Privacy and Cookie policy

The cookies I use


I am registered with Google Analytics and this keeps cookies to keep track of the how visitors are using the site. The user data is anonymous.

I also use StatCounter which holds for a short time (usually about 5 days) logs of all accesses to the blog. This is used at an aggregate level to assess the number of visits and the most popular pages.  Individual data such as ISP provider and location are collected but no personal data.  The logs are   anonymous to the extent that an IP Address is anonymous.

I use IntenseDebate for my Comment system this will hold a session cookie as you log-in and comment. When you input your information to leave a comment, it’s stored so the site recognises you the next time you comment and you don’t have to reenter your information.

As a Google Blogger blog, this site uses a variety of cookies, such as session cookies that keep track of your log-in. This site may from time to time also use cookies that suggest either a mobile or desktop version of the site and remembers the choice.

I occasionally link to things I am referring to via Amazon Associates, this will also retain cookies. This is Amazon's policy.

I use third-party cookies with some of  plug-ins – for example, buttons for sharing or liking content that “keep count” of likes via the use of a cookie.

Links to other websites


I often link to other websites to enable you to visit other websites of interest easily. However, once you have used these links to leave my blog, you should note that I don't have any control over that other website. Therefore, I cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement.

You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question



What are Cookies


Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device/computer by a website or read from your device by a website. These files contain only text and are usually used to remember something to make a website visit more pleasant. An example would be your user ID so that you do not need to log into every single page visited. Cookies could also be used to remember preferences or settings. Cookies do not generally store personal information, they are often used in aggregate (summed up to give counts of things) and often contain randomly generated numbers.

Cookies cannot carry virus's and cannot install anything harmful to your computer. They are just text files

Cookies are safe as they are just plain text files

For more details about cookies visit allaboutcookies.org

Or have a read on the BBC Policy which also explains things very well

http://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy/cookies/about/?source_url=/privacy/bbc-cookies-policy.shtml

Should I Keep Cookies Turned On?


Cookies generally are good for websites and in general some features of websites will not work without cookies; this is because the internet is "stateless" - if I access a website and then "Fred" accessed a website and we both want to buy a product on that site the pages of the website needs to know which user of the site is me (Kelloggsville) and which is "Fred". It does this by saving a "memory" of the site visit to the users browser by using cookies.

So it is a good idea to accept cookies as they are safe and they make parts of websites work.

Possible Types of Cookies


Cookies can have various "types". The can be "First Party" - which means that the cookie is set by the site visited by the user; they can be "Third Party" which means that even though a user visits a particular site another site may set a cookie. This usually occurs when a third party website's service is used in the first site - for instance showing a feed of twitter posts or showing a "buy" link from Amazon.

Both third party cookies and first party cookies can both be either "Session cookies" or "Persistent cookies". A session cookie is only saved in the browsers memory and is never written to the hard drive. Session cookies expire as soon as the user closes the browser. A persistent cookie has a specified life time set by its expiration date. This date can be any amount of time. The longer the persistence the longer your browser will remember the settings of the website that you have visited.

Turning Off Cookies


If you wish to turn off cookies you can do this by using browser cookie preference settings. The help menu of your chosen browser will help you do this.

and https://www.aboutcookies.org/how-to-control-cookies/ will tell you how for most browsers




I have taken some of this information from the privacy policy at http://www.petefinnigan.com

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