About this cookie policy
The City of Antwerp finds it important that you can consult its information anywhere and at any time, across different platforms. The City of Antwerp also develops interactive services and personalised services. We use different types of technology in the online services of the City of Antwerp to facilitate this.
In this cookie policy we explain which cookies we use and why. We also explain to which extent you can control the use of such cookies. The City of Antwerp wants to guarantee your privacy and the user-friendliness of its online services as much as possible.
This cookie policy applies to all the online services of the City of Antwerp, i.e., all the websites, (mobile) applications and online services the City of Antwerp offers.
The data you provide and we obtained from you
The City of Antwerp, with registered office at 1, Grote Markt at 2000 Antwerp, processes the personal data you provided and we obtained from you under the supervision of the city’s Data Protection Officer, Mrs Anne Baré. You can contact us at the aforementioned address or call the city’s contact center (every workday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.) at 00 32 (0)3 22 11 333 or send an e-mail to informatieveiligheid@stad.antwerpen.be.
We also recommend that you read our privacy policy attentively. This cookie policy and the privacy policy are closely linked. Cookies can be used to collect certain data about the use of the City of Antwerp’s online services. Our privacy policy explains which personal data the City of Antwerp may collect, why it wishes to collect this data, and how it intends to process this.
The City of Antwerp can update its privacy policy and/or cookie policy at any time, in the framework of changes to its services or the applicable legislation. The modified terms and conditions will then be published to the relevant online services of the city and will take effect as soon as they are published.
About cookies
What are cookies?
Cookies are small data or text files that are installed on the hard drive of your computer or mobile device when you visit a website or use a (mobile) application. The cookie file contains a unique code that allows us to recognise your browser when you visit an online service, or during subsequent, recurrent visits. Cookies may be installed by the server of the website or application you visit, as well as by servers of third parties that may collaborate with this website or application. Generally cookies facilitate faster interaction between the visitor and the website or application and help the user navigate between the various components of a website or application. Cookies can also be used to make the content of a website or application more relevant for the user by adapting it to his personal taste and needs.
Which cookies are used in the online services of the city of Antwerp?
The cookies used in our online services can be subdivided according to different criteria.
How long do cookies last?
- Temporary cookies
Temporary cookies are only temporarily stored in your browser or application. As soon as you close the browser or application, the cookies are erased.
- Permanent cookies
Permanent cookies will remain on your computer or mobile device after you close the browser or application. Permanent cookies help to recognise you during subsequent visits to the website or application. Permanent cookies will remain on your device until they expire, until a new cookie is installed or until you erase them in the settings of your browser, application or mobile device.
Who installs and owns these cookies?
- First-party cookies
First-party cookies are cookies that are owned by the City of Antwerp and which belong to the online service of the City of Antwerp you used or visited.
- Third-party cookies
Third-party cookies are cookies that are owned and installed by a third party, while you visit or use a service of the City of Antwerp. Third-party cookies share certain data about your visit or your use of an online service of the City of Antwerp with third parties.
What are these cookies used for?
- Essential functional cookies
Functional cookies are essential for the online services of the City of Antwerp to work. These cookies are used among others: to retain the information you entered or indicated on the website’s different pages, so you do not have to re-enter or tick your data or preferences; to save the settings for an optimal video playback, such as the desired buffer size and your screen resolution; to read your browser settings so our website is optimally displayed on your screen; to balance the load on the website ensuring it remains accessible; to enable you to respond on our websites. If you refuse these cookies, some (components) of the websites will not work optimally or even work at all.
- Performance/Analysis cookies
The City of Antwerp uses performance and analysis cookies to collect general information about how visitors use its online services. Statistical analyses are established with the collected information. These statistics give the City of Antwerp into how often its webpages are visited, where visitors spend the most time, etc. As a result, the City of Antwerp is able to make the structure, navigation and content of the online services as user-friendly as possible and generally improve them. This information is also used to establish reports about the performance of the City of Antwerp or in the framework of research in which the City of Antwerp participates.
- Social media cookies
The online services of the City of Antwerp can contain the embedded elements of third parties. This may be content that is stored with another party, but that is displayed on, in or through the online services of the City of Antwerp. Content in the online services of the City of Antwerp can also be shared on social media with buttons. This also means social media can install cookies through the online services of the City of Antwerp and collect data through these services. In this framework, we would like to refer to the policy statements which these third parties provide about this on their own websites; Facebook, Google+/YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter. Please note that these policies are regularly updated.
- Personalisation cookies
The City of Antwerp can also use cookies to make more targeted recommendations based on your use of the City of Antwerp’s online services. You will thus receive suggestions about programmes and other information based on your behaviour on the online services of the City of Antwerp. We hope this will introduce you to information you find interesting, which you may not have immediately thought of yourself.
- Other cookies
This category contains cookies which cannot be included in any of the above cookies. An example are the cookies that can be used to conduct own web analyses and optimise sites. In addition to the aforementioned performance/analysis cookies, other web analysis cookies can be used. These can be disabled however, as these do process potentially identifiable personal data. This is not the case for the performance/analysis cookies. Statistics are established with the information collected with these cookies. These statistics provide an insight into how often the webpages are visited, where users spend the most time, etc. As a result, the owner can make the structure, navigation and content of the website as user-friendly as possible.
- Unforeseen cookies
Because of the way the Internet and websites or applications work, we may not always be aware of the cookies that are installed by third parties through our online services. This is the case for example when our webpages contain so-called embedded elements: these are texts, documents, photos or videos that are stored with a third party, but which are displayed on, in or through our online services. Should you encounter such cookies in our online services, which are not listed hereafter, then kindly notify us. Or contact the third party directly, asking them which cookies they installed and why, when the cookie will expire and how they protected your privacy.
How can you refuse or manage the use of cookies on the online services of the city of Antwerp?
You can refuse or enable/disable cookies in your browser setting. You can also erase all the cookies that were installed on your computer or mobile device at any time. The following website describes how to refuse cookies for the most commonly used browsers: www.aboutcookies.org.