Cookies – what are they?

A "cookie" is a piece of information, like a tag, that's stored on your computer, tablet or phone when you visit a website. It can help identify your device – like your PC or mobile phone – whenever you visit that website.

They are used by most major websites including Iruka. To make the best use of our website, on whichever machine you use, you'll need to make sure your web browser is set to accept cookies.

What are cookies used for?

We use cookies and some other data stored on your machine to:
•give you a better online experience
•allow you to set personal preferences
•measure and improve our website with analytics traffic data, Facebook & general performance

So what information is kept by the cookie?

A cookie will typically hold
•the name of the website that it has come from
•how long the cookie will stay on your computer or phone
•a value – usually a randomly generated unique number

How long do cookies stay on my computer?

Session cookies – these only last until you close your browser. They are not stored on your hard drive. They are usually used to track the pages that you visit so that information can be customised for you for that visit.

Persistent cookies – these are stored on your hard drive until you delete them or they reach their expiry date. These may, for example, be used to remember your preferences when you use the site.

How do cookies affect my privacy?

You can visit our website without revealing any personal information.

What can I do to manage cookies stored on my computer or phone?

You can accept or refuse cookies. Accepting cookies is usually the best way to make sure you get the best from a website.

Most PCs automatically accept them but you can change your browser settings to restrict, block or delete cookies if you want. Each browser is different, so check the 'Help' menu of your particular browser (or your mobile phone's handset manual) to learn how to change your cookie preferences. Many browsers have universal privacy settings for you to choose from.

Help on how to set and customise your cookie settings for your browser

How to manage cookies in Internet Explorer
Cookie settings in most versions of Internet Explorer can be found by clicking the tools option and then the privacy tab.

How to manage cookies in Firefox
Cookie settings in Firefox are managed in the Options window's Privacy panel. See Options window - Privacy Panel for information on these settings.

How to manage cookies in Chrome
Click on the spanner icon on the toolbar, select settings, click the under the bonnet tab, click on content settings in the privacy section.

How to manage cookies in Opera
You can manage cookies in Opera if you Click on settings, then Preferences, then Advanced and finally Cookies

How to manage cookies in Safari
Choose Safari, then preferences and then click security. You should then be able to specify if and when Safari should accept cookies.

To manage cookies on your mobile phone please consult your manual or handbook.

Get more help about how cookies work with specific browsers.

What happens if I don't accept cookies?

If you decline cookies, some aspects of the site may not work on your computer or mobile phone and you may not be able to access areas you want on the website. For this reason we recommend that you accept cookies.

What are Flash cookies and how are they different?

Some websites use Adobe Flash Player to deliver video content and other services. Local Shared Objects – or Flash Cookies as they are usually known – help provide features that let you start looking at a video from where you stopped previously or saving your preferences. They are stored on your computer in the same way as other cookies, but you can't manage them with your browser in the same way.

If you want to delete or disable Flash cookies you can find out how on the Adobe website. But if you disable these cookies it may affect the features available to you on Flash-based applications like some video.

What happens if I delete my cookies?

If you delete all your cookies you will have to update your preferences with us again and some aspects of our site may not work.

What happens if I change computers or mobile?

If you use a different device, computer profile or browser you will have to delect your preferences again.

If you'd like to learn more about cookies in general and how to manage them, visit aboutcookies.org.

We can't be responsible for the content of external websites.