Website Cookies Notice and Disclosure Statement
What are cookies?
Cookies are small pieces of data sent from a website and stored on a website user's web browser while a user is browsing a website. When the user browses the same website in the future, the data stored in the cookie can be retrieved by the website to notify the website of the user's previous activity. Cookies do lots of different jobs, such as letting you navigate between pages efficiently, remembering your preferences, and generally improving the user experience. They can also help to ensure that advertisements you see online are more relevant to you and your interests. Cookies do not harm your computer in any way. By themselves, cookies pose no risk since they do not contain virus in any form nor do they spy on your device content to compromise security. You can find more information about cookies at: www.allaboutcookies.org.
Does [Your Website Name] use cookies on its websites?
Yes. Like virtually all websites, our websites use certain types of cookies. This allows us to identify visitors who return to our site and tells us such things as how many people visited our site, the pages that were accessed, and whether there were any technical problems in loading pages or navigating through our site. By collecting this information, we learn what parts of our sites are the most interesting or valuable to our visitors, and can monitor overall interest in our websites and our products and services. It also lets us spot technical problems with our site so we can correct them right away. This, in turn, helps us upgrade our websites and improve our offerings for our visitors.
Cookies also allow us to make our website more user friendly to you, such as by remembering you IP address and any preferences that you have set for the site, such as if you choose a language or ask us to remember your password.
Am I required to accept cookies to use this website?
No. You can disable the use of cookies by websites including ours by turning off the cookie function on your browser. However, some portions of our site, as well as most other sites, will not work properly if you choose to do so. For example, if you choose to purchase something through our site or put in a password to access a restricted area, you will not be able to do so unless the site can authenticate you through cookies.
What are the types of cookies that websites use?
There are four general categories of cookies that are used on websites:
Strictly necessary (or essential) cookies. These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around a website and use its features, such as services you have asked for. Without these cookies, those services would not be available to you. This includes, for example, browsing as a registered user, accessing secure areas of the site, or making a purchase through the site. It also includes cookies that we necessarily must use to honor opt-out preferences, to the extent that those preferences are linked to a specific user’s IP address. Like all public websites, our site uses strictly necessary cookies.
Performance cookies. These cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, such as the number of visitors browsing the site or a particular section of the site, the pages visitors go to most often, and whether they get error messages from web pages. These cookies do not collect information that identifies a specific visitor. Rather, the information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. The information that we gather through performance cookies is only used to improve how the website works, and to help us evaluate site usage. Like virtually all websites, we use performance cookies on our sites.
Tools that perform website analytics, such as Google Analytics, use performance cookies to generate reports about a website's traffic and the sources of that traffic. In other words, it tells website owners how many visitors came to their site, and whether those visitors came to the site after clicking on a link in a search engine or via another referral source. In this way, the website is able to evaluate traffic to its site as well as the ways to increase use of the site. Like many websites, we use analytics on our sites.
Functionality cookies. These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features. This allows you to have a better experience while using the site.
Targeting or advertising cookies. These cookies collect and share information with 3rd parties in order to provide you with information that we believe would be of interest to you. You always have the right to opt out of use of these cookies by adjusting your browser settings and/or deleting existing cookies.
What are web beacons?
Certain pages on our site may contain web beacons (also known as Internet tags, pixel tags and clear GIFs). We uses web beacons to help display content to visitors and to generate statistics regarding web traffic and trends. Web beacons cannot identify you as an individual.
What happens if I permit cookies on my browser?
Unless you disable such technologies, by using our website and online services you agree that we can place these types of cookies and related technologies on your device. Use of cookies does not harm your device, but rather it allows these functional and commercial services to take place.
How do I opt-out (withdraw consent) to use cookies or similar web technologies?
You may opt out of our use of cookies and similar web technologies by setting your web browser to prevent the use of cookies. If so, you can still browse our sites but may not be able to use many of the features or pay your bill online. Most web browsers allow some control of most cookies through the browser settings. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set on your browser, visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org. To find out how to manage cookies on popular browsers:
To find information relating to other browsers, visit the browser developer's website. To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites, visit http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Because cookies do not identify a particular site visitor, opt outs can only be processed in relation to a user’s IP address. For that reason, you will have to establish your cookie preferences for each device.
Does [Your Website Name] permit third parties to install cookies or similar web technologies on its websites?
We partner with 3rd parties for the development, maintenance and other commercial features of our websites, and therefore, 3rd party cookies are used on this website. You always have the right to opt out of use of these cookies by adjusting your browser settings and/or deleting existing cookies. On some of our websites, such as our social networking pages, it is possible that individuals have uploaded third party content, such as videos from YouTube or elsewhere, or embedded content and sharing tools from other third party sites. Since we do not control the dissemination of cookies by any sites that are not owned or operated by [Your Website Name], you should check the relevant third party website(s) for more information about these cookies, and whether and how you may opt out of receiving them. Generally speaking, however, you may disable third party cookies by adjusting your browser settings. Instructions may be found at www.aboutcookies.org.