About this policy
This policy explains how www.sorce.org uses cookies and similar technologies, and how you can control them.
The website is run by SORCE: Sustainable Oceanic Research Conservation and Education CIC, a Community Interest Company registered in England and Wales (company number 11363501), working with PT Sustainable Oceanic Research Conservation and Education Indonesia. In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" mean SORCE.
This policy sits alongside our Privacy Statement, which explains how we handle personal information more generally.
What cookies are
Cookies are small text files that a website stores on your device when you visit. They let a site remember things, such as your preferences, or let a service work properly.
Some cookies are set by the website you are visiting (first-party cookies). Others are set by another company whose content appears on the page, such as an embedded map (third-party cookies). Similar technologies, such as local storage, work in much the same way, and this policy covers them too.
How our website uses cookies
Our own website does not set any advertising or tracking cookies, and we do not use analytics to follow you around the site. The only thing it keeps, and only if you agree, is a record of how you found us, described below. Cookies may only come from the few third-party services described below.
- Website hosting. Our hosting and security provider may set a strictly necessary cookie to protect the site from bots and attacks. The site cannot work securely without it, so it does not need your consent.
- Visitor statistics. We use Cloudflare Web Analytics to count visits and see which pages are read. It does not use cookies, does not identify you and does not follow you across other websites.
- Our map of field sites. The Field Sites page can show an interactive map provided by Google. The map only loads when you choose to load it. When it does, Google may set cookies and receive information such as your IP address, under Google's own privacy policy.
- Fonts. One typeface on our home page is loaded from Google Fonts. This sets no cookies, but Google receives your IP address so it can deliver the font.
- Forms. Our contact, partnership and booking forms send your message through Web3Forms, which delivers it to our team by email. Web3Forms does not set cookies on our site. What you type in a form is handled as described in our Privacy Statement.
- How you found us (only if you agree). We ask whether your browser can remember how you found SORCE. If you say yes, it keeps a record of the first link or website that brought you here (or that you came to us directly), any tags on that link, the page you arrived on and the date and time; then up to ten later visits that came through a link or another website; and the reference numbers of enquiries you send us. This is stored in your browser's local storage, not a cookie. Nothing is saved before you say yes, and saying no makes no difference to using the website, contacting us or booking.
The record does not contain your name or contact details. It only reaches us if you send one of our website forms, or use an email link on our website and leave the referral line in. Once it is part of your enquiry it is linked to you, and we treat it as personal information, as our Privacy Statement explains. We use it to understand which links and partners bring people to SORCE, and to check referrals from partners who are paid commission when they introduce a booking. It is deleted from your browser automatically after 90 days, or straight away if you change your mind. - Your choice. Your browser keeps a small note of whether you said yes or no, so we do not keep asking. We ask again after a year. You can change it below, or through "Referral preferences" at the foot of every page.
- Links to other sites. Our social media icons and our Volunteer World badge are plain links. No cookies are set until you click them and leave our site; from then on, that site's own cookie policy applies.
Cookies at a glance
| Service | Provider | Where | Purpose | Cookies set? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting and security | Our hosting provider | Every page | Protects the site from bots and attacks (strictly necessary) | Possibly, short-lived |
| Field sites map | Google (Google My Maps) | Field Sites page | Shows our dive, mangrove and field sites | Yes, only after you choose to load the map |
| Fonts | Google Fonts | Home page | Displays one typeface | No (IP address only) |
| Forms | Web3Forms | Contact, CSR and Booking pages | Sends your message to our team | No |
| How you found us | SORCE (our own website) | Every page | Remembers how you found us, only if you agree; sent only with a form or email link you choose to use | No (local storage, up to 90 days; deleted at once if you change your mind) |
Cookie names and exact lifetimes are set by each provider and can change; their own policies give the current details.
Managing cookies
You can block or delete cookies at any time in your browser settings. Most browsers also let you block third-party cookies only, which would stop the map's cookies while keeping the rest of our site working.
If you block cookies, our website will still work. The field sites map may not load; you can still view it on Google Maps through the link on the Field Sites page.
Your browser's help pages explain how to do this: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge.
Changes and contact
We will update this policy if we add new services to our website, for example analytics or online donations. The date below shows when it was last reviewed.
Questions about this policy can go to enquiries@sorce.org.
Registered in England and Wales: 11363501. Version 1.2. Last reviewed 12 November 2026.