What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your computer or mobile device by websites that you visit. They are widely used to help websites and mobile apps operate more efficiently, make them easier to use, and to provide important features to users.
Like many other websites, our site uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our site. This helps us provide you with an optimal browsing experience and also allows us to improve our site. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
How does our site use cookies?
We use the following cookies:
Strictly necessary cookies
These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the website. Without these cookies services you have asked for, like shopping baskets or e-billing, cannot be provided.
Performance cookies
These cookies collect information about how visitors use our site, for instance, which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. It is only used to improve how our site works.
Functionality cookies
These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features. For instance, we may remember your login details so you don’t have to log in every time you visit. These cookies can also be used to remember changes you have made to text size, fonts, and other parts of web pages that you can customize. They may also be used to provide services you have asked for such as watching a video or commenting on a blog. The information these cookies collect may be anonymized and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.
Targeting and advertising cookies
These cookies are used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers. Often targeting or advertising cookies will be linked to site functionality provided by the other organizations.
Social media cookies
These cookies allow you to share what you’re doing on our site on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. For example, if you choose to ‘like’ or ‘share’ some content on our site then your activity may be logged by these third-party social media providers. They help personalize your experience on their social media platform.
Managing cookies
You can control and manage cookies in various ways. Please note that blocking or removing some types of cookies may impact your online experience and the services provided on our site. The most common way to manage cookies is through your web browser settings. You can set your browser to accept all cookies, reject certain cookies or indicate when a cookie is being sent. For more information about cookies and how to change your cookie settings, take a look at the Information Commissioner’s website.
Cookies used on our site
Below is a list of the main cookies used on our site and what we use them for:
- gat_gtag_UA* – We use Google Analytics to measure how users use and interact with our website. These cookies are used to collect information about how visitors use our site, like which pages are visited most.
- _ga – Another Google Analytics cookie used to distinguish users and sessions.
- _gid – Used to distinguish users.
- collect – Used by the social sharing platform AddThis for sharing functionality. Stores information on visitors and customizes content.
- _atuvc, _atuvs – Used by AddThis to associate data from third-party websites that place cookies with user activity across different websites. This helps deliver tailored content.
- _gaexp – Used by Google Analytics to calculate the expiration date for an Analytics session. This allows for relationship linking of user sessions.
- _gat – Used by Google Analytics to throttle the request rate for more reliable analytics. If Google Analytics is deployed via Google Tag Manager, this cookie will be named dc_gtm.
- IDE – Used by Google DoubleClick to register and report the website user’s actions after viewing or clicking one of the advertiser’s ads with the purpose of measuring the effectiveness of an ad and presenting targeted ads to the user.
- fr – Used by Facebook to deliver a series of advertisement products such as real-time bidding from third-party advertisers.
- _fbp – Used by Facebook to deliver a series of advertisement products such as real-time bidding from third-party advertisers.
- lang – Saves the user’s language settings like EN or FR for fast access on subsequent visits.
- visitor – Anonymous unique identifier of a new visitor.
- visitorViewCount – Counts views of the same visitor to render proper information.
- visitorsCount – Tracks the total number of visitors for analytics purposes.
- deviceType – Recognizes the type of device (mobile/desktop) a visitor is using.
Users can change their cookie preferences through their browser settings.
Further information
More information about cookies can be found at allaboutcookies.org
Enabling cookies helps us to give you a better experience. By continuing to use our website without changing your settings, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. If you want to know more about the cookies we use or wish to change your cookie preferences, you can do so here.