies via your browser. Blocking all cookies (including ‘strictly necessary’) may impact site functionality; see the ICO’s public guidance for browser controls.
Note on updates: The ICO is updating certain guidance to reflect the DUAA and its terminology for storage and access technologies. Our consent model already meets the UK standard for consent under PECR/UK GDPR; we will align any further wording with the ICO’s final guidance.
Our use of cookies on www.rcpharm.org
Below is the reconciled list of cookies used on www.rcpharm.org based on our latest inventory. Where a cookie is strictly necessary, we indicate why; for others, consent applies.
1) Strictly necessary (no consent required)
| Cookie subgroup/host | Cookie(s) | Party | Purpose | Typical lifespan |
| prod-apps.rpharms.com | VxSessionId | First‑party | Session management (app) | Session |
| portfolio.rpharms.com | ASP.NET_SessionId; qID; qPath; rpsCookie; SERVERID | First‑party | Session mgmt/routing | Session (varies; rpsCookie ~seconds) |
| rcpharm.org | _dc_gtm_UA‑xxxxxxxx; ARRAffinity; DNNID; DNNID_CREATE_DATE | First‑party | Tag loading/affinity; CMS session | A few seconds / Session |
| forms.office.com | __RequestVerificationToken | First‑party | Anti‑forgery token | Session |
| dnn-dev.rpharms.com | .DOTNETNUKE; dnnTabs‑smMainContent | First‑party | CMS session/UI | Session / A few seconds |
| www.rcpharm.org | .ASPXANONYMOUS; authentication; cf_ob_info; cf_use_ob; CookieConsent; dnnTabs-dnnEditUser; LastPageId; OptanonAlertBoxClosed; OptanonConsent | First‑party | Security, CDN optimisation, cookie banner state | Mixed (session to up to ~12 months*) |
| consent.cookiebot.com | CookieConsent | Third‑party | Records consent state | Long‑lived* |
| forms.office.com | ai_session; usenewauthrollout | Third‑party | MS Forms session/auth | Session / 30 days |
| rpharms.co.uk | __cflb | Third‑party | Cloudflare load‑balancer | Short (seconds/minutes) |
We align storage to vendor defaults unless a shorter period is configured in our CMP.
2) Analytics and performance (consent required)
| Cookie subgroup/host | Cookie(s) | Party | Purpose | Typical lifespan |
| www.rcpharm.org | Analytics; Analytics_VisitorId; recent-login | First‑party | Site analytics/performance | Seconds to ~30 days |
| rcpharm.org | _ga; _gat_UA‑…; _gclxxxx; _gid | First‑party | Google Analytics / attribution | _ga ~730 days; _gid ~1 day; others vary |
| eu-admin.eventscloud.com | regtoken | Third‑party | Event registration flow | Session |
| r1.trackedweb.net | cf_ob_info; cf_use_ob | Third‑party | CDN optimisation | Seconds |
Analytics are not exempt from consent under UK PECR (unless strictly necessary for a user‑requested service). Our banner collects consent before analytics load.
3) Functionality (consent required)
| Cookie subgroup/host | Cookie(s) | Party | Purpose | Typical lifespan |
| rcpharm.org | ARRAffinitySameSite | First‑party | Same‑site affinity | Session |
| www.rcpharm.org | EC_TEST; dnn_IsMobile; language | First‑party | Feature flags/Mobile detection/Language | Session |
| vimeo.com | __cf_bm; player; vuid | Third‑party | Embedded video features | Seconds / 365d / 730d |
| login.microsoftonline.com | buid; esctx; fpc; stsservicecookie; x‑ms‑gateway‑slice | Third‑party | Microsoft sign‑in flows | Session to ~29 days |
| forms.office.com | DcLcid; FormsWebSessionId; RpsAuthNonce | Third‑party | MS Forms feature/session | 30–92 days / Session |
| rpharms.co.uk | LP‑CFEB019BA842048CEQD6A3CB36F53E619F; responder‑ | Third‑party | Survey/response tooling | ~29 days / Session |
4) Advertising/targeting (consent required)
| Cookie subgroup/host | Cookie(s) | Party | Purpose | Typical lifespan |
| rcpharm.org | _fbp; _gat_gtag_…; dmSessionID; pt_; recordID | First‑party | Ad/retargeting & campaign IDs | Seconds to ~364 days |
| bing.com / c.bing.com | MUID / SRM_B | Third‑party | Microsoft advertising IDs | ~390 days |
| office.com | MUID | Third‑party | Microsoft advertising | ~390 days |
| ads.linkedin.com / linkedin.com / www.linkedin.com | lang; AnalyticsSyncHistory; bcookie; li_gc; li_sugr; lidc; UserMatchHistory; bscookie | Third‑party | LinkedIn ads/insights | Session to ~731 days |
| doubleclick.net | test_cookie | Third‑party | Google ad delivery test | Seconds |
| youtube.com | CONSENT; VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE; YSC | Third‑party | YouTube embeds/ads | Session to ~180 days |
| forms.office.com / microsoft.com | MicrosoftApplicationsTelemetryDeviceId; MSFPC / MC1; MS0 | Third‑party | Microsoft telemetry/ads | up to 365 days |
| eu.eventscloud.com | regtoken | Third‑party | Event platform | Session |
| rpharms.co.uk | Survey‑Started | Third‑party | Survey state | Short |
| www.slideshare.net | browser_id; language | Third‑party | Embed features/ads | Session to ~1825 days |
| www.facebook.com | (Facebook cookies when embedded widgets are used) | Third‑party | Social/ads | Session |
| google.com | CONSENT | Third‑party | Google consent state | Long‑lived |
We do not set non‑essential advertising/targeting cookies until you consent. You can withdraw consent at any time via the preference centre.
Third‑party access to cookies
Cookies listed above are accessed by us and, where stated, by the named third parties for the purposes set out. We do not permit access by any other third party.
How to turn off all cookies in your browser
You can set your browser to block cookies (including strictly‑necessary cookies). If you do, parts of the site may not function. For guidance on browser controls, see the ICO’s public cookies page.
Contact us
Data Protection Officer (RCPharm Group): Calvin Smith — [email protected] • +44 (0)207 572 2402.
Postal: Royal College of Pharmacy, 66–68 East Smithfield, London E1W 1AW.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy; material changes will be communicated via the site and/or email where appropriate. The “Last updated” date at the top will change accordingly.