Cookie policy

A “cookie” is a small text file that is placed and stored on your computer, smartphone or other device or internet browser by websites or apps that you visit. Cookies allow small amounts of information about your device to be passed to our web server. They allow websites to recognize your computer, smartphone, tablet or other device as your browse. Web beacons, pixels, JavaScript, and other tracking technologies also utilize cookies and or use invisible images or code to gather information about a visitor session in a manner similar to cookies. Depending on how long a cookie remains in place we can describe cookies as either session cookies or persistent cookies:

Session cookies

A session cookie is deleted when you close the relevant website. A session cookie may allow a website to remember you while you are browsing the site but the cookie will be removed when you log out or close the webpage or your internet browser. For example, a session cookie may be used to allow features such as shopping carts to remember if you have added an item to your cart while you browse for other items you wish to purchase on the website.

Persistent cookies

A persistent cookie remembers you for a particular period of time. It remains stored on your device or internet browser for that time (it could be minutes, days or months) after you have logged out or closed your browser. For example, persistent cookies may be used to remember if you have selected certain preferences on a website (e.g. your language selection).

Medtronic uses both session and persistent cookies. Cookies and other similar technologies are used by Medtronic for several different reasons. Cookies are sometimes necessary for our website to operate correctly and enable functionality such as shopping carts and secure log-ins to work properly. Cookies allow us to count the visitors to our website and learn how they use our website and its features, enabling us to continually improve the experience. Cookies may also allow us to tailor the content of a website to your preferences. For details on the cookies used by Medtronic, please see below.

The cookies that may be used by Medtronic can be categorized as follows:

Strictly necessary or essential cookies

These cookies are needed to ensure that this website operates correctly and securely, enabling you to move around the website, use its features, and record your preference regarding our use of cookies on your device. Without these cookies, certain functionality (such as log-in to access controlled sections of the website, or to enable an online shopping cart to keep track of items for purchase) would not be available and you would be unable to make use of certain services offered by the website. These cookies do not gather information about you for marketing purposes, and they are not used to generally monitor your activity on the internet.

Functionality cookies

These cookies allow a website to remember the options you have selected (including user role authentication, acceptance disclaimers, and language), your username if relevant, and any customization you have made (such as to font size) or personalization options as part of your online experience. They may also be used to provide certain services that you can make use of, such as video content or allowing comments to be left on a blog. We may use multimedia players such as Adobe Flash Player or FlowPlayer to deliver special content, such as video clips or animation. In that case local shared objects (known as “Flash Cookies”) are used to recognize your device in order to provide functions such as remembering your player settings and preferences. Similarly, we may embed content on the website from our official YouTube channel which, if clicked on, will result in cookies being set on your device by YouTube.

Analytics/performance cookies

These cookies are used to manage and improve how the website works and can help us to identify issues you may have with using our online services. These cookies may be used to facilitate online surveys, record visitor numbers and other web analytics metrics. These cookies are not used to target you with online advertising. Without these cookies we will have limited information on how our website is performing and will be less able to make relevant improvements to the browsing experience. Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics data retention periods are set at 25 months as a standard.

Marketing, social media content sharing cookies

Our website may include integrated link that allows you to log into your social media account to share content or comments. The social sharing cookies for AddThis and similar services may use cookies to identify you as a member of the social media network in question.

Marketing, anonymous cross site tracking cookies

These cookies are used to track our visitors across different Medtronic websites. They can be used to build up a profile of search and content browsing or consumption history for visitors to our sites. Identifiable or unique data may be collected. These cookies can be used to personalize suggestions for recommended content or items when shopping online, to confirm if advertisements have been clicked on, and to track what external content (e.g. YouTube videos) have been viewed. Anonymized data may be shared with third parties.

Marketing, third party targeted advertising cookies

These cookies allow browsing habits and activity to be monitored to enable personalized marketing content to be shown by third parties. Third party cookies and similar technologies such as pixels, allow analytics providers, ad networks, social media providers and advertisers to track your online activities over time for such purposes as behavioral advertising, analytics and market research. Personally identifiable information may be collected and used to display targeted advertising.

Marketing, cookies in emails

As well as the cookies we use on our website, we use cookies and similar technologies in emails. These help us to understand whether you’ve opened an email and how you’ve interacted with it. Cookies may also be set if you click on a link within the email and interact with pages on our website.

Details of cookies that may be used

Your choices/how you can control cookies

You have several options for controlling how cookies are used on your device or browser. You can opt to receive a notification when cookies are set, you can delete cookies that have already been set, and you can choose to refuse all or certain cookies. For further details on the options available visit https://www.allaboutcookies.org or https://cookiepedia.co.uk/how-to-manage-cookies. Please note that if you make updates to your browser or device settings, or use an online link to opt out of cookies, those updates only apply to the device where you made the changes. If you disable or block all cookies, then the relevant Medtronic website will not work effectively. In addition, disabling or blocking certain cookies may mean that some features offered by Medtronic may not operate as intended, or you may not have access to certain features or personalization settings.

Browser settings

Most browser settings allow you to adjust your settings to receive a notification when a cookie is being set or updated, or can restrict or block certain types or all cookies. For more information please consult the “Help” section of your browser.

Device settings

Your device settings may also allow you to prohibit mobile app platforms (such as Apple or Google) from sharing with Medtronic certain information obtained by automated means.

Opting out of specific cookies

You may also opt out of specific cookies directly with the provider of the cookie. For more details, please follow the links below:

Analytics/performance:

• Adobe Analytics:  https://www.d1.sc.omtrdc.net/optout.html
• Google Analytics: https://www.google.com/intl/en/analytics/learn/privacy.html  

Multimedia/Flash/Video player

• FlowPlayer:  https://flowplayer.com/privacy-policy 
• Flash Player: https://www.adobe.com/security/flashplayer 
• Youtube: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/ 

Social media content sharing

• Facebook Social Plugin: https://www.facebook.com/help/www/443483272359009
• https://www.facebook.com/help/www/213802165366955 
• Google Plus: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/partners/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/privacy 

If, at any time, you have requests or queries concerning this policy please contact us at: rs.globaldataprivacyoffice@medtronic.com.

This version of the cookie policy is effective as of May 25, 2018. We may update this Cookie policy from time to time.