Cookies are text files containing small amounts of information which are downloaded to the user’s Device when a user visits a website. Cookies do lots of different jobs, like letting the user navigate between pages efficiently, remembering their preferences, and generally improving the user experience. Cookies may tell us, for example, whether a user has visited our Sites before or whether they are a new visitor.  They can also help to ensure that advertisements users see online are more relevant to them and their interests. Some may contain the users’ Personal Information which they have provided to us on our Sites.


There are two broad categories of cookies:


First party cookies: served directly by us to the user’s computer or mobile Device

We use first party cookies to:

Allow us to understand what areas of the Sites are of interest to the user and to determine their preferences so we can better serve and provide them with tailored information from the Sites

Collect technical and navigation data such as information about the user's web browser and operating system, the frequency of a user's visits, time spent on the Sites, pages visited and, if the user arrived at the Sites from another website, the URL of that website.

Monitor the performance and security on our Sites.

 

Third party cookies: served by a Third Party on our behalf

We use Third Party cookies to:

Select which advertisements or offers are most likely to appeal to the user and display them on the Sites.

Analyze the data we obtain from our cookies to tell us how the user used the Sites.

Types of cookies used and length of time they may be stored - Cookies can remain on the user’s Device for different periods of time. Some cookies are 'session cookies', meaning that they exist only while the user’s browser is open. These are deleted automatically once the user closes his/her browser. Other cookies are 'permanent cookies', meaning that they survive after the user’s browser is closed. They can be used by websites to recognize the user’s Device when the user opens his/her browser and browses the Internet again.

The various types of cookies used by us and our partners in connection with our Sites can be classified into one of four categories.

Session cookies are necessary to provide the user with services available through the Sites and so that they can use some of its features, such as access to secure areas.  Without these cookies, services the user has asked for, like access to secure login accounts, would not be possible. These cookies expire when the session is closed by the user.

Functionality cookies retain information relevant to settings the user has chosen within our Sites allowing us to tailor the website to them.  For example:

Without these cookies, some of the functionalities we use on our Sites will become inaccessible.  
These cookies may be retained for up to 2 years.

Performance / analytics cookies are used to collect information about how visitors use our Sites.  We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve the Sites.  The cookies collect information in an anonymous form and include information such as number of visitors to the Sites, from where visitors have come to the Sites and the pages they visited. These cookies may be retained for up to 2 years.

Advertising / tracking cookies are used by Third Party advertising companies to place cookies on our Sites.  These cookies enable such companies to track user activity across various sites where they display ads and record user activities so they can show ads they consider relevant to the user as they browse the web.  These cookies are anonymous as they store information about the content the user is browsing but not about who they are. The expiration of these cookies is controlled by Privacy Policies maintained by the Third Party advertiser.
How to Control or Delete Cookies – The user has the right to choose whether or not to accept cookies.  However, please note that if a user chooses to refuse cookies they may not be able to use the full functionality of our sites.

Most browsers allow users to change their cookie settings.  These settings will typically be found in the “options” or “preferences” menu of the browser.  In order to understand these settings, the following links may be helpful.  Otherwise, the user should use the “Help” option in their browser for more details.

To limit Third Party advertising cookies, the user can turn off such cookies by visiting the following links:

The user should bear in mind that there are many more companies listed on these Sites than those that drop cookies on our website.