What are cookies and similar technologies?
A cookie is a small data file, often including a unique identifier, which is sent to your computer, mobile phone or tablet device (referred to in this policy as a “device”) by the web server so the website can remember some information about your browsing activity on the website. The cookie will collect information relating to your use of our Services, information about your device, e.g. the device’s IP address and browser type, broad location and, if you arrived at our site via a link from third party site, the URL of the linking page. If you have registered for any Services or you are a subscriber, it may also collect your name and email address, which may be transferred to data processors for registered user or subscriber verification purposes.
Similar technologies known as “local storage” may also be used in our Services as an alternative to cookies. This is technology which is similar to cookies and performs very similar functions, such as caching data to enable us to improve our Services, allowing you to register for our Services, tracking activity to enable us and our advertisers to advertise to you in accordance with this policy and counting the number of people who view adverts on our Services. Where we refer to “cookies” in this policy, we mean cookies or similar technologies.
Cookies record information about your online preferences and help us to tailor our Services to your interests. Information provided by cookies can help us to analyse your use of our Services and help us to provide you with a better user experience.
In addition to cookies, our Services may also use web beacons, clear GIFs, page tags and web bugs. These are all types of technology implemented by websites or third party ad servers to allow them to analyse your website use and help improve your experience of the Services.
What are the different types of cookies?
- Session cookies are only stored for the duration of your visit to a website and are deleted from your device when you close your browser;
- Persistent cookies are saved on your device for a fixed period of time after the browser has closed and are used where we (or a third party) need to identify you for a later browsing session. The fixed period of time is typically 30-90 days for targeting or behavioural advertising cookies and may be up to 26 months for analytical performance and measurement cookies;
- First party cookies are set by the website you are visiting; and
- Third party cookies are cookies used within our Services which are set by other organisations. These include cookies from external analytics services which help us to understand the use of our sites, or by advertisers so that they can track the effectiveness of their advertisements.
What are cookies used for?
1. Functional Cookies
Functional cookies are essential to the running of our Services. They are used to remember your preferences on our websites and to provide enhanced, more personal features. The information collected by these cookies is usually anonymised, so we cannot identify you personally. Functional cookies do not track your internet usage or gather information which could be used for selling advertising, but they do help with serving advertising. These cookies are usually session cookies which will expire when you close your browsing session.
2. Essential or ‘Strictly Necessary’ Cookies
These cookies are essential for the running of our Services. Without these cookies, parts of our websites would not function. These cookies do not track where you have been on the internet and do remember preferences beyond your current visit and do not gather information about you that could be used for marketing purposes. These cookies are usually session cookies which will expire when you close your browsing session.
3. Analytical Performance and Measurement Cookies
Analytical performance cookies are used to monitor the performance of our Services, for example, to determine the number of pageviews and the number of unique users a website has. Web analytics services may be designed and operated by third parties. The information provided by these cookies allows us to analyse patterns of user behaviour and we use that information to enhance user experience or identify areas of the website which may require maintenance. The information is anonymous (i.e. it cannot be used to identify you and does not contain personal information such as your name and email address) and it is only used for statistical purposes
4. Targeting or ‘Behavioural Advertising’ Cookies
These cookies, which may be placed on your device by us or our trusted third party service providers, remember that you have visited a website and use that information to provide you with content or advertising which is tailored to your interests. This is often called online behavioural advertising (OBA) and is done by grouping together shared interests based upon web browsing history. Your web browsing history can be used to infer things about you (e.g. your age, gender etc.), and this information may also be used to make advertising on websites more relevant to you. Without these cookies, content and advertisements you encounter may be less relevant to you and your interests.