Cookies policy

Cookies Policy for the websites of the Institute of National Remembrance

This Cookies Policy defines the principles of storing and accessing information on User’s devices using Cookies files, which are used to realise the services requested by the User and rendered by electronic means by the Institute of National Remembrance – Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation (IPN) with its registered office in Warsaw, ul. Wołoska 7, 02-675 Warsaw.

§ 1 Definitions

1. Administrator – Institute of National Remembrance – Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation (IPN) with its registered office in Warsaw, ul. Wołoska 7, 02-675 Warsaw that renders services using electronic means and stores and gains access to information on User's devices.

2. Cookies – information data, mostly small text files, recorded and stored on devices using which the User uses the Service's website.

3. Administrator's Cookies – Cookies saved by the Administrator associated with rendering services by electronic means by the Administrator via the Service.

4. External Cookies – Cookies of the Administrator’s partners, saved via the Service's website.

5. Service – the website where the Administrator runs the Service.

6. Device – an electronic device using which the User gains access to the Service’s website.

7. User – an entity to whom, in line with the Rules and the provisions of law, services may be rendered electronically or with whom a Contract on rendering electronic services.

§ 2 Types of Cookies

1. The Cookies used by the Administrator are safe for the User’s Device., In particular, it is not possible for viruses or other unwanted software or malware to gain access to the Users’ Devices. These files make it possible to identify the software used by the User and adjust the Service individually to each User. Cookies usually contain the name of the domain they come from, the time they will be stored on the Device and their value.

2. The Administrator uses two types of Cookies:

a) Session cookies: are stored on the User’s Device and stay there until the session of the given browser ends. The saved information is then permanently erased from the Device’s memory. The system of session Cookies does not make it possible for retrieving any personal data nor any confidential information from the User’s Device.

b) Persistent cookies: are stored on the User’s Device and stay there until they are erased. Ending a session of the given browser or turning off the Device does not erase them from the User’s Device. The system of persistent Cookies does not make it possible for retrieving any personal data nor any confidential information from the User’s Device.

3. The User has the ability to restrict or exclude access of Cookies files to the User’s Device. If the User takes advantage of this option, it will be possible to use the Service, except its functionalities that require Cookies files in order to operate.

§ 3 Collecting data

In line with the adopted practice of the majority of WWW services, we store HTTP requests addressed to our server. The viewed resources are identified using URL addresses.  The exact list of information stored in the server logs is as follows:

  • public IP address of the computer from which the request came in (it may be the User’s computer directly);
  • client's workstation name – identification realised through HTTP protocol, if possible;
  • User’s name provided in the authorisation process;
  • time of request;
  • first line of HTTP request;
  • HTTP response code;
  • number of bytes sent by the server;
  • referrer link (URL address of the website previously visited by the User) – if the User reached the Service through a link;
  • information about the User’s browser;
  • information about the errors that took place upon realisation of the HTTP operation.

The data are not associated with individual persons viewing the services of IPN. In order to ensure the highest quality of the service, we occasionally analyse the log files in order to determine which websites are viewed most often, which web browsers are used, whether the website structure contains errors, etc.

§ 4 What are Cookies used for?

1. The Administrator uses the Cookies in order to ensure proper configuration of the Service, in particular:

a) to adjust the contents of the Service’s websites to the preferences of the User and to optimise the use of the Service’s website.

b) to recognise the User’s Device and its location and to display the website accordingly, adjusted to match their individual needs;

c) to remember the settings selected by the User and to personalise the User’s interface, e.g. in terms of the selected language or region, from which the User comes;

d) to remember the history of the visited Service’s sites in order to recommend contents;

e) to [remember] font size, appearance of the website, etc.

2. The Administrator uses its own Cookies in order to authenticate the user within the Service and to offer user’s session within the Service, in particular:

a) to keep the the session of the Service User (after signing in), so that the User does not have to enter his or her login and password on each Service sub-website;

b) to properly configure the selected functions of the Service, in particular making it possible to verify the authenticity of the browser's session.

c) to optimise and increase the capacity of the services rendered by the Administrator.

3. The Administrator uses its own Cookies in order to perform the processes required in order for the operation of all functionalities of the website, in particular:

a) to adjust the contents of the Service’s websites to the preferences of the User and to optimise the use of the Service’s websites. In particular, these files make it possible to recognise the device of a given User and adjust the displayed website to match the User’s individual needs;

b) to properly handle the partnership programme, in particular making it possible to verify the sources of referrals of Users to the Service’s websites.

4. The Administrator uses its own Cookies in order to save the User’s location, in particular to properly configure selected functionalities of the Service, making it possible to adjust the delivered information to the User, taking the User’s location into account.

5. The Administrator uses its own Cookies for analytical and research purposes and in order to conduct a viewership audit, and in particular to create anonymous statistics, which help to understand in what ways the Users use the Service's websites, which makes it possible to improve their structure and contents.

6. The Administrator of the service uses external Cookies for signing in to the Service using Facebook or Twitter social media sites.

7. The Administrator of the service uses external Cookies for popularising the Service using Facebook or Twitter social media sites.

§ 5 Defining the terms of storing or gaining access through Cookies

1. The User may on its own and at any time change the settings relating to the Cookies files, defining the terms of their storage and gaining access by Cookies to the User's Device. The User may change the settings mentioned in the preceding sentence by changing the settings of the browser or using a service configuration option. In particular, these settings may be changed in such a way so that the automatic handling of Cookies in the web browser settings is blocked or that the User is notified each time a cookie is saved on the User's device. Detailed information about the options and ways of handling Cookies is available in the software settings (web browser).

2. The User may erase Cookies at any time, using the options available in the web browser the User uses.

3. Any restrictions in using Cookies may affect some functionalities of the Service’s website.