Cookie Policy
Last updated: 13 August 2026
This Cookie Policy explains how the Society for Microbial Ecology and Disease (SOMED) uses cookies and similar technologies on somed.nu.
It should be read together with the SOMED Privacy Policy.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small data files that a website or a third-party service may place or read on a user’s device when the user visits a website.
Cookies may be used to provide essential website functionality, remember choices, maintain security, understand website use or enable third-party services.
Similar technologies, including local storage, pixels, identifiers or embedded third-party technologies, may perform comparable functions. References to “cookies” in this Policy include such technologies where appropriate.
2. Legal Basis for the Use of Cookies
Cookies and similar technologies that are strictly necessary to provide a service specifically requested by the user or to ensure essential website functionality may be used without prior consent where permitted by applicable law.
Cookies and trackers that are not strictly necessary are activated only where an appropriate legal basis exists and, where required, after the visitor has provided valid consent.
Consent must be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous and may be withdrawn at any time.
Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
3. Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly necessary cookies support functions required for the website to operate securely and correctly.
They may be used for purposes such as security, network management, session functionality, protection against abuse and storing the visitor’s cookie-consent preferences.
Because these technologies are required for essential operation, they cannot normally be disabled through the website’s consent interface.
Users may configure their browser to block such cookies, but doing so may cause parts of the website to function incorrectly.
4. Functional and Preference Technologies
Functional technologies may be used to remember choices or provide enhanced website functionality.
Where such technologies are not strictly necessary and applicable law requires consent, they will be disabled until the visitor gives the relevant permission.
5. Analytics Technologies
Analytics technologies may be used to understand, in aggregate, how visitors interact with the website and to help improve its structure, performance and content.
Where analytics technology requires consent under applicable law, it will not be activated until the visitor has consented to the relevant category.
SOMED will not treat continued browsing or silence as consent.
6. Third-Party Content and Mapping Services
Certain pages may contain or provide access to third-party content.
The Contact page, for example, provides mapping functionality associated with SOMED’s address. Mapping services operated by third parties may process technical information such as the visitor’s IP address, browser or device information and may use their own cookies or similar technologies.
Where such third-party technologies require consent, they should remain blocked until the visitor has given the relevant permission.
Visitors who activate or follow a third-party service are also subject to the privacy and cookie practices of that service.
7. Social Media and Sharing Links
The website may provide buttons or links allowing visitors to share SOMED content through external platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, X/Twitter or Pinterest.
A simple external sharing link does not necessarily mean that SOMED itself places a social-media tracking cookie. However, once a visitor interacts with or navigates to an external platform, that platform may process information in accordance with its own privacy and cookie policies.
Where SOMED uses an embedded social-media technology that independently stores or accesses information on a visitor’s device, such technology will be subject to the applicable consent requirements.
8. Cookie Categories and Detailed Cookie Declaration
The website’s cookie-consent interface should provide an up-to-date declaration identifying the cookies and similar technologies detected on the website.
For each relevant cookie or tracker, the declaration should identify, where applicable, its name, provider, purpose, category and duration.
Because website technologies and third-party providers may change over time, the live cookie declaration available through Cookie Settings forms part of this Cookie Policy and should be updated through periodic scanning of the website.
SOMED does not intentionally classify a non-essential cookie as strictly necessary in order to bypass consent requirements.
9. Managing Your Cookie Preferences
When consent is required, visitors must be provided with a genuine choice to accept or reject non-essential cookies.
The website’s consent mechanism should allow visitors to:
accept all non-essential cookies, reject all non-essential cookies, or make a more granular selection by category.
Rejecting non-essential cookies should be as straightforward as accepting them.
Visitors must also be able to change or withdraw their choices later through a permanently accessible Cookie Settings link or control.
Withdrawal of consent will prevent the relevant technologies from being used in the future, subject to technical steps needed to update the visitor’s preferences.
10. Browser Settings
Most browsers allow users to view, delete, restrict or block cookies.
Browser controls operate independently from SOMED’s website consent settings. Blocking all cookies through the browser may affect essential website functions.
Visitors should consult the settings or help documentation of their browser for further information.
11. Retention and Expiry
The duration of individual cookies depends on their purpose and configuration.
Session cookies normally expire when the relevant browsing session ends, while persistent cookies remain for a specified period unless deleted earlier by the user.
The specific lifetime of detected cookies should be displayed in the website’s live cookie declaration where available.
Consent choices will be retained only for an appropriate period, after which the website may request that the visitor confirm their preferences again.
12. Personal Data and Cookies
Where information obtained through cookies or similar technologies constitutes personal data, it is processed in accordance with the SOMED Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law.
13. Changes to This Cookie Policy
SOMED may update this Cookie Policy when technologies used by the website change or where legal or regulatory requirements are updated.
Visitors are encouraged to review this page periodically.
The date at the beginning of this Policy indicates its most recent revision.
14. Contact
For questions concerning cookies, privacy or consent preferences, contact:
Society for Microbial Ecology and Disease (SOMED)
38 cours Georges Clémenceau
33000 Bordeaux, France
Email: sandrine.claus@l-n-c.fr
Telephone: +33 5 57 83 15 03
