1. What is a cookie?

Cookies are a small text file containing information that are located in browser directories and downloaded to any internet-using device – such as a computer, tablet or mobile phone – when a website is visited by a user. 

Cookies also perform essential functions, i.e. letting you navigate between pages efficiently, remembering your preferences and generally improving your browsing experience.

Further information on when cookies are used to collect personal information about you is set out below and in our Data Protection Charter.  

2. Characteristics of cookies

Browser cookies can have the following characteristics:

- Session cookies are used by the server to store information about a user’s page activities so that a user can easily pick up where she/he left off on the server's pages. They primarily support navigation through the site as they remember which pages you have been on and what interactions you may have had with the site already (e.g. Searching for a particular fund).  Session cookies exist only in temporary memory: Web browsers normally delete session cookies when the user closes the browser.  Session cookies aren’t  used to collect or share personal information. 

- Persistent or tracking cookies are set during a first visit and will expire at a specific date or after a specific length of time, instead of expiring when the web browser is closed as session cookies do. This means that, for the cookie's entire lifespan, its information will be transmitted to the server every time the user visits the website or every time the user views a resource belonging to that website. This cookie will remain on your device until either you clear your cookies or the expiry is reached. They can be used for analytical purposes to track visits over time, for example we could see how many people visited a particular page and then came back to view it again later. Persistent or tracking cookies aren’t used to collect or share personal information.

- First party cookies are set by the website being visited. They belong to the website domain that appears in the browser address bar. In our case, this will be www.petiole.com and its sub-sites and we may set these cookies when you visit in order to recognise you when you return.

- Third party cookies are set by third parties separate from the website being visited. Therefore, they belong to website domains different from the one shown in the address bar. Some web pages can feature content from third-party domains (such as banner ads). Other sites may also set cookies on your device during a visit to our site. These sites will be an approved partner of ours, such as Google, LinkedIn,.

3. Why do we use cookies?

We use cookies for the following purposes:

-       Performance: We may use performance-related cookies to assess the use of our website in order to improve its structure, content and functionalities. Our website uses the cookie Google Analytics which collects information and reports website usage statistics.

-       Session management: Cookies may be used to authenticate users, the features used by them and the part(s) of our website that can be accessed by them.

-       Personalization: Cookies can be used to remember information about users in order to show relevant content to such users over time.

Our website may also contain links to external social networks. The use of such links and social networks may result third party cookies being installed. Please note that those social networks are responsible for the personal data processing they perform using cookies. We have no control over the process used by social networks to collect information about your browsing on our site. Those social networks apply their own privacy policies which you should consult on the relevant website.

4. Your cookie preference

Our Privacy manager should make it easy for you to enable and disable Petiole cookies but won’t stop all cookies from other websites being set.

In addition, you may delete installed cookies at any time or change the cookie settings in your browser to accept or refuse cookies. This can be done through the setting of your web browser. Please be aware that by refusing the use of some or all cookies, this website might not function in an optimal way. Here are some links to instructions for common browsers:

-       Microsoft Edge: https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-edge/delete-cookies-in-microsoft-edge-63947406-40ac-c3b8-57b9-2a946a29ae09  

-       Google Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647?hl=en  

-       Apple Safari: https://www.apple.com/uk/support/mac-apps/safari/

-       Mozilla Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enable-and-disable-cookies-website-preferences

For other browsers, try searching for "managing cookies in (browser name)".

To opt-out from the Google Analytics cookie, you may download and install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. This add-on instructs the Google Analytics JavaScript to prohibit sending information to Google Analytics.

 5. Cookies on our site

Please find below the list of the cookies typically used by our website:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the Website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but if you do so, some parts of the site will not work. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Performance & Analytics Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site and will not be able to monitor its performance.

Functional Cookies 

These cookies enable the Website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all these services may not function properly.

Targeting Cookies 

These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant ads on other sites. They do not store directly personal information but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

6. How are cookies used by third parties and partners?

We occasionally  use plug-ins and third-party components on the Petiole Website to enhance user experience and our online marketing activities. Cookies can be used  for similar purposes by these components. Neither the third parties nor Petiole have access to the data collected by the other parties via cookies. Additionally, We also use cookies to display Petiole advertisements when you visit third party websites with which we have marketing agreements. In some cases, these third parties gather and give us with anonymized data about your use of our and other websites, including but not limited to geographic information, such as your user behaviour on a website, or the names of websites that served you with adverts. In order to increase the effectiveness of our advertising, we use this information to display more pertinent and helpful advertisements. Typically, this information is gathered via cookies and forwarded to a third-party server (such as Google Analytics (a service network from Google Ireland Limited) and is not linked to your personal data. These servers may be located in countries other than Switzerland, depending on the provider. These system’s main function   is to gather the following kinds of anonymized data:

-       Client host name / hidden IP address of the accessing device

-       URL (address of a web site) via which visitors are redirected from or to our website

-       Time of the visit

-       Browser type and version

-       Brand or operating system of the device

-       Other device-specific information, e.g., screen size.

The companies specified are responsible for the processing of personal data as described below. They determine at their own discretion on the purposes and means of transmitting data and using it on their own servers. The purpose and means of data collection and the companies’ processing and use of the transferred data are governed by their own data protection guidelines. There you can find even more information about your rights and options for protecting your privacy.

Google

We use advertising and analysis services from Google LLC (“Google”) to evaluate how our website is used and to obtain information to improve our services. We use cookies to evaluate information such as the number of persons or demographic information about users. We use the data we get from Google, aggregated or anonymized in some other fashion, to improve our content and services. In this, only Google can associate the data with a person. We use Google’s advertising technologies based on the legal ground of our legitimate interest in targeting our services to potential customers via marketing. You also have the option to opt out of this processing of your personal data at any time. We also use IP anonymization. With this, your IP address in Switzerland, the EU, or the European Economic Area (EEA) is shortened, your complete IP address being only transmitted to Google in exceptional cases.

LinkedIn

Our website may include LinkedIn social networking technologies provided by LinkedIn Corporation (“LinkedIn”), for example to share content and make our LinkedIn page available or to use your LinkedIn credentials to sign up to Petiole. LinkedIn collects information that one of our sites has been loaded via LinkedIn cookies on your browser. In addition, LinkedIn automatically receives the URL of the last website you visited or that you are redirected to. LinkedIn also obtains the IP address of the computer or proxy server you use to access the internet, information about your computer operating system and browser, about your mobile device (including the mobile device identifier from your mobile device’s operating system), your mobile device’s operating system (if you access LinkedIn from a mobile device), and the name of your ISP or mobile service provider. LinkedIn may also receive location data from GPS-enabled devices if you have enabled this feature, unless you have changed the settings on your mobile device to stop LinkedIn receiving real-time location data.

Hubspot

We use HubSpot to host our website, which sets a number of tracking cookies for visitors to understand their behavior better. These include essential cookies to enable the performance or our website and other functional cookies to optimise your visit on our website.

Hotjar

Hotjar Tracking Code cookies are set on a visitor's browser when they visit a website that loads the Hotjar Tracking Code. These cookies allow the Hotjar features and tools to function correctly.

7. Data Protection

Please refer to our Data Protection Charter for more information on the use of private data and the protection related thereto.