Cookie Policy

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a harmless text file that is stored in your browser when you visit almost any website. The purpose of a cookie is to enable the website to recognise you when you return to it. Although many people are unaware of this, cookies have been in use for 20 years, ever since the first web browsers for the World Wide Web appeared.

What is a cookie NOT?

It is not a virus, a Trojan, a worm, spam, spyware, or something that opens pop-up windows.

What information does a cookie store?

Cookies do not usually store sensitive information about you, such as credit card or bank details, photographs, your ID number or personal details, etc. The data they store is of a technical nature, such as personal preferences and content customisation, etc.

The web server does not associate you as a person, but rather your web browser. In fact, if you usually browse using Internet Explorer and try browsing the same website using Firefox or Chrome, you will see that the website does not realise that you are the same person, because it is actually associating the browser, not the person.

What types of cookies are there?

  • Technical cookies: These are the most basic type of cookie and enable, amongst other things, the website to distinguish between a human user and an automated application, and between an anonymous user and a registered user – tasks that are essential for the functioning of any dynamic website.
  • Analytics cookies: These collect information about your browsing behaviour, the sections you visit most frequently, the products you view, the time of day you use the site, your language settings, etc.
  • Advertising cookies: These display adverts based on your browsing activity, your country of origin, language, etc.

What are first-party and third-party cookies?

First-party cookies are those generated by the website you are visiting, whilst third-party cookies are those generated by external services or providers such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc.

What happens if I disable cookies?

To help you understand the implications of disabling cookies, here are a few examples:

  • You will not be able to share content from that website on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media platform.
  • The website will not be able to tailor its content to your personal preferences, as is often the case with online shops.
  • You will not be able to access the personal section of that website, such as “My Account”, “My Profile” or “My Orders”.
  • Online shops: You won’t be able to shop online; you’ll have to order by phone or visit the physical shop, if there is one.
  • You will not be able to customise your regional settings, such as time zone, currency or language.
  • The website will not be able to carry out web analytics on visitors and website traffic, which will make it difficult for the site to remain competitive.
  • You will not be able to post on the blog, upload photos, post comments, or rate or review content. The website will also be unable to tell whether you are a human or an automated programme posting spam.
  • Targeted advertising will no longer be possible, which will reduce the website’s advertising revenue.
  • All social media platforms use cookies; if you disable them, you will not be able to use any social media platforms.

Can cookies be deleted?

Yes. Not only delete, but also block – either generally or specifically for a particular domain.

To delete cookies from a website, go to your browser settings, where you can locate the cookies associated with the relevant domain and delete them.

Here’s how to access a specific cookie in the Chrome browser. Note: these steps may vary depending on your browser version:

  1. Go to Settings or Preferences via the File menu or by clicking the customisation icon in the top-right corner.
  2. You will see various sections; click on the “Show advanced options” option.
  3. Go to Privacy, Content settings.
  4. Select “All cookies and site data”.
  5. A list of all cookies, sorted by domain, will appear. To make it easier to find cookies from a specific domain, enter part or all of the address in the ‘Search for cookies’ field.
  6. Once you have applied this filter, one or more lines containing the cookies from the requested website will appear on the screen. Now simply select the one you want and click the X to delete it.

To access the cookie settings in Internet Explorer, follow these steps (these may vary depending on your browser version):

  1. Go to Tools, Internet Options
  2. Click on Privacy.
  3. Move the slider to set your preferred privacy level.

To access the cookie settings in Firefox, follow these steps (these may vary depending on your browser version):

  1. Go to Options or Preferences, depending on your operating system.
  2. Click on Privacy.
  3. Under “History”, select “Use a custom setting for history”.
  4. You will now see the “Accept cookies” option; you can enable or disable it according to your preferences.

To access the cookie settings in the Safari browser for OS X, follow these steps (these may vary depending on the browser version):

  1. Go to Preferences, then Privacy.
  2. Here you will see the “Block cookies” option, which allows you to choose the type of blocking you wish to apply.

To access the cookie settings in the Safari browser for iOS, follow these steps (these may vary depending on the browser version):

  1. Go to Settings, then Safari.
  2. Go to Privacy and Security, where you’ll see the ‘Block cookies’ option, allowing you to set the type of blocking you want to apply.

To access your browser’s cookie settings on Android devices, follow these steps (these may vary depending on your browser version):

  1. Open your browser and press the Menu key, then select Settings.
  2. Go to Security and Privacy, where you will see the “Accept cookies” option; tick or untick the box.

To access the browser’s cookie settings on Windows Phone devices, follow these steps (these may vary depending on the browser version):

  1. Open Internet Explorer, then More, then Settings
  2. You can now tick or untick the “Allow cookies” box.