NCI Porthole

Cookie policy

Last updated: 2 October 2026. J W Lockton Ltd sets these cookies and similar storage for NCI Porthole.

Strictly necessary

UK cookie rules (the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations) allow cookies that are strictly necessary to provide a service you have asked for, without asking you to consent first. Every cookie Porthole sets is in that category. We do not use advertising cookies, analytics cookies, or third-party marketing trackers.

The notice on your first visit explains this and links here. Closing it only stops the notice from appearing again. It does not turn extra cookies on. Blocking cookies in your browser will also block sign-in.

Cookies

  • porthole_session — keeps you signed in. It holds a random token. The session itself is stored on the server. The cookie is HttpOnly, so page scripts cannot read it. It lasts 30 days, or 90 days if you tick “Stay signed in on this device”, and it is cleared when you sign out.
  • porthole_profile_incomplete — remembers that phone, date of birth, and next of kin are still needed after an invitation or a first sign-in. It lasts up to 30 days and is cleared when the profile is complete or you sign out.
  • porthole_admin_station — remembers which station a platform administrator has opened. It lasts 14 days. Ordinary members do not get this cookie.
  • nci-display — remembers large print, contrast, and theme so those choices survive the next visit. It lasts about 400 days.

Storage in the browser

The same rules treat local storage as similar technology. Porthole uses it only for choices on your device:

  • porthole_cookie_consent — records that you closed the cookie notice, so it is not shown on every visit.
  • theme — the theme choice used by the site theme.
  • porthole_announcement_dismissed — records that you hid a site announcement on this device. The key includes a marker for that announcement.
  • porthole_add_to_home_dismissed — records that you hid the add-to-home-screen hint.
  • nci-on-watch-theme — light or dark on the public on-watch page.
  • nciDarkMode and nciCalculatorState — the calculator’s theme and the figures you last used, kept in the browser for that station. They are not sent to us as an account record.

The calculator page

The station calculator loads map scripts from unpkg and jsDelivr, and map tiles from Esri. Those requests happen only when that page is opened, because the map is part of the calculator you asked to use. Your IP address is sent to those providers with the request. We do not drop their cookies on the rest of the site.

How to control them

You can delete cookies and site data in your browser settings. If you block the session cookie, you will need to sign in again, and you may not be able to stay signed in. Display choices can also be changed on Me while you are signed in.

More about how personal information is used is in the privacy notice.