New cookie law: what data do we collect?

Most organisations, including the GMC, use technology such as cookies and open tracking to collect basic information about how people access and use their information.

What information does the GMC collect and how do you use it?

Cookies

We use cookies to make our websites work more effectively.  

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile device by websites. Some cookies allow certain website functionality to work, such as shopping carts, and others can be used for analytical purposes to allow website providers to understand how their websites are being used. The main cookies that the GMC use are for analytical purposes and allow us to understand which pages of our website are most popular and how many visitors we have to our website.  

The cookies that we use cannot be used to identify you personally, but allow us to recognise your computer when accessing our websites. For more detailed information about the cookies we use, their purpose and how to control and delete them read our policy.

Open tracking technology

We also use open tracking technology – this allows us to monitor how many times our email newsletters are opened. This helps us to understand which topics are of interest so we can continue to improve what we send out.  

We can tell if someone has opened our email newsletter, if they download the images or click on a link. Although we can tell what individual recipients look at, in practice we do not. We only use the data in aggregated form to look for broad trends – for example how many recipients opened this link and how many did not.  

We are not interested in what individual doctors do with our emails and we will never share information on how they use our emails with anyone else.   

Why has new legislation been introduced?

Some uses of cookie and open tracking technology, particularly for marketing and sales purposes, can feel intrusive.  

The new regulations, the e-Privacy Directive, aim to protect people from inappropriate use of technology. They put a duty on organisations to make sure people understand when information about their activity is being collected so they have the option not to proceed.  

Where can I find out more?

If you’d like to know more about the GMC’s use of cookies and open tracking technology, you can read our privacy policy or email ebulletin@gmc-uk.org.  

If you’d like to find out more about the new directive, you should visit the Information Commissioner’s website.