document: title: cookie policy
text: Web Technology Used

When you visit one of our websites, we may use the following web technologies:

Cookies: Subject to your web browser’s settings, we collect information that is sent to us automatically by your web browser when you access our websites by help of a cookie. This information typically includes the IP address currently assigned to your computer and the type of operating system and browser installed.  
A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your computer's hard disk by a web server.

We distinguish between “session cookies” and “persistent cookies” .

Change Cookie Preferences

Session Cookies: We use session cookies to assign a randomly-generated unique identification number to your computer each time you visit one of our websites. A session cookie expires after you close your browser. We use session cookies to support the functionality of our websites and to understand your use of our websites, i.e. which pages you visit, which links you use, and how long you stay on each page.

Persistent cookies: Where admitted, we use persistent cookies, which do not expire immediately after you close your browser, but stay on your computer until they expire after a set period of time or you delete them. Each time you visit any of our websites, our web server will recognize the persistent cookie on your computer's hard drive. By assigning your computer a persistent, unique identifier, we are able to create a database of your previous choices and preferences. The unique identifier also helps us to keep a more accurate account of how often you visit our websites, how often you return, how your  use of our websites may vary over time, and the effectiveness of our promotional efforts. This information is however not revealing your personal data, it solely reveals movements made on your computer. If you access our websites through an e-mail we have sent you or you've created a "user identity" during one of your visits, the information provided by our or our third party service provider’s cookies may be linked to information in our records that identifies you personally.

Consent to Use Cookies: Session cookies do not require your prior consent, if they are necessary for the functioning of the website and will expire once you have left the site. Persistent cookies that track your previous choices and preferences but are not necessary for the functioning of the website require your express prior consent. We will not send you any third-party  persistent cookie until you have consented through an opt-in function on our websites. When you do consent, we will set a persistent cookie that will track your cookie preference for future site visits. For a list of cookies on our websites and their purpose, click here. Please keep in mind that while these cookies may not be necessary, they are mainly used to customize and thereby improve your website experience.

Web Beacons: The pages on our websites may contain electronic images known as "web beacons" - sometimes called "single-pixel gifs" or "clear gifs." We use these web beacons to learn more about the ways visitors use our web sites and to measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns. We may also include web beacons in promotional e-mail messages in order to determine whether messages have been opened and acted upon. elink information obtained using any web beacons to other information that identifies you personally.

Cookies currently used on the websites  
The current state of our cookie use, their purpose, intrusiveness and persistence is as follows:

•    Consent Cookie  
•    Session ID  
•    Analytics  
•    Site Navigation  
•    3rd Party Cookies  
•    Flash Local Shared (LSO)  
•    Other 

Consent Cookie: Once a user chooses to consent to our use of cookies, as outlined on this page, then we may place a cookie on your computer. This only stores the word "true" or the word “false” and is not set to expire in the near future, after consent is given.

Session IDs: Our web server may create session cookies which are essential for your use of some of the interactive elements of the website, such as contact forms and logging in.  The cookie contains a session ID which is a mechanism for distinguishing your visit to our website from any other visitors that may be using the website at the same time. Session cookies are considered necessary for the use of the website and do not require your consent.

Analytics: We use Google Analytics, which creates a number of first-party cookies, which allow us to ensure that subsequent visits to our website are recorded as belonging to the same (unique) visitor and to show us how you found us.

Content Management and Site Navigation: Our content management tool creates a number of first-party cookies, which are session cookies and are deleted when you close your browser. These cookies help our websites to function correctly. This data is aggregated and not personally identifiable.

We use the data that is collected using these first-party cookies to report, in aggregate, how our visitors find and use our website; we use those reports to understand overall visitor behaviour and we use that understanding to update and improve our websites.

Third-party Cookies  
Third party cookies are cookies created by our partners; when allowing these partners to embed a cookie on a page of any of our websites, we request them to obtain your prior consent before collecting information through such cookie. As well as using cookies from our advertising partners, from time to time we may also embed external content from other third party websites within our website. These cookies are specific to the third party’s domain and accordingly the data held in them can be seen and managed by the third party solely.  These include sites such as Facebook and Twitter, whose cookie usage policy you can view on their own websites. We also use the Google Maps tools on the basis that Google adheres to its privacy policy, we use the “like” plug-in of Facebook on the basis that Facebook adheres to its data use policy. The use of these plugins represents current best practice. We have ni direct control over the content of the cookies these plugins create.

Flash Local Shared Object (LSO) storage  
We may periodically use the YouTube service to host video content and embed YouTube's player in our web pages to allow you to watch the video without leaving our website.  YouTube's embedded player currently creates and updates a Flash LSO.  We have no direct control over YouTube's use of the data stored in this object. For more information, please refer to YouTube’s privacy policy.

Other cookies we may be using  
We occasionally trial other services which may create cookies on your computer. If we are currently doing so then these trials will be listed here.