Cookie Policy

Understanding the technology

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the website owners. Cookies do lots of different jobs, like letting you navigate between pages efficiently, remembering your preferences, and generally improving the user experience. They can also help to ensure that advertisements you see online are more relevant to you and your interests.

Some cookies may contain personal information – for example, if you click to "remember me" when logging in, a cookie will store your username. Most cookies won't collect information that identifies you, and will instead collect more general information such as how users arrive at and use our websites, or a user's general location.

Categorization of our cookies

We use several types of cookies for different purposes:

Essential cookies: These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms.

Performance cookies: These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site.

Functional cookies: These enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages.

Targeting cookies: These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertisements on other sites.

How long cookies remain active

Session cookies are temporary cookies that remain on your device until you leave our website. Persistent cookies remain on your device for much longer or until you manually delete them (how long the cookie remains on your device will depend on the duration or "lifetime" of the specific cookie and your browser settings).

Most of the cookies we use are persistent and will expire between 30 days and two years from the date they are downloaded to your device. Some of our cookies are set to last for over two years to remember your preferences when you return to our website. You can delete cookies manually at any time through your browser settings.

We regularly review the cookies we use to ensure we only keep those that are necessary for providing our services. When we introduce new cookies, we assess their lifespan and set appropriate expiration periods based on their purpose.

Origin of cookies on our site

First-party cookies are set by the website you're visiting, and they can only be read by that site. Third-party cookies are set by a different organization than the owner of the website you're visiting. For example, the website might use a third-party analytics company who would set their own cookie to perform this service.

We use both first-party and third-party cookies on our website. Our first-party cookies are primarily essential and functional cookies that make the website work properly. Third-party cookies are mostly for analytics and advertising purposes. We carefully select third-party providers who comply with data protection regulations and provide clear information about their cookie practices.

Some third-party services we use that may set cookies include Google Analytics for website analytics, Facebook Pixel for advertising tracking, and Hotjar for user behavior analysis. Each of these services has its own privacy policy which we recommend you review.

Your control over cookie settings

You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. You can exercise your cookie preferences by clicking on the appropriate opt-out links provided in the cookie table below. You can set or amend your web browser controls to accept or refuse cookies.

Most web browsers allow some control of most cookies through the browser settings. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org. Please note that if you choose to disable cookies, some features of our website may not operate as intended.

For more information about the specific cookies we use, including who sets them, their purpose, and how long they last, please see our detailed cookie table below. This table is regularly updated as we change or add cookies to our site.

Cookies necessary for basic functions

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features, such as access to secure areas. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, you cannot refuse them without impacting how our site functions.

Examples include cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website, use a shopping cart, or make use of e-billing services. These cookies don't gather information about you that could be used for marketing or remembering where you've been on the internet.

We use these cookies to maintain user sessions, prevent security threats, and ensure consistent website performance. Without these cookies, services you've asked for cannot be provided. These cookies are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms.

Cookies that help us improve our site

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site.

All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance. We use Google Analytics cookies to understand how our website is being used in order to improve the user experience.

The data collected includes the number of visitors, where visitors come from, and the pages they visit. This helps us determine which sections of the website are most popular and need enhancement, and which pages might need improvement to make the user experience better.

Keeping our policy up to date

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, legislation, or our data use practices. When we change the policy in a material way, we will update the 'last modified' date at the top of this page and notify you through prominent notice on our website or via email when required by law.

We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our cookie practices. Your continued use of our website after we make changes is deemed to be acceptance of those changes, so please check the policy periodically for updates.

If we make significant changes that affect your rights or how we use your personal information, we will provide more prominent notice and may seek your consent where required by applicable laws. Historical versions of this policy will be archived and can be made available upon request.