1. Introduction

This cookie policy ("Policy") regulates the use of cookies and similar technologies (“the Cookies”) on the eID Single Sign-On platform (“the Platform”). This Platform allows citizens to authenticate and gain secure access to Government services online using their electronic eID, issued by Identità, being the registration authority in terms of Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal marks and repealing Directive 1999/93/EC (“e-IDAS Regulation”) and which Platform is maintained by the Malta Information and Technology Agency (“MITA”) of the Government of Malta (“GOM”).

2. What are cookies?

Cookies are small data files that are placed on your device (computer, smartphone, tablet, etc.) when you visit a website or use a platform. They are widely used to remember your preferences, improve your browsing experience, and provide targeted advertising.

3. What types of cookies do we distinguish?

Depending on their origin, cookies can be either first-party cookies, which are placed and managed by Identità/MITA or third-party cookies, which are placed and managed by a third-party. The platform uses first-party/third-party cookies on this Platform .
All cookies used are set with expiry dates which determine how long they reside on the browser. Depending on their lifespan, cookies can be of two types:

• Session cookies: which are stored in your browser during the session and are deleted when you close the browser, log out or when the session expires.
• Persistent cookies: are stored longer than the session and are not deleted until they have reached their expiry, a new version of the cookie is placed or is deleted manually.

Depending on their purpose, only strictly necessary cookies are used, which are essential to use the Platform. Only functional cookies are used to collect information about your preferences to improve the functioning of the Platform to you.

4. What cookies do we use?

Different types of Cookies are used on the Platform:

• Essential Cookies: These Cookies are strictly necessary for the Platform to function properly. They enable features like user login, secure communication with service providers, and session management.
• Functionality Cookies: These Cookies help to personalize your experience on the Platform by remembering your language preference and previously used services.
• Analytics Cookies: These Cookies collect anonymous data about your activity on the Platform, such as page views, time spent on specific functionalities, and overall user flow. This information helps us understand how users interact with the Platform and improve its usability.
• Security Cookies: These Cookies help us detect and prevent fraudulent activity on the Platform. They may track login attempts and other security-related actions.

This website makes use of four first-party cookies, namely ASP.NET_SessionId, .ASPXAUTH, __RequestVerificationToken and cookienotice_eid.

• ASP.NET_SessionId is a temporary cookie which our web server uses to preserve your session state across page requests. This cookie expires and is deleted as soon as you close your browser, log out or when the session expires.
• .ASPXAUTH authenticates the user once logged in. This cookie expires and is deleted as soon as you close your browser, log out or when the session expires.
• __RequestVerificationToken is set by the application and is used to stop unauthorised posting of content to the website, known as Cross-Site Request Forgery. This cookie expires and is deleted as soon as you close your browser, log out or when the session expires.
• cookienotice_eid is used to remember not to show you the cookies notification again. This cookie expires after 365 days.

This website makes use of the below cookies as additional security measures.

• The B100Serverpoolcookie is issued by the load balancer in place, as part of its normal workings, to be able to correctly determine the destination servers. This cookie expires and is deleted as soon as you close your browser, log out or when the session expires.
• The __cf_bm and cf_clearance cookies are issued by the Cloudflare service to identify and mitigate automated traffic to protect the site from bad bots and provide additional security measures within the site.

5. How to Manage Cookies

You can control and manage Cookies by:

• Browser Settings: Most web browsers allow you to control or disable Cookies through their settings. You can find instructions on managing Cookies in your browser's help section.

6. Your Cookie Preferences

By continuing to use the Platform, you consent to our use of Cookies as described in this Policy. You can withdraw your consent at any time by managing Cookies through your browser settings . However, please note that disabling some Cookies may limit your ability to use certain functionalities of the Platform.

7. Data Security

Data security is taken very seriously and appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data collected through Cookies are implemented. This includes strong encryption protocols for data storage and transmission, as well as access controls to limit who can access user data.

8. Changes to the Cookie Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our Cookie practices and applicable laws. Regular review of this Policy is recommended to keep track of any updates.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Policy, please contact us at [email protected].