What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed by a website on a visitor’s computer, which is then readable by that website at a later point in time.

They are not programs; they are not by themselves malicious and they can be very helpful. They are mainly used to help recall something about the user, their visit, their preferences and are very common to most websites. For example they are used to remember usernames/passwords on many websites, preferences for country location or language, and they are critical for wishlists and shopping baskets when using an e-commerce site.

They are often used for analytics, i.e. to monitor visitor behaviour while on a website. This means that website owners can check which pages are the most popular, which get visited first, how a visitor navigates a site, how long they visit and more. This is generally used to improve site design but can be used for marketing by the website owner.

Cookies can also be used by advertising and marketing companies to track your visits, what adverts you see and whether you click any adverts, but also to offer targeted marketing, that is adverts which are more relevant to you.

Cookie Law

On 26 May 2011, the European Union (EU) e-Privacy Directive became law. The ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) is the department responsible for implementing these regulations within the UK. This law affects all website owners who sell products or services to customers in the EU, whether their website is based in the EU or not.

Otherwise known as the ‘cookie law’, it requires that all website visitors be notified of the type of cookies the website wishes to place on their computer and what those cookies will be used for. The ICO's  policy allows website owners to use "implied consent" to comply. This means users do not have to make an explicit choice. Instead, their continued use of a site is taken to mean they are happy for information to be gathered. The regulations are designed to protect user privacy when they are using the web.

The most common types of cookies are:

Session cookies – Often used for 'Shopping Cart' and to remember which pages you visited, or for when you use the 'Back' button. Once you close your browser or log out, the cookie will expire and be deleted.

Persistent cookies – Can be used to store information or settings about you to improve your experience on a website. For example, “Remember me” cookies which store your username and password when you visit a site. This is not used to identify you: only to make logging into a website faster and more convenient. They can also be used for wishlists on e-Commerce websites like Amazon but are not used by the Devon Strut site.

Third Party cookies – These are cookies placed by another website or service i.e. it has a different address to the one you see in your browser’s address bar: in other words a third-party. Examples include cookies created by Google's services e.g. Google Analytics, and those created by advertisements served from a different website. NB. All modern browsers provide a setting that allows a user to block third-party cookies.

Google Analytics, as used by the Devon Strut website, uses third-party cookies This allows us to track user or visitor behaviour, e.g. how long users stay on the site, which pages they visit, where they leave, etc. This does not individually identify you as a user.

HTML Snippet Widgets, which we use to create image links, e.g. on the home and weather pages, and which involve external or third-party websites, enable the possibility of a third-party cookie being dropped by the external site provider. You can identify and control / block / remove any third party cookies from your computer by accessing your browser's Help function or via Tools / Options / Privacy / Cookies.

Your ongoing use of the Devon Strut website implies your acceptance of this information.