Cookies – what are they and how do we use them?

What is a Cookie?

A cookie is a small file,  often encrypted,  which allow a website to recognise a user’s device. It is typically made up of letters and numbers and  is downloaded on to your device when you access a website.

Cookies are generally used to help users navigate websites more efficiently and perform certain functions. Since their core role is to enhance usability and improve processes, if you disable cookies you may find that the website does not perform as well as you would expect.

When you load a particular website, a cookie is created. Every time you then revisit that specific website, the browser retrieves and sends this file to the website’s server. Computer Cookies are also being created by other websites when ads, plug-ins, widgets, or other elements on the page are being loaded. These cookies regulate how the ads appear or how the widgets and other elements function on the page.

For more information see: http://www.allaboutcookies.org/

Session and persistent cookies

Some Cookies will expire at the end of a browser session, while other are stored for longer.  Types of cookies include:

• Session cookies – these cookies are the ones which allow websites to track the various actions of a user during a browser session. They have a variety of purposes. For example, a session cookie would be working when the website you are visiting remembers what you have put in your shopping basket. Session cookies generally expire after a browser session ends.
• Persistent cookies – these cookies are stored on your device between browser sessions.  This is useful because it enables the preferences/actions of the user to be remembered across a website. Persistent cookies are also  used for a variety of purposes, however they are most famous for being used by a website to perform target advertising.
• First and third party cookies – first party cookies are the cookies which are set by a specific website visited by the user. Third party cookies are set by a domain which is not the one being visited by the user.  For example, if you visit a website and a separate company has set a cookie through that website this would be a third party cookie.

What Cookies do Norfolk Mead use on your Device?

Norfolk Mead use a mixture of session, permanent and third party cookies.  None of which store your personal information.

Are these cookies secure?

Cookies are not computer viruses, they cannot be executed nor are they self-executing, they also cannot replicate and spread to other networks to execute. Since they cannot perform these functions, they fall outside the standard definition of a virus.

Because cookies store information about a user’s browsing preferences and history,  cookies can sometimes be used to act as a form of spyware. Many anti-spyware products recognize this and will flag us certain cookies for deletion, following a scan. See here for some privacy issues and concerns.

It is recommended that you backup your computer if you would like peace of mind that your files are safe.

How can I manage cookies on the Norfolk Mead website?

To choose which cookies are used on the Norfolk Mead website use the options below, or choose the appropriate option from the pop-up in the bottom-left corner of each web page.