As described below, the service provider uses cookies to ensure the smooth operation of the website, to maintain and develop its services, and to improve user experience.
1. What are “cookies”?
Cookies are data packages stored by browser applications on behalf of a website. When you navigate to the website as a visitor or user, the website uses the browser to create cookies on your computer or other device. Among other things, cookies can store information about the parameters of the device you use for browsing, any personal settings you may have, and your previous visits, to improve your browsing experience. The data stored enable the browser to load the webpage with your settings. You can consent to the storing of the cookie in the information pop-up dialogue when you first access the website. There are two types of cookie file: “session” and “permanent”. The first is a temporary file that remains on the user’s device until they log out of the website or disable cookies in the software (browser). “Permanent” files remain on the user’s device for the period specified in the parameters of the cookie files, or until the user manually deletes them.
2. Purpose of using cookies
- To facilitate the navigation and thereby the use of the website by recording the visitor’s preferences and usage habits.
- To improve user experience by collecting information about how visitors use the website, and which pages they visit or use most often, so we can learn how to provide an even better user experience when they visit the website again.
- To collect and analyse statistical data to understand how visitors use other online services in addition to the website, which we can then improve.
- To further develop and fine-tune the website to meet visitors’ needs.
- To identify possible malicious IT operations.
3. Legal basis for use of cookies
With the exception of cookies that are essential for the functioning of the website (the installation of which is in the legitimate business interest of the Controller), the use of cookies is based on your explicit and informed consent, which constitutes the legal basis for the related processing. Cookies are only used if you explicitly authorise their use on the relevant web interface. You can change your settings – and even withdraw your consent – at any time.
4. Cookie types
4.1. Essential session-id cookies
Essential cookies are necessary for browsing the website and using its features, including allowing the browser to record the actions taken by the visitor while using a specific page, feature or service. The smooth use of the website cannot be guaranteed without essential cookies. These cookies are strictly necessary to enable you to navigate on and use the features of our website while browsing. When you close the website in your browser, these types of cookie are automatically deleted and the session is closed.
4.2. Analytical or performance cookies
We use analytical or performance cookies to collect information about how our visitors use the website (e.g. which pages they visited, where in the page they clicked, how many pages they visited, how long each visit took, what error messages they received, etc.). We do this to improve the website (available services, features, etc.) so that we can meet the needs of our visitors and provide them with a high quality, user-friendly experience. For performance measurement purposes, we also use third-party cookies on each visit to track how many people visit the website and what content they are interested in. All information is stored anonymously and used to anonymously analyse visitor behaviour in order to provide a high-quality user experience.
Google Analytics: https://www.google.com/analytics/terms/us.html
4.3 Targeted advertising cookies
The purpose of using targeted advertising cookies is to select the advertisements that are of most interest or relevance to visitors and display them on the website. We also use these cookies to measure the performance of our campaigns. These cookies allow third-party service providers to display targeted ads for you on other websites based on your previous visit to our website. These cookies cannot identify you personally either. Nonetheless, they collect data, for example, about the pages you have visited, where you clicked on a page, and how many pages you opened.
Google: https://https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en-GB
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/help/cookies/
4.4 Third-party cookies
Our website may occasionally display various content through external web services, which may result in your browser storing some cookies that we do not control, and thus we have no control over how these websites or external domains collect information about your use of such embedded content. To find out how third parties use cookies, please see the privacy and cookie policies of external services.
5. Scope of data collected by cookies
Please note that the cookies used on this website cannot identify the visitor personally themselves. With the help of cookies, we collect and process the following data about your device and the browser you use:
- the IP address you use,
- the type of browser used,
- operating system properties of the device used for browsing (e.g. type, configured language),
- the exact date and time of the visit,
- the URL of the previously visited website,
- the feature or service used on the website you have visited,
- the time spent on the website.
6. Checking cookie settings and disabling cookies
Browsers allow you to change cookie settings. Some browsers automatically accept cookies by default, but you can change this setting to prevent that from happening in the future. If you change this setting, the browser will offer you the option to configure cookies each time you open the website. Please note that as cookies are intended to support and facilitate the usability and processes of our website, we cannot guarantee that you will be able to use all the features of the website if you disable cookies in general. In this case the website may function or appear differently in the browser. For more details, see the cookie settings of the browsers listed below: