Cookies and Data
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that websites send to your computer. A cookie can be thought of as an internet user’s identification card. They let the website know when the user has returned. This might be used to bring up information relevant to that user when they revisit a website, for example their name, past orders, and similar details.
Cookies make the interaction between users and websites faster and easier. Without cookies, it would be very difficult for a website to allow a visitor to fill a shopping basket or to remember the user’s preferences or registration details for a future visit. For example, an e-commerce website uses cookies to allow customers to move from one part of the website to another and to add items to the shopping basket without having to log in repeatedly.
What Cookies Are Not
Cookies are not computer programs and cannot read other information saved on your hard drive. They cannot be used to spread viruses or obtain a user’s email address. They only contain and transfer to the website as much information as the users themselves have disclosed to that website.
It is possible to opt out of cookies via your browser’s cookie settings. Please note that cookies are device-specific, so if you log on to any site from a different computer, only the cookie settings on that computer will apply.
Cookies cannot be programmed, cannot carry viruses, and cannot install malware on the host computer. However, they can be used to track users’ browsing activities, which became a major privacy concern and prompted European and US lawmakers to take action.
Cookies are used by most websites for a variety of reasons, often very practical reasons connected to the operation of the website. They are also used to monitor how people use a website, including which pages are visited and how long is spent on each page. Each visitor session is tracked, even though no effort is made to identify them personally.
The law in the EU now states that you must be able to opt out of having cookies stored on your computer.
Why Do We Use Cookies?
- We use cookies to make our website easier for you to use
- We use cookies to help stop our online forms from being used to send spam email
- We use cookies to monitor usage so we can spot trends and make improvements
- We do not use cookies to identify individuals, and never will
- We do not store personal information in cookies
We believe that our use of cookies is necessary for the smooth functioning of the website. We do not believe that they pose any threat to your personal privacy or online security, and we recommend that you indicate that you will allow cookies.
If you disable cookies, any interactive functions of the website may not operate properly. This might include data submission via forms, user registration, user login, and any other features of the website that cannot work fully without cookies.
Cookie Laws
The original EU legislation that became known as the “E-Privacy Directive” was published in 2003 and implemented as European Directive 2002/58/EC. It was concerned more broadly with the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector.
In 2009, the Directive was amended by Directive 2009/136/EC, which included a requirement to seek consent for cookies and similar technologies. The EU Directive entered UK law on 26 May 2011 as the “Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) (Amendment) Regulations 2011”. It is regulated by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk, which decided that enforcement would commence from 26 May 2012.
How Do I Disable Cookies?
You can disable cookies using your browser’s settings or control panel. Please refer to your browser’s user guide for details.
What Happens If You Disable Cookies?
If you decide to disable cookies, most of the website should still work as expected, although functions that rely on cookies will be disabled. These functions include using online forms or any feature that requires a login or person-specific preferences.
This has a couple of consequences:
- If you delete all your cookies, you will have to tell us your preferences again
- If you use a different device, computer profile, or browser, you will have to tell us your preferences again
Different Types of Cookies
When you visit our sites, cookies are either served directly by us or by our business partners. Here is a description of the different kinds of cookies we may use:
Essential Cookies
These cookies allow you to use the basic functionality of our website. For example, browsing our products, ordering and paying for items, checking your account information, and viewing your order history.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to understand how you use our website. They are used to analyse visitor information such as usage and visitor numbers, help us see how effective our advertising is, and help us understand what you like. We also use this information to improve our website, make our marketing more relevant, and improve the user experience.
Functionality Cookies
These cookies allow us to provide additional functionality on the website and retain certain settings information. While not essential for the functionality of our site, they do enable extra features that should improve your website experience.
Targeting Cookies
We may also use targeting cookies to track visitors’ interest in our services. We may use this to make our offers as appropriate as possible. Browsing behaviour can also be used to create relevant banner advertising with recommendations that we believe best relate to the items you viewed on our website.
We may in future also use browsing behaviour data to create personal product recommendations on our website, in our marketing emails, and in our printed catalogue.
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