Cookie Policy
WHAT ARE COOKIES?
Cookies are small text files that websites can put on a computer or mobile device to track who comes to the website. The cookie helps the website recognize when that device revisits the website. This cookie does not contain chocolate chips, you cannot eat it and there is no hidden cookie jar. Cookies themselves do not identify the individual user, but rather the device used. However, some cookies may contain personal information such as user identification numbers.
Occasionally a “persistent cookie” may be stored on your computer’s hard drive. A persistent cookie allows the website to recognize you when you visit again and tailors the information presented to you based on your needs and interests.
WHAT COOKIES DO WE USE?
To better serve you, we may use “session cookies” to enhance or customize your visit to the website. Session cookies are erased during operation of your browser or when your browser is closed. For certain online services, we also use cookies and similar technologies to enable one-click login to our websites for analytics, fraud detection, and advertising. We and our third-party service providers may use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your usage of our website and online services and across different websites. Pixel tags are also used from time to time to help customize content to your interests based upon your browsing history.
Below we list the different types of cookies that we and third parties may use on our websites: Strictly Necessary Cookies, Performance Cookies, Functional Cookies, Targeting Cookies, and Social Media Cookies.
Strictly Necessary Cookies: Strictly Necessary Cookies guarantee functions without which you would not be able to use our websites and ensure amongst others that, when you call up the functionalities of a website, you are shown a version that has a broad-band-related data quantity corresponding to that of the Internet connection you are using. Moreover, such cookies take care that, in the case where you change pages, the function of changing from http to https takes place. In addition, cookies of this type store your decision regarding the use of cookies on our website.
In particular, the Strictly Necessary cookies that we use are a) cookies which are solely used for carrying out the transmission of the communication over the internet; and b) cookies which are strictly necessary in order for us to provide you the service that you explicitly requested (i.e. if these cookies are disabled, we won’t be able to provide you with the service that you have expressly requested).
The use of Strictly Necessary Cookies for the purposes described above is based on our legitimate interests to ensure the proper technical functioning, access and use of our websites, and provide you with the service(s) that you explicitly requested.
Performance Cookies: These cookies are configured to be anonymized to provide us with statistical information about performance of our websites (e.g. to count visits, traffic sources).
Functional Cookies: These cookies allow our websites to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, more personal features. This category may include third-party cookies.
Targeting Cookies: Targeting cookies are set to display targeted advertisements based upon your interests on our websites or to manage our advertising. These cookies collect information about your activities on our websites to provide you targeted advertising.
Social Media Cookies: Social media cookies collect information about social media usage, to build your profile.
NON-COOKIE TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES
We may also use web beacons (including conversion pixels) or other technologies for similar purposes as above and we may include these on our sites, in marketing e-mail messages or our newsletter, affiliated websites, to determine whether messages have been opened and links clicked on. Web beacons do not place information on your device, but they may work in conjunction with cookies to monitor website activity. The information provided below about cookies also applies to web beacons and similar technologies. Conversion pixels are small codes located on a particular web page which are triggered when someone visits a page resulting in an increase in the conversion count.
THIRD-PARTY COOKIES
Third parties, including, for example, advertising networks and providers of external services that provide web traffic analysis services, also use cookies. These cookies are placed by the relevant third party and we have no control over these cookies other than allowing them to be serviced.
CAN I REFUSE OR OPT-OUT OF COOKIES?
Most browsers automatically accept cookies. The software and hardware you use to access our websites allow you to refuse new cookies or delete existing cookies. However, refusing or deleting these cookies may limit your ability to take advantage of some of the features of our websites.
Disagree to the Use of Cookies:
You have the option of agreeing to the use of cookies that will enable you to use all functions of our websites without restrictions when visiting our websites. If you do reject the use of Performance, Functional, Targeting, or Social Media cookies, this may impact your experience and some functionality while using the website. The Strictly Necessary cookies are required for the website to function and cannot be disabled.
If you reject the use of all cookies, first-party and third-party cookies will be deactivated. We are not able to delete any third-party cookie. Therefore, you have to delete third-party cookies on your own. This can be done within the settings of your browser.
Deactivate and/or Delete Cookies Via Your Browser
Alternatively, and/or in addition, you can change your cookie settings within your internet browser. Your internet browser allows you to change your cookie settings.
The following links explain how to access cookie settings in various browsers:
Cookie settings in Internet Explorer
Cookie settings in Google Chrome
Cookie settings in Safari (OS X)
Cookie settings in Safari (iOS)
To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites, visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Last updated: November 1, 2022