Cookie Policy.

Privacy Policy: Version [2.0]
Effective Date: [18/08/2025]
Last Updated: [18/08/2025]

Introduction

This Cookie Policy explains how Beet Online Limited (“Beet Online,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website and online medical practice. We’ve written this policy in plain English so you can understand exactly what information is collected via cookies, how it’s used, and how you can manage your cookie preferences. This Cookie Policy is part of our [Privacy Policy] and [Terms of Service], and should be read alongside those documents. By using our website, you agree that we can use cookies as described in this policy (unless you disable them – more on that below).

We want to be upfront: we do not use cookies to store any sensitive personal or health information. Cookies are used mainly to make our site function, to remember your preferences, and to help us improve our services through aggregated analytics. We also fully comply with the Irish ePrivacy Regulations and GDPR requirements regarding cookies – meaning we will ask for your consent for any non-essential cookies and provide you a real choice.

Please Note:

Throughout this document, when we refer to the “Platform” means, collectively: (a) Beet Online’s patient-facing website and patient portal located at [insert your domain] (including any related mobile interfaces), and (b) the underlying clinical software and communications infrastructure provided by Semble Technology Limited (“Semble”) that we use to schedule, conduct, record, prescribe, and communicate in relation to consultations. The Platform is the tool patients and Practitioners use to access and deliver care through our online medical practice and does not make Semble a party to these Terms. A “Practitioner” refers to an independent medical doctor who is registered with the Irish Medical Council and provides remote consultations via Beet Online. Practitioners are responsible for their clinical decisions; we are responsible for operating the practice and systems with reasonable care. The term “Consultation”means a telemedicine appointment you have with a Practitioner through our Platform (for example, a video call or phone call). “You” or the “User” means the person who registers an account or uses our Services, including a parent/guardian who registers on behalf of a minor.

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. They serve a variety of functions, such as remembering who you are (so you don’t have to log in every time), storing your preferences (like language or font size), and helping website owners understand how people use their site.

Cookies can be “first-party” or “third-party” depending on who sets them:

  • First-party cookies are set by the website you’re visiting (in this case, beetonline.ie). Only that website can read those cookies.

  • Third-party cookies are set by someone other than the website owner. For example, if we have a YouTube video embedded, YouTube might set its own cookie. These cookies can usually be read by the third party that set them (like YouTube or an advertising network).

Cookies can also be “session” or “persistent”:

  • Session cookies are temporary cookies that last only for the duration of your browsing session. They get erased when you close your browser. These are often used for things like keeping you logged in while you navigate through different pages.

  • Persistent cookies remain on your device for a set period even after you close the browser. They have an expiration date. These are used for remembering preferences or analytics over time. For instance, a cookie might remember your preferred settings for a year, or an analytics cookie might remain for a few months to track returning visitors.

There are also technologies similar to cookies, like web beacons (tiny invisible images or code that load to track an action) or local storage (which stores data in your browser). For simplicity, when we refer to “cookies” in this policy, we include these related technologies as well.

2. How We Use Cookies

We use cookies to enhance and secure your experience on Beet Online. Here’s a breakdown of the types of cookies we use and why we use them:

  1. Strictly Necessary Cookies – Essential for our site to work.

    • These cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. Without these cookies, services you’ve asked for (like logging into your account, or adding an item to your cart for payment) cannot be provided.

    • Examples: We set a session cookie when you log in so that the site remembers you as you move from page to page. This cookie is usually called something like sessionid and contains a random unique identifier (not any personal info) that ties your browser to your logged-in session on our server. It ensures that it’s you who is accessing your account after you’ve logged in. Another example is a cookie to remember cookie consent choices; ironically, we need to set a cookie to remember if you opted out of other cookies (so we don’t keep asking!). That consent cookie simply stores a “yes” or “no” for each category of cookie, nothing identifying.

    • These cookies do not require your consent because they are needed to provide the service you explicitly request (like logging in). We only use these for their intended essential purpose and not for tracking.

  1. Functional (Preferences) Cookies – To make your experience smoother.

    • These cookies allow our website to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, more personal features. For example, if our site has a “remember me” option so you don’t have to log in every time, a cookie will store a token that keeps you logged in (securely). If you adjust settings like text size or language, a cookie may save that preference.

    • Examples: A cookie might store your preferred language as “en” for English, so that next time you visit, we load the site in English by default. Or if you closed a one-time welcome banner, a cookie might remember that you closed it so it doesn’t show on your next visit.

    • While these cookies improve your experience, our cookie banner might group them with “necessary” since often they’re harmless and expected. However, you can choose to disable them if you want (though you might lose some convenience). These cookies do not track your activity beyond our site and are not used for advertising.

  1. Analytics and Performance Cookies – To help us understand and improve our service.

    • We use these to collect information about how visitors use our website. This might include which pages are visited most, how users navigate through the site, what errors might occur, etc. Importantly, these cookies do not collect information that directly identifies you. The data is aggregated and often anonymized. We look at statistics like “100 users visited the FAQ page” or “X% of users use a mobile device.”

    • Examples: We use Google Analytics cookies (_ga, _gid, etc.) to gather site usage data. Google Analytics might assign a random ID to your browser to recognize it on your next visit, but we have configured it to anonymize IP addresses (so Google doesn’t store your full IP) and we don’t allow Google to use or share our analytics data. The information from these cookies helps us figure out things like which features are popular or if certain pages are confusing (due to quick exits). Another example could be a cookie that tracks if you encountered an error or crash, which helps us debug issues.

    • Consent: We only set these cookies if you consent via the cookie banner or settings. If you decline, we won’t load our analytics tools, and your visit will not be tracked in those analytics. If you do consent, you can always withdraw it later (more on how below).

    • You won’t notice much difference in using the site if these are off, but our ability to improve our service is enhanced when we understand usage patterns. Still, it’s your choice, and we respect it either way.

  1. Advertising and Marketing Cookies – To show relevant information (if used).

    • As of the latest update, we do not display third-party ads on Beet Online, nor do we currently use retargeting cookies (like Facebook Pixel or Google Ads cookies) on our main patient-facing site. However, we might in the future use marketing cookies to, for example, measure the effectiveness of our own ads or to reach users who have visited us with relevant campaigns.

    • Examples (potential): If we ever ran Google Ads, a Google Ads cookie might track that you visited our site and then allow us to show you a Beet Online promotion on Google search later. Or a Facebook pixel might note that a certain user signed up after seeing a Facebook ad, which helps us measure ad conversion (without identifying you personally to us; we just see aggregate numbers).

    • Consent: These would be strictly opt-in. If you don’t opt in, we won’t load these trackers. If we introduce them, you’ll see them listed in the cookie consent manager with clear descriptions.

    • If enabled, these cookies could track your browsing across other sites (because advertising networks often work across many websites). That’s why we won’t use them without your explicit permission. And again, we will never use or share sensitive health data for advertising. Any targeting would be generic (e.g., “show this ad to people who visited our homepage”).

  1. Other Tracking Technologies:

    • We may use local storage or session storage in your browser for certain tasks – for instance, storing a code for a few seconds to handle a form submission. This is similar to cookies but data stays in your browser. We treat these with the same care.

    • If we send emails, sometimes we include a small tracking pixel to know if you opened the email (helps us see if important announcements are read). You can disable images in your email if you prefer not to be tracked this way. This is outside cookies, but we mention it for transparency.

3. Cookies We Use (Summary Table)

This list includes the main cookies you may encounter while using Beet Online services. Please note that Squarespace and Semble.io may set additional cookies as part of their evolving features and functionality. Semble.io (our practice management/booking provider) may set strictly necessary cookies when you use features like booking or the patient portal. We try to update this table regularly with the information we have.

Please find our Summary table at the end of this document.

  • No sensitive personal or health information is stored in any cookie.

  • Users may manage cookies through our Cookie Preferences Manager (linked in footer) or their browser settings

4. Your Choices: Managing and Disabling Cookies

We want you to have full control over your cookie preferences. Here’s how you can manage cookies on Beet Online and generally:

  • On Our Site (Cookie Consent Tool): When you first visit, you’ll see a cookie banner asking you to accept or manage cookies. You can choose “Accept All” to allow everything, “Reject All” to allow only necessary cookies, or “Customize/Settings” to pick and choose categories. At any later time, you can access the cookie settings (there will be a “Cookie Preferences” link in the website footer or in your account settings). From there, you can modify which types of cookies you want to allow or revoke consent entirely. We will act immediately on your preferences (aside from necessary cookies which will remain). For example, if you previously allowed analytics and then opt out, our site will instruct Google Analytics to stop tracking your visits (and we will delete the GA cookies from your browser).

  • Using Browser Settings: You can control cookies through your web browser as well. Most browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc.) allow you to:

    • View what cookies are stored on your device and delete them one by one or all at once.

    • Block third-party cookies (which stops cookies from sites other than the one you’re visiting).

    • Block all cookies from being set (note: doing this might break functionality on many sites, including ours).

    • Receive a warning or require approval each time a site tries to set a cookie.

    • Use “incognito” or “private” mode which doesn’t store cookies persistently (but note, incognito still accepts cookies, it just deletes them when you close the window).

  • Each browser has a slightly different way to do this. Here’s how to find cookie settings in some popular browsers:

    • Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Cookies and other site data.

    • Firefox: Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data.

    • Safari (Mac): Preferences > Privacy > Cookies and website data.

    • Edge: Settings > Site Permissions > Cookies and site data.

  • From those settings you can clear cookies or set rules (e.g., always block or always allow certain sites). For mobile browsers, the options are usually under Settings as well (in Safari on iOS, you go to iOS Settings > Safari).

  • Cookie Opt-Out Tools: Some third parties provide their own opt-out tools. For example, Google provides a Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on that you can install to prevent your data from being used by Google Analytics on any site. Similarly, advertising networks often are part of industry opt-out sites (like the YourOnlineChoices in the EU or aboutads.info in the US) where you can globally opt out of targeted advertising cookies. Keep in mind, opting out of targeted ads doesn’t mean you won’t see any ads, just that those ads won’t be personalized using cookies.

  • Do Not Track: Some browsers have a “Do Not Track” (DNT) feature that sends a signal to websites indicating you do not want to be tracked. While there isn’t a universal standard for websites to honor DNT, we treat it as an additional indicator of your preferences. If we detect a DNT signal and you haven’t made cookie choices yet, we will default to no analytics/marketing cookies, similar to if you had opted out. However, the surest way is still to use our consent tool or browser settings.

Important Note: If you choose to block cookies (especially the necessary ones), our website may not function as intended. For instance, if you block all cookies, you might not be able to log in or schedule appointments because the site won’t remember that you’re logged in or keep items in your cart. We recommend at least allowing first-party essential cookies for a smooth experience.

However, blocking third-party cookies (while leaving first-party allowed) can often be done without severely affecting functionality. That can be a privacy-conscious middle ground if you’re concerned about tracking.

5. Cookies and Personal Data

Information collected by cookies can sometimes be considered personal data (for example, analytics cookies might capture IP addresses, which in some cases can identify a household or device). Therefore, our use of cookies involving personal data is covered by our Privacy Policy. We handle any such data according to GDPR: for non-essential cookies, our legal basis for processing is consent (per Article 6(1)(a) GDPR), since you have the choice to allow or not. For essential cookies, the processing is necessary for providing the service (which falls under contract necessity or our legitimate interest in providing a secure, functional website).

We do not attempt to personally identify visitors through cookies alone. For instance, when you visit our site without logging in, we don’t know who you are – we just see a visitor with some device info. We don’t link that info to your name unless/until you log in or provide details. Even then, we mainly use cookies for the limited purposes stated.

We also do not share cookie data with third parties except those providing services as described (e.g., Google for analytics, which acts as our data processor, not using the data beyond providing us the service; or if we ever do ads, sharing minimal data with those networks as needed, under consent). We absolutely do not sell data collected via cookies or use it for unexpected purposes.

6. Changes to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect changes in technology, law, or our business operations. If we make material changes (like adding new cookie categories or new third-party partners), we will notify you by updating the Effective Date above and, if significant, by posting a notice on our site or re-presenting the cookie consent banner. We encourage you to review this policy from time to time to stay informed about our use of cookies.

By continuing to use our site after any changes come into effect, you acknowledge the revised policy. Remember, you can always adjust your cookie settings as described.

7. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us. We’re here to help and value the trust you place in us.

  • Email: hello@beetonline.ie

You can also refer to our [Privacy Policy] for more information on how we protect user privacy and to understand your rights. If there’s anything in this policy you don’t understand or if you need further clarification, please reach out – we’d be happy to explain in more detail.

Happy browsing, and thank you for visiting Beet Online!

Table 1.1 - Cookie Summary Table