NSF SECURE Center Cookie Policy
Effective Date: January 2, 2026
This Cookie Policy explains how the SECURE Center (“we,” “us,” and “our”) uses cookies and similar technologies to recognize you when you visit our website at https://www.secure-center.org/, any applicable subdomains or related web applications, including our Shared Virtual Environment (SVE).
We understand that your privacy is important to you and are committed to being transparent about the technologies our websites use. This policy explains what these technologies are and why we use them, as well as your rights to control our use of them. In some cases, we may use cookies to collect personal information or data that becomes personal information if we combine it with our information.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small data files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. Cookies are widely used by website owners to make their websites work, or to work more efficiently, as well as to provide reporting information. These small data files allow our websites to recognize your device from those of other users.
Cookies set by the website owner (in this case, the SECURE Center) are called “first-party cookies.” Cookies set by parties other than the website owner are called “third-party cookies.” Third-party cookies enable third-party features or functionality to be provided on or through the website (e.g., advertising, interactive content, and analytics). The parties that set these third-party cookies can recognize your computer both when it visits the website in question and also when it visits certain other websites.
Cookies can be “persistent” or “session” cookies. Persistent cookies remain on your personal computer or mobile device when you go offline, while session cookies are deleted as soon as you close your web browser.
Why do we use cookies?
We use first- and third-party cookies for several reasons. Some cookies are required for technical reasons in order for our website to operate, and we refer to these as “essential” or “necessary” cookies. Other cookies also enable us to track and target the interests of our users to enhance the experience. Third parties serve cookies through our website for advertising, analytics, and other purposes.
Legal basis for processing cookies.
Under applicable data protection laws, we rely on your consent to process non-essential cookies (e.g., analytics, advertising). Essential cookies are processed based on our legitimate interest in ensuring the website functions properly.
We may use both session and persistent cookies for the purposes set out below:
Necessary / Essential Cookies
Type: Session Cookies
Administered by: the SECURE Center
Purpose: These cookies are essential to provide you with services available through the website and to enable you to use some of its features. They help to authenticate users and prevent fraudulent use of user accounts. Without these cookies, the services that you have asked for cannot be provided, and we only use these cookies to provide you with those services.
Cookies Policy / Notice Acceptance Cookies
Type: Persistent Cookies
Administered by: the SECURE Center
Purpose: These cookies identify if users have accepted the use of cookies.
Functionality Cookies
Type: Persistent Cookies
Administered by: the SECURE Center
Purpose: These cookies are used to enhance the performance and functionality of our website but are non-essential to its use. Examples may be remembering your login details or language preferences. However, without these cookies, certain functionality (like videos) may become unavailable.
Tracking and Performance Cookies
Type: Persistent Cookies
Administered by: Third-Parties
Purpose: These cookies are used to track information about traffic to the website and how users use the website. The information gathered via these cookies may directly or indirectly identify you as an individual visitor. This is because the information collected is typically linked to a pseudonymous identifier associated with the device you use to access the website. We may also use these cookies to test new advertisements, pages, features or new functionality of the website to see how our users react to them.
How can I control cookies?
You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. You can exercise your cookie rights by setting your preferences in the Cookie Consent Manager. The Cookie Consent Manager allows you to select which categories of cookies you accept or reject. Essential cookies cannot be rejected as they are strictly necessary to provide you with services.
The Cookie Consent Manager can be found on our website. If you choose to reject cookies, you may still use our website, though your access to some functionality and areas of our website may be restricted.
You may also set or amend your web browser controls to accept or refuse cookies. As the means by which you can refuse cookies through your web browser vary from browser to browser, you should visit your browser’s help menu for more information. You must first disable the use of cookies in your browser and then delete the saved cookies associated with this website.
For more information about how we handle personal data, please see our Privacy Policy.
What about other tracking technologies, like web beacons?
Cookies are not the only way to recognize or track visitors to a website. We may use other, similar technologies from time to time, like web beacons (sometimes called “tracking pixels” or “clear gifs”). These are tiny, often invisible, tracking elements embedded in web pages, emails, or ads to monitor user behavior and gather data. These allow websites to monitor the traffic patterns of users from one page within a website to another, to deliver or communicate with cookies, to understand whether you have come to the website from a third-party website, to improve site performance, and to measure user interactions with email marketing. In many instances, these technologies are reliant on cookies to function properly, and so declining cookies will impair their functioning.
Who can I contact with questions?
If you have any questions about this Cookies Policy, you can contact us via info@secure-center.org.