Cookies are small files stored on your device by websites you visit. Cookies are ubiquitous and their regulation has been the topic of debate for several years.

What are cookies?     

Cookies are small text files that a website stores on a user's device. These text files contain information about the user's preferences and activities on the website, allow websites to remember information about a user’s activity across multiple visits, and improve the user experience by enabling personalized content. Cookies are also used for tracking and analytics purposes.  

What are the four types of cookies?  

Modern cookie banners on most websites give individuals the option to accept or decline four different types of web cookies. Some are necessary for the proper function of the website being visited, while others are used to obtain information about an individual.   

Strictly Necessary - Essential for the correct functioning of a website, strictly necessary cookies allow users to navigate and use website features.  Typically, these cookies cannot be disabled as they are required for basic website functionality.  

Performance - These cookies collect information about how users interact with a website. Performance cookies track which pages have been visited, whether any errors occur, and loading times. These types of cookies are typically used to improve user experience and website performance.  

Functional Cookies – Websites can set functional cookies to remember user preferences to help build a more personalized experience on return visits. This includes information such as language, font size, and other customizable elements.  

Targeting Cookies – Also known as advertising cookies, cookies of this nature help website operators to deliver advertisements that are more relevant to the user. Targeting cookies set information that allows advertisers to display content based on a user’s browsing history and online behavior. They are also used to limit the number of times a user sees a particular advertisement and targeting cookies are often set by third-party advertising networks.