[tab: what are they?] Cookies – what are they?

A “cookie” is a piece of information, like a tag, that’s stored on your computer, tablet or phone when you visit a website. It can help identify your device – like your PC or mobile phone – whenever you visit that website. They are used by most major websites including East London Express. To make the best use of our website, on whichever device you use, you’ll need to make sure your web browser is set to accept cookies.

[tab: Cookies used for]What are cookies used for?

We use cookies and some other data stored on your device to:

• give you a better online experience
• allow you to set personal preferences
• protect your security
• measure and improve our service
• work with partners and measure marketing

[tab: Information kept] So what information is kept by the cookie? A cookie will typically hold

• the name of the website that it has come from
• how long the cookie will stay on your computer or phone
• a value – usually a randomly generated unique number

How long do cookies stay on my computer?

Session cookies – these only last until you close your browser. They are not stored on your hard drive. They are usually used to track the pages that you visit so that information can be customized for you for that visit. Persistent cookies – these are stored on your hard drive until you delete them or they reach their expiry date. These may, for example, be used to remember your preferences when you use the site.

How do cookies affect my privacy?

You can visit our website without revealing any personal information. We protect your personal information very carefully. The security and safety of your personal information is very important to us. We may ask you for personal information so you can buy something from our shop, for security reasons or so you can use our services.

[tab: Cookie handling] How we use cookies?

Cookies are used for a variety of things that help improve your online experience. Other ways we make our online service easier to use include using cookies that:

• make the page load quickly by sharing the workload across computers
• give you access to self-help information and our live chat
• make sure our pages are optimised for your browser or device by giving us technical information about the device or browser you are using

Safety and security Some cookies help make sure your information is secure when using our services while keeping our forms and shopping site easy to use.

Improving our service To make sure you don’t see particular adverts or announcements too many times we use a cookie to limit their frequency. We also use cookies to measure and analyze how visitors use the site. This helps us develop it and make it easier to use. [tab: Third party] Why does ELE allow cookies from other companies on its website? Some third party cookies help us to:

• collect statistics about how our website is used so we can improve our website
• make sure you can see offers that are relevant to you
• provide specific relevant content for your preferences and interests
• allow the use of the online chat service

We use some cookies to track where you have come from, for example if you were referred to us by another website by collecting anonymous data. This lets us reward some external websites for referring customers to us.

What happens with social networks? If you choose to ‘share’ ELE content with friends through Facebook, Twitter or other social networks you might be sent cookies from these websites. We don’t control the setting of these cookies, so please check those websites for more information about their cookies and how to manage them.

Other third party cookies Finally, please be aware that advertisers and other third parties may use their own cookies tags when you click on an advertisement or link on our website. These third parties are responsible for setting out their own cookie and privacy policies. If you’d like to learn more about cookies in general and how to manage them, visit  aboutcookies.org. We can’t be responsible for the content of external websites. [tab: Manage Cookies] What can I do to manage cookies stored on my computer or phone? You can accept or refuse cookies. Accepting cookies is usually the best way to make sure you get the best from a website. Most PCs automatically accept them but you can change your browser settings to restrict, block or delete cookies if you want. Each browser is different, so check the ‘Help’ menu of your particular browser (or your mobile phone’s handset manual) to learn how to change your cookie preferences. Many browsers have universal privacy settings for you to choose from. Help on how to set and customise your cookie settings for your browser

How to manage cookies in Internet Explorer Cookie settings in most versions of Internet Explorer can be found by clicking the tools option and then the privacy tab.

How to manage cookies in Firefox Cookie settings in Firefox are managed in the Options window’s Privacy panel. See Options window – Privacy Panel for information on these settings.

How to manage cookies in Chrome Click on the spanner icon on the toolbar, select settings, click the under the bonnet tab, click on content settings in the privacy section.

How to manage cookies in Opera You can manage cookies in Opera if you Click on settings, then Preferences, then Advanced and finally Cookies

How to manage cookies in Safari Choose Safari, then preferences and then click security. You should then be able to specify if and when Safari should accept cookies. To manage cookies on your mobile phone please consult your manual or handbook. Get more help about how cookies work with specific browsers.

What happens if I don’t accept cookies? If you decline cookies, some aspects of the ELE site may not work on your computer or mobile phone and you may not be able to access areas you want on the website. For this reason we recommend that you accept cookies.

What are Flash cookies and how are they different? Some websites use Adobe Flash Player to deliver video content and other services. Local Shared Objects – or Flash Cookies as they are usually known – help provide features that let you start looking at a video from where you stopped previously or saving your preferences. They are stored on your computer in the same way as other cookies, but you can’t manage them with your browser in the same way.

What happens if I delete my cookies? If you delete all your cookies you will have to update your preferences with us again and some aspects of our site may not work.

What happens if I change computers or mobile? If you use a different device, computer profile or browser you will have to tell us your preferences again. If you’d like to learn more about cookies in general and how to manage them, visit aboutcookies.org. We can’t be responsible for the content of external websites. [tab:END]