In collaboration with the data protection experts at AdSimple
Hotjar Privacy Policy
We use Hotjar from Hotjar Limited (Level 2, St Julian's Business Centre, 3, Elia Zammit Street, St Julian's STJ 1000, Malta) on our website to statistically analyze visitor data. Hotjar is a service that analyzes your behavior and feedback as a user on our website using a combination of analytics and feedback tools. We receive reports and visual representations from Hotjar that show us where and how you navigate our site. Personal data is automatically anonymized and never reaches Hotjar's servers. This means you are not personally identified as a website user, yet we still learn a great deal about your user behavior.
What is Hotjar?
As mentioned above, Hotjar helps us analyze the behavior of our website visitors. Hotjar's tools include heatmaps, conversion funnels, visitor recording, incoming feedback, feedback polls, and surveys (more information is available at https://www.hotjar.com/). This allows us to offer you a better user experience and improved service. It provides valuable insights into online behavior and gives us valuable feedback on the quality of our website. Because in addition to all the analytical aspects, we also want to know your opinion about our website. And this feedback tool makes that possible.
Why do we use Hotjar on our website?
In recent years, the importance of user experience (UX) on websites has increased significantly. And for good reason. A website should be designed so that you, as a visitor, feel comfortable and can easily find your way around. Thanks to Hotjar's analytics and feedback tools, we can make our website and our offerings more appealing. Hotjar's heatmaps have proven particularly valuable to us. Heatmaps are a way of visualizing data. For example, Hotjar's heatmaps allow us to see very precisely what you like to click and tap, and where you scroll.
What data does Hotjar store?
While you browse our website, Hotjar automatically collects information about your user behavior. To collect this information, we have integrated a tracking code into our website. The following data may be collected via your computer and/or browser:
- Your computer's IP address (collected and stored in an anonymous format)
- Screen size
- Browser information (which browser, which version, etc.)
- Your location (but only the country)
- Your preferred language setting
- Visited websites (subpages)
- Date and time of access to one of our subpages (web pages)
Cookies also store data that is placed on your computer (usually in your browser). No personal data is collected in this data. Hotjar generally does not share collected data with third parties. However, Hotjar explicitly points out that it is sometimes necessary to share data with Amazon Web Services. In such cases, parts of your information will be stored on their servers. Amazon is bound by a confidentiality agreement and is not obligated to disclose this data.
Only a limited number of people (Hotjar employees) have access to the stored information. Hotjar servers are protected by firewalls and IP restrictions (access is only permitted from approved IP addresses). Firewalls are security systems that protect computers from unauthorized network access. They act as a barrier between Hotjar's secure internal network and the internet. Furthermore, Hotjar also uses third-party companies, such as Google Analytics and Optimizely, for its services. These companies may also store information that your browser sends to our website.
The following cookies are used by Hotjar. Since we refer, among other things, to the cookie list in Hotjar's privacy policy at https://www.hotjar.com/legal/policies/cookie-information, not every cookie has an example value. The list shows examples of Hotjar cookies used and is not exhaustive.
Name: ajs_anonymous_id
Value: %2258832463-7cee-48ee-b346-a195f18b06c3%22311246121-5
Purpose: This cookie is typically used for analytics purposes and helps count visitors to our website by tracking whether you have been to this page before.
Expiry date: after one year
Name: ajs_group_id
Value: 0
Purpose: This cookie collects data about user behavior. This data can then be assigned to a specific visitor group based on commonalities among website visitors.
Expiry date: after one year
Name: _hjid
Value: 699ffb1c-4bfb-483f-bde1-22cfa0b59c6c
Purpose: This cookie is used to maintain a Hotjar user ID that is unique to the website in the browser. This allows user behavior to be attributed to the same user ID on subsequent visits.
Expiry date: after one year
Name: _hjMinimizedPolls
Value: 462568311246121-8
Purpose: Hotjar sets this cookie whenever you minimize a feedback poll widget. This cookie ensures that the widget remains minimized while you browse our pages.
Expiration date: after one year
Name: _hjIncludedInSample
Value: 1
Purpose: This session cookie is set to inform Hotjar whether you are part of the selected sample used to generate funnels.
Expiration date: after one year
Name: _hjClosedSurveyInvites
Purpose: This cookie is set when you see an invitation to a feedback survey via a pop-up window. The cookie is used to ensure that this invitation only appears to you once.
Expiry date: after one year
Name: _hjDonePolls
Purpose: Once you complete a feedback poll using the Feedback Poll widget, this cookie is set in your browser. This prevents Hotjar from sending you the same polls again in the future.
Expiry date: after one year
Name: _hjDoneTestersWidgets
Purpose: This cookie is used as soon as you enter your data in the "Recruit User Tester Widget". We use this widget to recruit you as a tester. This cookie prevents the form from appearing repeatedly.
Expiry date: after one year
Name: _hjMinimizedTestersWidgets
Purpose: This cookie is set to ensure that the "Recruit User Tester" remains minimized on all our pages once you have minimized it.
Expiry date: after one year
Name: _hjShownFeedbackMessage
Purpose: This cookie is set when you minimize or add to the incoming feedback. This ensures that the incoming feedback loads immediately as minimized when you navigate to another page where it should be displayed.
Expiry date: after one year
How long and where is the data stored?
We have integrated a tracking code into our website that is transmitted to Hotjar servers in Ireland (EU). This tracking code contacts Hotjar's servers and sends a script to your computer or device using it to access our site. The script collects certain data regarding your interaction with our website. This data is then sent to Hotjar's servers for processing. Hotjar has imposed a 365-day data retention period on itself. This means that all data collected by Hotjar that is older than one year is automatically deleted.
How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?
Hotjar does not store any of your personal data for analysis. The company even advertises with the slogan "We track behavior, not individuals" (meaning "We track user behavior, but not identifiable, individual data"). You always have the option to prevent the collection of your data. To do this, simply go to the "Opt-out page" and click on "Disable Hotjar." Please note that deleting cookies, using your browser's private mode, or using a different browser will result in data being collected again. You can also activate the "Do Not Track" button in your browser. In Chrome, for example, click on the three bars in the upper right corner and go to "Settings." There, in the "Privacy" section, you will find the option "Send a 'Do Not Track' request with browsing traffic." Simply activate this button, and Hotjar will no longer collect any data.
More details about the privacy policy and what data is collected by Hotjar and how it is collected can be found at https://www.hotjar.com/legal/policies/privacy?tid=311246121.