Foreign Service Network — How we use cookies and similar technologies
Effective date: October 2026 · Version: 1.2
Cookies are small text files placed on your device by a website you visit. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently and to provide information to website operators. Cookies cannot harm your device and do not contain personally identifiable information on their own — they typically store a small identifier that links back to data held on the server.
We use cookies in two categories: strictly necessary cookies (which the platform cannot function without) and functional/preference cookies (which improve your experience but are not essential).
We do not currently use advertising or tracking cookies, and we do not share cookie data with advertisers.
| Cookie name | Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
sessionid |
Strictly necessary | Maintains your login session. Without this cookie you cannot remain signed in. | Session (expires when browser closes) or up to 14 days if "remember me" is selected |
csrftoken |
Strictly necessary | Protects against cross-site request forgery attacks. Required for any form submission. | 1 year |
fsn_cookie_consent |
Functional | Remembers that you have accepted this cookie notice so we don't show it again. | 12 months |
FSN does not use third-party analytics, advertising or social-media cookies. The fonts, scripts and map data our pages need are served from our own servers, and our hosting provider sets no cookies of its own. In two situations a third-party service is involved:
| Service | What it does | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Form protection | Checks that a sign-up or contact form is being completed by a person and not an automated program. It receives your IP address and browser information, and may set a cookie or store a small token in your browser. | Only on the sign-up (registration) forms and the form for reporting an issue with a directory listing |
| Payments and identity verification | If you choose to pay, or to verify your identity instantly, you are taken to pages operated by our payment and identity-verification provider. Those pages set their own cookies under the provider's own cookie notice. | Only when you choose to pay or to verify instantly |
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies or to be notified when a cookie is set. Note that disabling strictly necessary cookies (particularly sessionid and csrftoken) will prevent the FSN platform from working correctly — you will not be able to log in.
For more information on managing cookies in your browser:
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.
If you have questions about our use of cookies:
Email: privacy@foreignservice.network
