COOKIES POLICY

1. Understanding cookies

Cookies are small pieces of data, stored in text files that are stored on your computer or other devices when websites are loaded in a browser. They are widely used to “remember” you and your preferences, either for a single visit (through a “session cookie”) or for multiple repeat visits (using a “persistent cookie”). They ensure a consistent and efficient experience for visitors and perform essential functions such as allowing users to register and remain logged in. Cookies may be set by the site that you are visiting (known as “first party cookies”), or by third parties, such as those who serve content or provide advertising or analytics services on the website (“third party cookies”). Both websites and HTML emails may also contain other tracking technologies such as “web beacons” or “pixels.” These are typically small transparent images that provide us with statistics, for similar purposes as cookies. They are often used in conjunction with cookies, though they are not stored on your computer in the same way. As a result, if you disable cookies, web beacons may still load, but their functionality will be restricted.

2. How we use cookies

We use cookies for a number of different purposes. Some cookies are necessary for technical reasons, some enable a personalized experience for both visitors and registered users and some allow the display of advertising from selected third party networks. Some of these cookies may be set when a page is loaded, or when a visitor takes a particular action (clicking the “like” or “follow” button on a post, for example). Further we categories the use of cookies as follows:

• Strictly Necessary: These cookies are essential for websites on our services to perform their basic functions. These include those required to allow registered users to authenticate and perform account related functions, as well as to save the contents of virtual “carts” on sites that have an e-commerce functionality.
• Functionality: These cookies are used to store preferences set by users such as account name, language, and location.
• Security: We use these cookies to help identify and prevent potential security risks.
• Analytics and Performance: Performance cookies collect information on how users interact with our websites, including what pages are visited most, as well as other analytical data. We use these details to improve how our websites function and to understand how users interact with them.
• Advertising: These cookies are used to display relevant advertising to visitors who use our services or visit websites we host or provide, as well as to understand and report on the efficacy of ads served on our websites. They track details such as the number of unique visitors, the number of times particular ads have been displayed, and the number of clicks the ads have received. They are also used to build user profiles, including showing you ads based on products you’ve viewed or acts you have taken on our (and other) websites. These are set by the site and trusted third party networks, and are generally persistent in nature.
• Third Party / Embedded Content: Sites hosted on WordPress.com make use of different third-party applications and services to enhance the experience of website visitors. These include social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter (through the use of sharing buttons), or embedded content from YouTube and Vimeo. As a result, cookies may be set by these third parties, and used by them to track your online activity. We have no direct control over the information that is collected by these cookies.

3. Where we place cookies

We set cookies in a number of different locations across our services like our website and in the emails we send. In addition to the cookies set on our own sites, we utilize cookies for our Site Stats feature. This tallies the unique numbers of visitors to the site, as well as the number from specific geographic locations. A visitor is counted when we see a user or browser for the first time in a given period.

4. Consent for Advertising Cookies on Our Sites

You may see a “cookie banner” on our websites. If you are visiting one of our sites, then we do not set or allow our ad partners to set, cookies that are used to show you targeted ads before you click to accept. When you consent in this manner, we and our advertising partners may set advertising cookies on the site you are visiting and on our other websites and services, which we use to show you advertisements about various products. We’ll display the banner to you periodically, just in case you change your mind.

5. Contact Us

If you have any questions about our use of cookies, you can find the most relevant contact details in our Privacy Policy.