Cookie Notice

Last updated June 15, 2024

This website uses cookies to better the user experience of its visitors. Where applicable, this website uses a cookie control system, allowing users to allow or disallow the use of cookies on their computer/device on their first visit to the website. This complies with recent legislative requirements for websites to obtain explicit consent from users before leaving behind or reading files such as cookies on a user’s computer/device.

Cookies are small files saved to a user’s computer/device hard drive that track, save, and store information about the user’s interactions and website use. They allow a website, through its server, to provide users with a tailored experience within the site.

Users are advised to take necessary steps within their web browser security settings to block all cookies from this website and its external serving vendors if they wish to deny the use and saving of cookies from this website to their computer’s/device’s hard drive.

Cookie Groups by Function

Necessary Cookies

1. Also known as "essential" cookies, these are required for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They are typically set in response to actions made by the user, such as setting privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms.

• Function: Ensure proper website functionality
• Lifespan: Session-based or persistent, depending on the function.
• Necessity: Mandatory for website operation.
• Impact: Minimal privacy impact as they do not track personal information beyond essential function.

Preference Cookies

1. These cookies enable a website to remember information that changes the way the site behaves or looks, like your preferred language or the region you are in. They are set to improve the user experience by personalizing content.

• Function: Store user preferences to provide personalized content.
• Lifespan: Typically persistent to remember settings between visits.
• Necessity: Enhance user experience but not essential.
• Impact: Low privacy impact, improves usability.

Analytics Cookies

1. Analytics cookies help website owners to understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously. They track things like how long a visitor stays on a page and which pages are visited.

• Function: Collect data on user behavior for analysis and site improvement.
• Lifespan: Can be session-based or persistent for longitudinal analysis.
• Necessity: Important for website optimization but not essential.
• Impact: Moderate privacy impact; should be used transparently.

Marketing Cookies

1. Used to track visitors across websites. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and thereby more valuable for publishers and third-party advertisers.

• Function: Track users across websites for targeted advertising.
• Lifespan: Usually persistent to track users over time.
• Necessity: Non-essential but important for marketing strategies.
• Impact: High privacy impact, requires explicit consent.

Cookie Groups by Duration

Session Cookies

1. These are temporary cookies that remain in the cookie file of your browser until you leave the site. They’re used for various reasons, such as tracking a user’s session to facilitate transactions on a website.

• Function: These cookies are designed to collect and store information while the user accesses a web page. They are used to manage user sessions, perform transactions, and ensure smooth navigation through the site. Session cookies help remember selections and choices made during the visit (like login status or form inputs) and are critical for functionalities such as e-commerce shopping carts.
• Lifespan: Session cookies are temporary and are deleted automatically when the browsing session ends—this occurs when the user closes the browser.
• Necessity: Essential for the functionality of many websites, providing seamless user experiences during a single session.
• Impact: Minimal privacy impact, as they do not track user behavior across multiple sessions or websites. They are generally considered privacy-friendly because they cannot gather data over time.

Persistent Cookies

1. These remain in the cookie file of the browser for much longer (though how long will depend on the lifetime of the specific cookie). They’re used for purposes such as remembering your preferences and choices when visiting a site.

• Function: Persistent cookies help websites remember your information and settings for future visits. This results in faster and more convenient access since you don’t have to log in again every time you visit. They are used for a variety of purposes, including user preference storage, targeting/advertising, and analytics.
• Lifespan: These cookies remain in the user’s device for the period specified in the cookie (which could be minutes, days, or years after the browser session ends) or until manually deleted by the user.
• Necessity: Not essential for website functionality but important for enhancing user experience, conducting analytics, and delivering personalized advertising.
• Impact: Higher privacy impact compared to session cookies, as they track user behavior over time and across sessions. Their use requires clear notification and often consent due to their potential to build detailed profiles of user activity.

Cookie Groups by Origin

First-party Cookies

1. These are set by the web server of the visited page and share the same domain. Primarily used for the smooth functionality of the site.

• Function: These are set by a domain other than the one visited by the user. Used primarily for tracking and online-advertising purposes, they allow advertisers to track a user’s browsing history across multiple websites and deliver targeted advertisements that are relevant to the user’s interests.
• Lifespan: Typically persistent to enable long-term tracking across sessions and websites.
• Necessity: Non-essential for a website’s basic functionality but crucial for advertising networks to deliver personalized marketing content.
• Impact: High privacy impact, as they enable the creation of detailed profiles of users’ browsing habits and histories. Their use is subject to strict regulations in many jurisdictions, and they require explicit consent from users in places like the European Union under GDPR.

Third-party Cookies

1. These are set by a domain other than the one visited by the user. Used for cross-site tracking, retargeting, and ad-serving.

• Function: These are set by a domain other than the one visited by the user. Used primarily for tracking and online-advertising purposes, they allow advertisers to track a user’s browsing history across multiple websites and deliver targeted advertisements that are relevant to the user’s interests.
• Lifespan: Typically persistent to enable long-term tracking across sessions and websites.
• Necessity: Non-essential for a website’s basic functionality but crucial for advertising networks to deliver personalized marketing content.
• Impact: High privacy impact, as they enable the creation of detailed profiles of users’ browsing habits and histories. Their use is subject to strict regulations in many jurisdictions, and they require explicit consent from users in places like the European Union under GDPR.

Additional Cookie Groups/Sub-categories

Security Cookies

1. Used specifically for enhancing the security of a website and its users. They help in authentication, preventing fraudulent use of login credentials, and protecting user data from unauthorized parties.

• Function: Security cookies are essential for protecting user data and preventing fraudulent use of login credentials. They help to secure user authentication sessions and protect against unauthorized access to user accounts. These cookies play a critical role in enforcing security measures on a website, including those that prevent fraudulent activities and enhance web security.
• Lifespan: Can be session-based for short-term security measures or persistent for ongoing security preferences.
• Necessity: Essential for websites that require user login and authentication to ensure the security and privacy of user interactions.
• Impact: Minimal privacy impact since they are designed to protect user data. Their use is generally viewed as beneficial and necessary for security reasons.

Social Media Cookies

1. These cookies are set by social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests.

• Function: Social media cookies are set by social media platforms on websites that include social media features like share buttons or embedded content. They enable users to share content across social platforms and can provide tracking that social media services use for targeting advertisements or analyzing platform usage.
• Lifespan: Typically persistent to track users across sessions and provide consistent social media integration and personalization.
• Necessity: Non-essential for the basic functionality of a website but important for integrating social media features that enhance user experience and engagement.
• Impact: Can have a moderate to high privacy impact due to their ability to track users across websites and gather data on user preferences and social interactions.

Functional Cookies

1. While often grouped with preference cookies, functional cookies deserve a separate mention as they enable additional website functionality beyond the basic operation. This can include video playback, live chat services, and more personalized features beyond what preference cookies cover.

• Function: Social media cookies are set by social media platforms on websites that include social media features like share buttons or embedded content. They enable users to share content across social platforms and can provide tracking that social media services use for targeting advertisements or analyzing platform usage.
• Lifespan: Typically persistent to track users across sessions and provide consistent social media integration and personalization.
• Necessity: Non-essential for the basic functionality of a website but important for integrating social media features that enhance user experience and engagement.
• Impact: Can have a moderate to high privacy impact due to their ability to track users across websites and gather data on user preferences and social interactions.

Content Personalization Cookies

1. These are used to gather data on your browsing behavior to tailor content and media to your interests. While they can overlap with marketing cookies, their primary function is to enhance the content experience on a site rather than to promote third-party marketing efforts.

• Function: These cookies track browsing habits and are used to deliver more relevant content to the user. By understanding the user’s preferences and interactions with the site, these cookies tailor the web experience to each user, displaying content or offers that are more likely to be of interest.
• Lifespan: Typically persistent to allow for long-term personalization of content across multiple visits.
• Necessity: Not essential for website functionality but important for providing a customized and relevant user experience.
• Impact: Moderate privacy impact, as they involve tracking user preferences and content engagement to personalize the experience. Transparency and user consent are important for their use.

Performance Cookies

1. Separate from analytics cookies, performance cookies specifically focus on collecting data related to the performance of the website, like page loading speeds and error messages. This information is used to improve website functionality.

• Function: Performance cookies collect information about how users interact with a website, like which pages are visited most frequently and if error messages are received from web pages. These cookies are used exclusively to improve the performance of the website and the user experience they provide by optimizing content and functionality.
• Lifespan: Can be session-based to analyze specific visit data or persistent to measure performance over time.
• Necessity: Important for website owners looking to monitor and enhance their site’s performance and user experience but not essential for website use.
• Impact: Low privacy impact since they are designed to collect data anonymously without identifying individual users. They focus on improving website functionality and efficiency.

Considerations for Further Classification

1. Regulatory Requirements: Depending on the jurisdiction of your operation or your users, there may be a need to classify cookies in a way that aligns with specific legal requirements or consumer protection standards.
2. Technical Distinctions: Beyond purpose, cookies can also be classified based on their technical attributes, such as whether they are HTTP-only (restricting access to cookie information by scripts) or Secure (ensuring transmission of cookie data over secure protocols).
3. Industry-Specific Needs: Certain industries may have unique needs or conventions for cookie classification, reflecting the specific privacy concerns or user expectations in those sectors.

Name, types and purpose of cookies we use:

If you have any questions regarding your personal data, feel free to contact us via [email protected]

You can disable cookies in your browser, including deleting your browser history.

You can always change or block all or some cookies except those that are necessary for the site to function.

If you choose to block or delete cookies, some functionality of the site may be unavailable and the functionality of the site may be affected.

Cookie Deletion Guide for Users

This guide will help you manage your privacy and browsing experience by explaining how to delete cookies from your web browser. Cookies are small pieces of data used by websites to remember your preferences and track your online activity. Deleting them can help protect your privacy and clear some storage space on your device.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Deleting Cookies

Google Chrome (Android):

Google Chrome (iOS):

Google Chrome (desktop):

Mozilla Firefox:

Opera:

Microsoft Edge (desktop):

Safari (iOS):

Safari (MacOS):

Explanation of Cookie Groups

For a more informed cookie management, it’s helpful to understand the different types of cookies used by websites:

• Analytics Cookies (_ga, _gid, _gat_UA-*): These cookies collect data on how you use the website, such as which pages you visit and how you interact with the site. This data is used to improve the website’s performance and your user experience.
• Necessary Cookies (_ugemdesign_session): These cookies are essential for the website to function correctly, ensuring basic functionalities and security features of the website.

When deciding whether to delete cookies, consider that:

• Deleting Analytics Cookies might lead to a less personalized experience on the website, as these cookies help site owners understand how users interact with their site.
• Deleting Other Cookies could impact your browsing session on specific sites, possibly logging you out or resetting your session.

This guide aims to provide you with the knowledge to manage cookies effectively, improving your overall internet privacy and security. Remember, deleting cookies will sign you out of websites and could affect your browsing experience by resetting site preferences.