What are cookies?
Cookies are small data files sent by a website’s server to a web browser, processor memory or hard drive and stored there. They can be used for a range of different purposes, such as customising a website for a particular user, helping a user navigate a website, improving that user’s website experience, and storing that user’s preferences and login information.
Essential and non-essential cookies
Cookies can be classified as either ‘essential’ or ‘non-essential’.
Essential cookies: these are cookies that are either:
used solely to carry out or facilitate the transmission of communications over a network; or strictly necessary to provide an online service (e.g. our website or a service on our website) which you have requested.
Non-essential cookies: these are any cookies that do not fall within the definition of essential cookies, such as cookies used to analyse your behaviour on a website (‘analytical’ cookies) or cookies used to display advertisements to you (‘advertising’ cookies).
Session and persistent cookies
Cookies can be classified as either ‘session’ or ‘persistent’, depending on how long they last after they are placed on your browser.
Session cookies: session cookies last for as long as you keep your browser open. They expire when you close your browser.
Persistent cookies: persistent cookies expire at a fixed point in time or if you manually delete them from your browser, whichever occurs first.
First and third party cookies
Cookies can be classified as ‘first party’ or ‘third party’.
First party cookies: these are cookies placed on your device by our website domain.
Third party cookies: these are cookies placed on your device by third party website domains.
If you require further information about cookies in general, please visit www.allaboutcookies.org
| Cookie Name | Essential or Non-Essential? | Cookie Type | 1st or 3rd Party? | Session or Persistent? | Expiry | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smartlookcookie | Non-Essential | Functional | 3rd Party | Session | End of Browser Session | Relates to live chat programme theme being used on website. |
| ssupp.chatid | Non-Essential | Functional | 1st Party | Session | End of Browser Session | Registers user ID to provide live chat service. |
| ssupp.vid | Non-Essential | Functional | 1st Party | Persistent | 179 days | Relates to premium feature to allow video chat on live chat service. |
| _utm.gif | Non-Essential | Analytical | 1st Party | Session | End of Browser Session | Google Analytics Tracking Code that logs details about the visitor’s browser and computer. |
