What is a Cookie?

Cookies are files containing small amounts of information which are downloaded to the device you use when you visit a website. Cookies are then sent back to the originating website on each subsequent visit, or to another website that recognizes that cookie. Cookies do lots of different and useful jobs, such as remembering your preferences, and generally improving your online experience. There are different types of cookies. They all work in the same way but have minor differences.

Session Cookies

Session cookies last only for the duration of your visit and are deleted when you close your browser. These facilitate various tasks such as allowing a website to identify that a user of a particular device is navigating from page to page, supporting website security or basic functionality. Many of the cookies we use are session cookies. For example, they help us to ensure the security of your control panel session and can also keep you signed in to the control panel while you move between pages or service your account.

Our session cookies used for security are designed to be very difficult to read, change, access or use except by us when you have an active control panel session. They contain no personal information that can be used to identify an individual.

Persistent Cookies

Persistent cookies last after you have closed your browser and allow a website to remember your actions and preferences. Sometimes persistent cookies are used by websites to provide targeted advertising based upon the browsing history of the device.

We use persistent cookies in a few ways, for example, to remember your username for log on so you don’t have to. We also use persistent cookies to allow us to analyze customer visits to our site. These cookies help us to understand how customers arrive at and use our site, so we can improve service as a whole.

First and Third Party Cookies

Whether a cookie is a first or third party cookie depends on which website the cookie comes from. First party cookies are those set by or on behalf of the website visited. All other cookies are third party cookies. We use both first party and third-party cookies, which you can read more about in our list of the cookies that we use.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the website and use its features and ensure the security of our website. Without these cookies, services you have asked for, such as applying for products and managing your services, cannot be provided. These cookies do not gather information about you for the purposes of marketing.

Performance Cookies

These cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies do not collect information that identifies a visitor although they may collect the IP address of the device used to access the site. All information these cookies collect is anonymous and is only used to improve how a website works, the user experience and to optimize our advertising. By accepting our cookies, you agree that we can place these types of cookies on your device, however you can block these cookies using your browser settings.

Functionality Cookies

These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name). They may also be used to provide services you have requested such as watching a video. The information these cookies collect is anonymized (i.e. it does not contain your name, address, account details, etc.) and they do not track your browsing activity across other websites. By accepting our cookies, you agree that we can place these types of cookies on your device, however you can block these cookies using your browser settings.

Targeting Cookies

These cookies collect several pieces of information about your browsing habits. They are usually placed by advertising networks. They remember that you have visited a website, and this information is shared with other organizations such as media publishers.

These organizations do this in order to provide you with targeted adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They do not store directly personal information but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. By accepting our cookies, you agree that we can place these types of cookies on your device, however you can block these cookies using your browser settings.

By accepting our cookies, you agree that we can place these types of cookies on your device, however you can block these cookies using your browser settings.