Cookies have become an integral part of our digital lives. These small text files are often placed on our computers by websites and applications, and they play a vital role in enhancing our browsing experience. Cookies are used to personalize websites, remember language preferences, and prevent repeatedly displaying notifications you’ve already seen. In this article, we’ll delve deeper into what cookies are and why we use them.

What are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer when you visit a website. These files contain information about your browsing history, website preferences, and other relevant information. The information collected by cookies is then used to enhance your browsing experience by personalizing website content, remembering your language preferences, and providing targeted advertising.

Why We Use Cookies

Cookies are used for various reasons. They help us personalize our websites to meet your individual needs, prevent repeatedly displaying notifications you’ve already seen, and improve and update our websites according to your usage patterns. Additionally, cookies are used to collect data about how you use our websites. This anonymous data allows us to improve future user experiences. For example, we collect data on which pages you visit most often and any error messages you receive.

Types of Cookies

There are five categories of cookies: necessary cookies, performance cookies, functionality cookies, targeting/advertising cookies, and social media cookies. Each category serves a different purpose.

Category 1: Necessary Cookies

Necessary cookies are essential for the functioning of our websites. These cookies enable you to use our websites and access secure areas. Without these cookies, you may not be able to use all the features of our websites. Necessary cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

Category 2: Performance Cookies

Performance cookies collect data about how you use our websites. This anonymous data allows us to improve future user experiences. For instance, we collect data on which pages you visit most often and any error messages you receive. Performance cookies are used to provide website analytics and help us understand how our websites are being used.

Category 3: Functionality Cookies

Functionality cookies make your browsing experience more personalized. These cookies remember data, such as your username and language preference, so you don’t have to re-enter it each time you visit. The data collected by these cookies is anonymous and cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.

Category 4: Targeting/Advertising Cookies

Targeting/advertising cookies are used to show you ads that we believe are relevant to your interests. These cookies are also used to customize the ads and content you receive, limit the number of times you see the same ad, and measure the effectiveness of our ad campaigns. Targeting/advertising cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

Category 5: Social Media Cookies

Social media cookies are third-party cookies that track social network users when they visit our websites. This data is used for in-depth campaign reporting, event tracking, and remarketing. We do not collect or store any personally identifiable information from the user.

Tools Used for Cookies

We use various tools to implement cookies. For performance cookies, we use Google Analytics (universal) and Hotjar. For targeting/advertising cookies, we use Eloqua, Facebook Pixel, Google Adwords (conversion and remarketing), and Bing Ads (News). For social media cookies, we use LinkedIn and Twitter.

Managing Your Cookie Settings

To manage your cookie settings, click on the “cookie settings” button. While we recommend accepting cookies for the best experience, you can opt-out of each cookie category (except strictly necessary cookies). For more information on opting out of specific cookies, please refer to the links provided.

Conclusion

In conclusion, cookies are essential for providing a personalized browsing experience. They allow us to collect data about how our websites are being used, personalize website content, and provide targeted advertising. 

Furthermore, cookies are not without their privacy concerns. As cookies collect data about your browsing history, it is possible for this information to be accessed by third-party advertisers, which can result in personalized advertisements being displayed. While some users may find these personalized ads helpful, others may feel uncomfortable with the use of their browsing data in this manner.

It’s important to note that not all websites use cookies, and some users may choose to disable cookies altogether. While disabling cookies may limit some website functionality, it can also provide an additional layer of privacy protection.

In conclusion, cookies are a useful tool for personalizing website content, improving user experiences, and providing targeted advertising. However, users should be aware of their use and take steps to manage their cookie settings if they have privacy concerns. By understanding how cookies work and their potential implications, users can make informed decisions about how they browse the web.

Contact us for more information if needed.