A cookie is a small piece of information which is sent to your computer when you request something from a website, and that your browser will send back in future requests to that site. Some cookies are "persistent", meaning they will continue to be sent for weeks, months or even years unless deleted, while others are deleted automatically when you close your browser window.
Cookies can be used for many things, but one use of persistent cookies is to track you between visits. If a server sends a persistent cookie containing of a unique code number for you, that unique code will be sent back to that server in every future request until it’s deleted, allowing all of those requests to be associated with one another — in effect, allowing the server to distinguish you from another browsers. Sometimes, these kinds of cookies can be sent and received by services embedded on a site, rather than the site itself. These cookies are called third-party tracking cookies, and can be used to associate your visits to multiple distinct sites with one another.
(For more technical information on what a cookie is, read this page from Mo McRoberts, who also wrote the above two paragraphs.)
Just like most websites, Media UK uses cookies to make our website brilliantly good. Cookies are delicious delicacies, too, but this page is all about the computer files and not the edible ones.
We show a clear message just below the main header to every new user to our website that we use cookies, and point them to this page. This page tells you what our cookies are, and allows you to opt out of further cookies. You should read this page along with our privacy policy.
We have two types of cookie - personal and non-personal. (All our cookies are "persistent").
Personal information
Our login cookie
If you want to, we need to know that you've successfully logged in, and which user you are. So, when you log in, we have a clear note that you consent to us placing a cookie on your system. This cookie (called "muku") contains a long set of randomly-generated characters that we also store in a database next to your personal information. When you load a page on our website, your computer sends us this cookie, and we then look in our database and see if it's connected to any of our users. If it is, we know that you are you.
If you delete this cookie, we'll not know you're logged in. Or, if you log in on another computer, we'll change the long set of randomly-generated characters, so your cookie on this machine ends up being useless. It contains no personal information itself.
You can delete this cookie by logging out of the website, or by using your browser's controls.
Not personal information
Google Analytics
Along with logfiles, we use Google Analytics to work out what our visitors look at on our website. Google Analytics isn't personal information - it doesn't know who you are. Actually, it contains information about use of our website from anyone who uses your computer, not just you, and they've no idea who you are. We do not tie any information from Google Analytics with our login cookie. Since it's not personal information, we aren't specifically asking you for prior consent.
You can learn about Google Analytics' privacy policy and opt out of Google Analytics completely by using this tool. You can also use your browser in "private" or "incognito" mode, to look like a brand new user every time you browse the web.
Just so you're aware, we use the existence of the __utma cookie to know if you're a brand new user. If you stop it from being written, you'll be warned on every pageload that we use cookies.
Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other similar services
We don't plaster every page with Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and similar bugs, but we do use code from these services on some pages - notably where we're formatting tweets or allowing you to add media companies to Google+ circles. Again, if you're logged out of Twitter, Facebook or Google+, they have no personal information about you. Since it's not personal information, we aren't specifically asking you for prior consent to use them.
When you log into Twitter, Facebook or Google+ and other similar services, they'll know when you visit Media UK and other websites who use their services. You're consenting to this when you log into Twitter, Facebook or Google: and that's who has your personal details. We can't see any of it.
You can learn about their privacy policy by visiting their websites; or you can use your browser in "private" or "incognito" mode to look like a brand new user every time you browse the web.
Advertising partners
We use a variety of advertising parties, as detailed in our privacy policy. Once more, none of the cookies that they use contain any personal information about you and your browsing habits: they contain information about any user's browsing habits on your computer, not just you, and they've no idea who you are. Again, we can't see any of this information either. Since it's not personal information, we aren't specifically asking you for prior consent.
We believe that relevant, tailored advertising based on other things you've looked at is a good thing, incidentally: it's much less irritating than scattergun ads containing completely irrelevant stuff. Every time we speak about this to other people, it seems people think the same, too.
We link to the ad networks we use in our privacy policy, including some methods of opting-out. You can use your browser in "private" or "incognito" mode to look like a brand new user every time you browse the web.
We take this stuff quite seriously
Unlike many websites, Media UK has been registered with the Data Protection Act since 2007. Privacy is hugely important to us. We also want to make sure that we know what you like - so we can do it more often. We want to make advertising messages be relevant and useful for you, rather than an irritation. Cookies help us do both these things. We believe our use of cookies is responsible and what you'd want us to do. We think you're jolly nice too.