What is a cookie?
Cookie, also known as a browser cookie, is a text file containing small amounts of information which a server may download to your computer hard drive, tablet or mobile device when you visit a website or use an app.
There are different types of cookies which are used to do different things. These include letting you navigate between different pages on a website efficiently, remembering preferences you have given and helping us to identify ways to improve your overall site experience. Others are used to provide you with advertising which is more tailored to your interests, or to measure the number of site visits and the
most popular pages users visit.
A‘First party’ and ‘third party’ cookies
Cookies can be set and controlled by the operator of the website which the user is browsing such as Wisteria for this website (known as a ‘first party cookie’) or a third party such as Facebook, for example to display advertisements and social sharing features, (known as a ‘third party cookie’).
Due to their core role of enhancing and enabling usability or site processes, disabling certain cookies may prevent you from using certain aspects of the Wisteria website, such as generating a quote or placing an order.
Broadly speaking, there are two different types of browser cookie:
(1) Session cookies are stored in the computer’s memory during a user’s browsing session and are automatically deleted from the user’s computer when the browser is closed or the session is deemed to have ended.
These cookies usually store a session ID that is not personally identifiable to users, allowing the user to move from page to page without having to log-in repeatedly. They are widely used by commercial websites; for example to keep track of items that a consumer has added to a shopping basket.Session cookies do not collect any information from the user’s computer and they expire at the end of the user’s browser session. They can also become inaccessible after the session has been inactive for a specified length of time, usually 20 or 30 minutes.
(2) Persistent cookies are stored on the user’s computer and are not deleted when the browser is closed. Persistent cookies can be used to retain user preferences for a particular website, allowing those preferences to be used in future browsing sessions.
Persistent cookies usually assign a unique ID to the user’s browser and they are usually configured to identify a user for a prolonged period of time, from days to months or even years.
How does Wisteria use cookies?
The cookies used by Wisteria help us to track basic visitor information and to learn about the behavior of visitors to this website and how they respond to our marketing communications and for research and statistical purposes. The more we learn, the better we are able to provide relevant and interesting content and services.
The cookies that Wisteria uses do not collect personal information such as name, address, email address and do not link any information they collect to an individual. From time to time Wisteria may also analyse IP addresses, user agent strings or other anonymous data sources. All data is collected in an anonymous and aggregated form.
Sharing of data from cookies
As detailed in the privacy policy, Wisteria may disclose data collected from cookies, such as visitor trends, to third parties, in an anonymous form, for research and statistical purposes, and to help us optimise our websites and the targeting of advertisements.
How can you control the use of cookies?
Most web browsers automatically accept cookies and your use of this website constitutes your consent to this website setting cookies on your computer or other device. It is possible to disable cookies on most web browsers. We recommend that if you do not want this website to set cookies on your computer or other device you should either; not use the site and delete any Wisteria cookies that may have already been placed, or change the settings in your website browser to disable cookies. However, because cookies allow you to take advantage of some of this website’s essential features, we recommend you leave them turned on. Find out how to manage cookies in common browsers (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox and Safari) on the Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO) website. In the tables below you will find a list of the cookies used on this website and a brief description of the information they gather.
