1. In short
We use a small number of cookies and browser storage items. Most are strictly necessary: they keep you signed in and remember your cookie choices. Two remember your preferences, such as your colour theme. Preferences are on by default and you can switch them off.
We set all of them ourselves. We do not use analytics or advertising cookies, and our pages load no tracking scripts. Our fonts, icons and scripts are served from our own server.
2. What we store
| Name | Type | Purpose | How long | Category | Set by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
volta_sess |
Cookie | Keeps you signed in. It is signed so that it cannot be altered, but it is not encrypted. It can hold your user ID, a sign-in waiting for a multi-factor code, promotion codes you have entered and your student verification session. | 24 hours, renewed each time you use the site | Strictly necessary | Us (first party) |
volta_consent |
Cookie | Records your cookie choices, the version of this page they apply to and the time you made your choice. It is set only when you save a choice. | 12 months | Strictly necessary | Us (first party) |
session |
Cookie | Keeps our staff signed in to our admin console. It is set only when someone signs in there. | 14 days | Strictly necessary | Us (first party) |
volta-theme |
Local storage | Remembers whether you chose the light or dark theme. It is set only when you use the theme switch. | Until you clear it or switch Preferences off | Preferences | Us (first party) |
volta_ |
Local storage | Remembers announcements you have dismissed, so that they stay hidden. | Until you clear it or switch Preferences off | Preferences | Us (first party) |
liveChatSessionId |
Local storage | Resumes a live-chat conversation. The live-chat widget is switched off at present, so this is not set. | Until you clear it | Strictly necessary when live chat is used | Us (first party) |
When you sign out, we also expire a cookie called volta_session, which an earlier version of the site used.
We do not use session storage, IndexedDB or a service worker.
3. Categories
- Strictly necessary: needed to sign you in, keep the service secure and remember your cookie choices. The law does not require your consent for these, and you cannot switch them off in Cookie settings.
- Preferences: remember choices about how the site looks and behaves. The law allows this storage without consent as long as we tell you about it and give you a free and simple way to object. Preferences are on by default, and you can switch them off at any time.
- Analytics: we use none.
- Advertising: we use none.
4. Changing your choices
Use the button below, the Cookie settings link at the foot of our website pages, or the cookie settings in your profile.
If you switch Preferences off, we stop storing them and remove the theme and dismissed-announcement entries from your browser. You can switch them back on in the same place.
Your choice is saved in the volta_consent cookie for 12 months. If you clear your cookies, your choice is cleared too.
You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings. If you block strictly necessary cookies, you will not be able to sign in.
5. Global Privacy Control
If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, we treat it as an objection to all storage that is not strictly necessary. Preferences are then switched off, and the Cookie settings panel tells you why.
6. No analytics, advertising or tracking
We do not use analytics, advertising, CAPTCHA or tracking scripts. Our pages do not load fonts, icons or scripts from other companies' servers. We do not load payment scripts on our pages: payments take place on Stripe's and GoCardless's own pages.
If we ever want to use storage that needs your consent, we will ask for it before we use that storage, and we will update this page first.
7. Content from other servers
- Generated images: some images created in VoltaAI are stored only by the AI provider that created them. When you view one, your browser fetches it from that provider's server, which sees your IP address. For some of these images, the image's web address includes the prompt used to create it.
- Payments and student verification: when you pay by card, set up a Direct Debit or verify as a student, we send you to Stripe's, GoCardless's or StudID's own site. Their own cookie and privacy policies apply there.
Those sites receive your IP address and may set or read their own cookies, which we do not control.
8. Changes to this page
We update this page when we change what we store in your browser, and we change the date at the top. Your saved choice records the version of this page it applies to.