This Cookie Policy (“Policy”) provides detailed information about how and when the Atlantic Council of the United States (the “Company”; “we” or “us”) use cookies on our owned and operated websites and its subdomains (“Site” or “Sites”).

By using our Sites, you agree that we can place cookies and similar technologies on your computer for the purposes described below. Your continued use of our Sites constitutes your agreement to be bound by our Cookie Policy and any changes thereto. If you do not accept the terms of this Policy, your only remedy is to discontinue use of and access to our Sites.

Does the Atlantic Council use cookies?

Yes. We and our analytics or service providers use cookies and other technologies to ensure everyone who uses our Sites has the best possible experience.

A cookie is a small data file that is placed on your computer or other device to allow a site to recognize you as a user when you return to the Site using the same computer and web browser, either for the duration of your visit (using a ‘session cookie’) or for repeat visits (a ‘persistent cookie’). Other similar files work in the same way and we use the word “cookie” in this policy to refer to all files that collect information in this way.
Cookies have a number of different uses, e.g. they can help to navigate you between pages efficiently and store your preferences. Cookies also help site operators to identify which of their content is popular and therefore help them to ultimately improve their site and the services they offer to users. If you disable or block all or some of these cookies, you may lose some features and functionality of the Site.
There are a variety of types of cookies and tracking technologies, which can be broadly divided into the following 4 categories:

  • Those that are strictly necessary (e.g. cookies that enable you to move around the Site or use Site functionality);
  • Those that enhance the functionality of the Site by storing your preferences (e.g. cookies that remember you when you return to the Site);
  • Those that help to improve the performance of the Site to provide you with a better user experience; and
  • Those used for advertising or tracking purposes.

First and third-party cookies

The categories of cookies listed above may be set directly by us through the Site during your visit (known as ‘first party cookies’). However, certain cookies falling within these categories may also be set and/or read by third-party sites that we permit to run content on some of the pages that you are viewing (known as ‘third-party cookies’). For example, we set Google Analytics cookies provided by Google Inc. to help us monitor the traffic on the Site, which helps us to improve its performance. We may also use third-party cookies to help us improve the Site functionality including integrating the Site with social media platforms provided by third parties.

Managing cookies

You can modify your settings in most web browsers to accept or deny all cookies, or to request your permission each time a site attempts to place a cookie on your device. You can also delete all cookies that are already on your computer or mobile device. Find out how to manage cookies on popular browsers:

If you would like to review more details about the specific cookies that are used in connection with the Site, please contact us by sending an email with your request to info@AtlanticCouncil.org or submit your request in writing to us at 1030 15th Street, NW, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20005.

You can opt out of any third-party vendor’s use of cookies by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page at http://optout.networkadvertising.org. If you want to learn more about cookies, or how to control, disable or delete them, please visit http://www.aboutcookies.org for detailed guidance. In addition, certain third-party advertising networks, including Google, permit users to opt out of or customize preferences associated with your Internet browsing. To learn more about this feature from Google, visit https://adssettings.google.com/u/0/authenticated?hl=en.

Many jurisdictions require or recommend that site operators inform users/visitors as to the nature of cookies they utilize and, in certain circumstances, obtain the consent of their users to the placement of certain cookies.

The Site includes third-party social media features, such as the Facebook Like button, and third-party widgets, such as the ‘Share This’ button or interactive mini-programs that run on the Site. These features may collect your IP address, which page you are visiting on the Site, and set a cookie to enable the feature to function properly. Your interaction with these features is governed by the privacy policy of the third- party company providing it.

Third-party HTML web beacon pixels

The Site may contain “web beacons” (also known as Internet tags, pixel tags, and clear GIFs). These web beacons allow third parties to obtain information such as the IP address of the computer that downloaded the page on which the beacon appears, the URL of the page on which the beacon appears, the time the page containing the beacon was viewed, the type of browser used to view the page, and the information in cookies set by the third party.

Email tracking

Some of the emails we send to you may contain a “web beacon pixel” which allows us to identify when you have opened the email and to verify which links contained in the email you have accessed. We use this information to determine which parts of our emails are of most interest to you. You can delete the pixel by deleting the email. If you do not wish to download the pixel to your computer or other device, you can do so by selecting to receive emails from us in plain text rather than HTML.

Logs

Whilst visiting the Site, certain information is automatically logged about how you are using the Site. This information includes the URL of the Site which linked you to the Site, your IP address and the pages you visit while on the Site. The IP address indicates the location of your computer on the Internet.

We keep a record of each user’s activity by reference to the IP address of the Internet connection(s) they use to access the Site. These logs enable us to prevent users who breach our terms and conditions by refusing communications from their IP addresses to the Site. Logged IP addresses are deleted after sixty (60) days.

If you are concerned that we have blocked in error an IP address that you use to access our Site, please email us at info@AtlanticCouncil.org.

IP addresses

An IP address is a unique identifier that certain electronic devices used to identify and communicate with each other on the Internet. When you visit the Site, we may view the IP address of the device you use to connect to the Internet. We may use this information to enhance the Site.

We may use one or more of these technologies to gather information and statistics regarding use of the Site. For example, we may collect aggregated information about page visits and navigation to determine what articles and topics are of greatest interest and if users are able to find content easily. We also use site analytics and tracking information to generate various reports regarding use of the Site. These reports contain aggregated information about users use of the Site.

If you receive electronic mailings from us, we use technologies that track certain actions. We receive information that shows who opens our electronic mailings and whether links embedded in those mailings have been clicked on. This information helps us understand the effectiveness of the mailings and we may use the information to contact you about other events or services.

Information collected by analytical providers

Some of the cookies we use are “analytical” cookies. Our analytics provider allows us to recognize and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors use the Site. We use this information to compile reports and to improve the way the Site works, e.g., by making sure that users are finding what they need easily. The following types of information are collected by analytics software:

  • User’s location information, e.g., city, country/territory, continent;
  • User’s behavior, e.g., whether the user is a new or returning visitor, the frequency of visits/date of last visit;
  • User’s technology, e.g., operating system, network/service provider (ISP and network host);
  • Mobile information, e.g., whether the user accessed the Site via a mobile device and, if so, the type of device (brand, service provider, operating system, and input selection method); and
  • Content viewed, e.g., pages, files, and directories clicked on; landing pages/exit pages; and search words (if any) used on the Site.

If there are any material changes to this Policy, you will be notified by the posting of a prominent notice on the Site prior to the change becoming effective. Your continued use of the Site constitutes your agreement to be bound by our Cookie Policy and any changes thereto. Your only remedy, if you do not accept the terms of this Policy, is to discontinue use of and access to the Site.

Disclaimer

The information contained in the Site is intended to supply general information to the public. It is not intended to constitute legal advice on any subject matter. The Site is not intended to be advertising or solicitation. The information provided on the Site is general and does not constitute a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. We cannot guarantee that all of the information is accurate. We disclaim responsibility for the content of any other site accessed through links on the Site. Should you require legal advice, you should seek the assistance of counsel.

Last updated on March 30, 2023.