What are cookies?
A cookie is a small amount of information that is downloaded to your computer or device when you visit certain websites. We use a number of different cookies on our website, including necessary, functional, performance and targeting cookies. Cookies make your browsing experience better by allowing the website to remember your actions and preferences (such as login and region selection). This means you don’t have to re-enter this information each time you return to the site or browse from one page to another. Cookies also provide information on how people use the website, for instance whether its their first time visiting or if they are a frequent visitor. We use this information to improve the browsing experience for all of our users.
What cookies do we use and why?
Some cookies are necessary to allow you to browse our website, use its features, and access secure areas. The use of these cookies is essential for the website to work, and we do not use these cookies to collect personal information about you. For example, we use user-input cookies for the duration of a session to keep track of a users input when filling in forms that span several pages.
We also use functional cookies to remember choices you’ve made or information you’ve provided, such as your username, language, or the region you are in. This allows us to tailor your website experience specifically to your preferences. For example, authentication cookies are functional cookies that are used for the duration of a session (or persistent, if you agree to the remember me function) to allow users to authenticate themselves on subsequent visits or to gain access to authorized content across pages. The functional cookies we use include:
- User-centric security cookies to detect authentication abuses for a limited persistent duration, like repeated failed login attempts. These cookies are set for the specific task of increasing the security of the service.
- Multimedia content player session cookies (flash cookies) are used for the duration of a session to store technical data needed to play back video or audio content (e.g. image quality, network link speed, and buffering parameters).
- Load balancing session cookies are used for the duration of the session to identify the same server in the pool in order for the load balancer to redirect user requests appropriately.
- User interface customization persistent cookies are used to store a users preference regarding a service across web pages.
We use performance cookies to collect information about how you use our website and how often. These cookies only gather information for statistical purposes and do not gather any information that can personally identify you. However, because these cookies are not strictly necessary for the use of our website, we require your consent to use them. The performance cookies we use include:
- Google Maps (Google Inc.)
- Google Web Fonts (Google Inc.)
How long will cookies remain on my computer or mobile device?
The length of time that a cookie remains on your computer or mobile device depends on whether it is a persistent or session cookie. Session cookies last until you stop browsing and persistent cookies last until they expire or are deleted. Most of the cookies we use are persistent and will expire between 90 days and two years from the date they are downloaded to your device. See the section below on how to control cookies for more information on removing them before they expire.
How to control cookies?
You can control and manage cookies in various ways. Please keep in mind that removing or blocking cookies can negatively impact your user experience and parts of our website may no longer be fully accessible.
Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can choose whether or not to accept cookies through your browser controls, often found in your browser’s Tools or Preferences menu. For more information on how to modify your browser settings or how to block, manage or filter cookies can be found in your browsers help file or through such sites as: www.allaboutcookies.org.
To opt-out of Google Analytics:
