Cookies explained

A cookie is a small amount of data, which often includes a unique identifier that is sent to your computer or mobile phone browser from a website’s computer and is stored on your computer’s or mobile phone’s hard drive. Each website can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser’s preferences allow it, which the site can then access when you visit it again to track online traffic flows, for example. A website cannot access cookies sent by other websites.

Changing cookie settings in your web browser

Each web browser has its own way of managing cookies. You can block or remove cookies yourself by altering the settings of your browser to block cookies or to send a warning notice before a cookie is stored on your computer. These changes will apply to all websites that you visit (unless you choose to block cookies from particular sites).

You should be aware that any preferences will be lost if you delete cookies. If you block cookies completely, many websites will not work properly and some functionality on these websites will not work at all. We do not recommend turning cookies off when using our websites for these reasons.

To find out more, consult your browser’s help function. We’ve provided links to the relevant pages for some common browsers.

Managing and deleting cookies

• Internet Explorer*
• Firefox*
• Safari*
• Google Chrome*

*Note: This link will take you to an external web site. We are not responsible for their content.