A “cookie” is a small line of text that is stored within your browser when you visit a cookie-enabled website. As you browse the Web, cookie-enabled sites will send cookies to your browser, along with pages. Your browser probably has options that will let you control whether the browser accepts cookies, rejects cookies, or notifies you each time a cookie is sent to you.
If your browser is set to reject cookies, cookie-enabled websites will not recognize you when you return. This provides you with anonymity, but it also makes it very difficult to offer you customized services. It is also less secure than using cookies, because all of your specific data must be sent to the website each time you view a page. Accepting cookies means your private data can stay at the Web server, and the only information transmitted over the Internet is your ID cookie.
If your browser is set to accept cookies, any cookies that are sent to your browser are stored in your computer for a period of time. There are a few different types of cookies. A “session” cookie is stored only in your computer’s working memory (RAM) and only lasts for your browsing session. When you close all of your browser’s windows, or when you shut down your computer, the session cookie disappears forever. A “permanent” cookie is stored on your computer’s hard drive until a specified date, which could be tomorrow, next week, or 10 years from now. Permanent cookies stay on your computer until either a) they expire, b) they are overwritten with newer cookies, c) you manually remove them.
We use permanent cookies to supply visitors to our site with a customized experience. These cookies do not involve personally identifiable information. We also use session cookies to customize your experience during a session, to aid in your navigation and use of the site, to develop generic web site metrics and other similar uses.