Like most websites and mobile applications, we use automatic data collection technology when you visit one of our websites or use one of our applications. This notice explains how we use so-called “cookies” and other related technologies and how you can manage the behavior of these cookies.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small data files sent from a website to your browser. They are stored in the web browser’s cache and allow a website or a third party to recognize your browser or mobile device. Mobile devices and browsers may be shared by a number of people, so cookies are not always entirely related to individuals.
We use three main types of cookies:
Analytical cookies:
Store information as you view different pages of the site and help us build a profile of how our readers use the site. They help us make the site work as efficiently as possible and provide better content and services in the future. We may also use analytical cookies to measure the effectiveness of advertising on the Sites and in the Apps and elsewhere on the Internet.
Example: By seeing that more browsers and devices from London prefer football content on a Friday night than Sunday morning, we can change when and how much football content we produce for London football teams on a weekday compared to a weekend.
Personalization and Service Cookies:
Remember your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. They remember your registration and login details and your settings and preferences. They are used to ensure that you do not have to log in every time you use your browser to comment on articles and to ensure that interactive services work effectively. They are also used to recommend content that we think you will be interested in, based on what you have seen before.
Example: We conduct a survey on a particularly contentious local issue, so we will use cookies to prevent a device or browser from voting hundreds of times influencing the survey results.
Advertising Cookies:
They are placed by us and our advertising partners to provide more relevant advertising. Our websites, apps, and services are predominantly free to consume and, in return, we sell our advertising space to enable us to create high-quality content and offer the services you value. Cookies are a vital part of this value exchange.
These cookies may collect information about your browsing activity on our sites and to third parties, on different sites, and on different visits. They allow us and advertisers to display more relevant ads and allow advertisers to manage how often a device sees an ad. They may also allow the advertiser to personalize their ads when you visit our sites. Advertising cookies are typically stored until you delete them or they expire based on the time period set in each cookie, which is usually around 30 days.
Third-party advertisers must comply with applicable laws. However, Reach plc has no control over third-party organizations that place cookies, each with its own cookie and privacy policies. Our aim is to be transparent about who we work with.
Example: If a browser or device is recognized as having a lot of celebrity content, we and/or our partners may show ads related to relevant lifestyle, technology, and consumer goods.
If you disable advertising cookies, you are not opting out of receiving advertising. You will still see many ads. They may not be as relevant to you and your interests. See “How to Manage Your Cookie Preferences” below for more information on “opting out”.
Other Technologies
In addition to cookies, there are similar technologies that may be used by the Sites and Apps. These include:
- Web beacons: Tiny graphics with a unique identifier that are used to understand browsing activity. Web beacons are invisible when you open a web page.
- Social widgets: Buttons or icons provided by third-party social media providers that allow interaction with those social media services when you view a web page or a mobile app screen. These social widgets may collect browsing data, which may be received by the third party that provided the widget and are controlled by third parties.
- UTM codes: String of characters that may appear in a web address when a user moves from one web page or site to another. The string may represent browsing information, such as which ad or publisher sent the user to the receiving site.
Ad blocker detection
We or our advertisers may use code on the site to detect if you are using an ad blocker. If we detect that you are using an ad blocker, we may display a warning message describing how this may affect your experience when using the sites and ask you to disable it.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or comments about the use of cookie technologies at Reach plc, please send an email to [email protected], and we will do our best to address your concerns.