What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files which are stored to your computer by your web-browser.
A typical example of how a cookie is used is to store a user ID to make logging in to a site, or ordering something much quicker for the user. An example of what the cookie might contain in this instance would something like “ID=96352398”.
Popular sites like Amazon.com use this technique.
Nearly every site on the internet uses Cookies. They are used, for a variety of purposes:
- To personalise pages and remember visitor preferences.
- To analyse visitor behaviour (known as ‘analytics’)
- To manage items added to shopping carts in online stores
- To track people across websites and deliver targeted advertising
Use of cookies by Osborne Clarke
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites that you visit. They are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site.
The table below explains the cookies we use and why.
Cookie | Name | Purpose | More information |
Google Analytics | _utma | Type: Optional Cookie | Click here for an overview of privacy at Google |
Organic Development Cookie Acceptance Cookie | cookies_allowed | Type: Functional Cookie | Further information on the Organic Development Cookie Compliance Solution can be found here |
| AddThis | __atuvc | Type: Functional Cookie The __atuvc cookie is created and read by our JavaScript on the client side in order to make sure the user sees the updated count if they share a page and return to it before our share count cache is updated. No data from that cookie is sent back to AddThis. | For further information on the use of cookies by AddThis view these support articles. |
| Session Cookie | Unique Filename (32 digit alphanumeric filename) | Type: Functional Cookie This is commonly used to store logged in user sessions. This cookie is removed when the browser is closed. | No Further Information. |
Most web browsers allow some control of most cookies through the browser settings. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.
To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites visit http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
