Cookies are small files which are sent back and forth with web pages which can be used to identify that you have previously visited a site, or to store small bits of information locally with you. If you want to know more about what cookies are and how to control them, AboutCookies.orga is a good resource, or read on to see what cookies are used for.
| Affiliate | an affiliate is a website operator who can send traffic to a website using links from another website. The affiliate is paid an agreed commission from the referral |
| First & third-party cookies | whether a cookie is ‘first’ or ‘third’ party refers to the domain placing the cookie |
| First-party cookies | are those set by a website that is being visited by the user at the time — the website displayed in the URL window |
| Third-party cookies | are set by a domain other than that of the website being visited by the user. If a user visits a website and another entity sets a cookie through that website this would be a third-party cookie |
| Persistent cookies | remain on a user’s device for the period of time specified in the cookie. They are activated each time that the user visits the website that created that particular cookie |
| Session cookies | allow website operators to link the actions of a user during a browser session. A browser session starts when a user opens the browser window and finishes when they close the browser window. Session cookies are created temporarily. Once you close the browser, all session cookies are deleted |
| Flash cookies | many websites use Adobe Flash Player to deliver video and game content to their users. Adobe utilise their own cookies, which are not manageable through our browser settings but are used by the Flash Player for similar purposes, such as storing preferences or tracking users. Flash Cookies work in a different way to web browser cookies (the cookie types listed above are all set via your browser); rather than having individual cookies for particular jobs, a website is restricted to storing all data in one cookie. You can control how much data can be stored in that cookie but you cannot choose what type of information is allowed to be stored. |
Our CMS stores session cookies. We also use Google Analytics and Google Maps which store google cookies. For more details on google cookies please visit www.google.com/policies/technologies/types/.
For further background information on the EU directive and cookies, please visit the Information Commissioner’s Office www.ico.gov.uk which provides full information and a downloadable Cookies Guidance PDF.