What are Cookies?
Cookies and similar tracking technologies, such as tags, scripts and beacons, are small pieces of code (referred to as cookies hereafter) that are stored on a device (computer, mobile phone, tablet etc) and enable a website to “personalise” itself to users by remembering information about the user’s visit to the website. Cookies are used to collect information, where available, about your device, your IP address, operating system and browser type and how you have interacted with our websites.
While cookies are used to identify users and devices, they only ever collect non-personal information such as IP addresses, device IDs. If the data cookies collect are ever merged with any other information with which you have provided us, such as email addresses, these are anonymised in such a way that identification to actual people is impossible.
How do cookies work?
Our websites use cookies to:
• Store any preferences you have made and display content to you in a more personalised way
• Evaluate our websites’ advertising and promotional effectiveness
• Gain insight into the nature of our audience so we can tailor our content accordingly
What type of cookie do we use?
• Per-session cookies – We only use these while you are visiting our website and they are deleted when you leave. They remember you as you move between pages. They also help maintain security.
• Persistent cookies – These cookies stay on your computer until they expire or are deleted. We set automatic deletion dates so that we don’t keep your information for longer than we need to.
First and third-party cookies – Whether a cookie is ‘first’ or ‘third’ party refers to the website or domain placing the cookie. First party cookies in basic terms are cookies set by a website visited by the user – the website displayed in the URL window. Third party cookies are cookies that are set by a domain other than the one being visited by the user. If a user visits a website and a separate company sets a cookie through that website this would be a third-party cookie. We use only one third-party cookie, which is a Google Analytics cookie to collect information, where available, about your device, your IP address and browser type and how you have interacted with our websites.
If you decide not to accept the use of cookies, and disable the function when prompted, the website may not function correctly.
Browser-level cookie controls
Most browsers allow you to manage cookie settings. These settings can usually be found in the ‘Settings’, ‘Options’ or ‘Preferences’ menu of your browser. The links below are provided to help you find the settings for some common browsers.
- Manage cookie settings in Chromeand Chrome Android and Chrome iOS
- Manage cookie settings in Firefox
- Manage cookie settings in Internet Explorer
- Manage cookie settings in Microsoft Edge
- Manage cookie settings in Safariand Safari iOS