Our Use of Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies, web beacons and other similar technologies for a variety of purposes such as to better understand, customize and improve the user experience of our Sites, services and offerings, and market to you.  Cookies are small files that a website sends to your computer or device while you are viewing the website, or other technical methods to track visitor usage, including web beacons, which are small pieces of data that are embedded in images on the pages of a website.  For example, when you return to our Sites after logging in, cookies provide information to the Sites so that the Sites will remember who you are.  Cookies may also be used by our service providers or other business partners.

We collect such information through the following technologies (collectively “cookies”):

  • Cookies, Cookies are small data files stored on your browser or device.  Cookies may be served by the entity that operates the website you are visiting (“first-party cookies”) or by other companies (“third-party cookies”).  Additionally, some cookies may be temporary and erase when you close your browser (“session cookies”), and others may remain for a set duration (“persistent cookies”).
  • Log Files. Tools that track actions occurring on the site, and collect data including your IP address, browser type, location, Internet service provider, referring/exit pages, and date/time stamps.
  • Web Beacons. These “tags,” and “pixels” are electronic files used to record information about how you browse the Site.
  • Social Media Widgets. These are tools that allow us to provide certain social media features such as links to Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.  These social media features are either hosted by a third party or hosted directly on the Site.  Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy policy of the company providing it.

We use different types of cookies that provide various services, including:

  • Strictly Necessary Cookies. These cookies are required for the operation of our Site and include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our Site, use a shopping cart or make use of e-billing services.
  • Analytics/Performance Cookies. These cookies allow us to recognize and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around our Site when using it.  This helps us to improve the way our Site works, for example, by ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily.  For more information on our use of analytics providers, please review, Analytics Providers, below.
  • Functional Cookies. These cookies are used to recognize you when you return to our Site.  This enables us to personalize our content for you, greet you by name and/or remember your preferences (for example, your choice of language or region).
  • Advertising/Targeting Cookies. These cookies may be set by us, our service providers, and our advertising partners, and are used to deliver content we believe to be most relevant to you.  These cookies can help to measure the effectiveness of a campaign.
  • You can control cookies in various ways, including:
  • Internet Browser. You can also control cookies through most browsers by changing your cookie settings, which are typically found in the “options” or “preferences” menu of your browser.
  • Third Party Tools. You can visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org/ where you will find comprehensive information on cookie management and blocking which pertains to a wide variety of browsers.

Please note that if you turn cookies off, you may not have access to many features that may improve your browsing, like the features mentioned above, and some of our services may not function properly.