What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small text file that stores Internet settings. Nearly every website uses cookie technology in some capacity. The cookie is downloaded by your Internet browser the first time you visit a website. The next time you visit this website from the same device, the cookie and the information in it are either sent back to the originating website (first-party cookies) or to another website to which it belongs (third-party cookies). By that, the website can detect that it has already been opened using this browser, and in some cases it will then vary the content it shows.

Some cookies are extremely useful because they can improve your user experience when you return to a website you have already visited. This assumes that you are using the same device and the same browser as before; if so, cookies will remember your preferences, will know how you use the website, and will adapt the content you are shown so that it is more relevant to your personal interests and needs.

Categories of cookies.

Based on what function cookies have and the purpose for which cookies are used, there are four categories of cookie: strictly necessary cookies, performance cookies, functional cookies and marketing cookies.

Strictly necessary cookies
Are essential in order to enable you to move around the website and use its features. Without these cookies, some services cannot be provided – for example, remembering previous actions (e.g. entered text and vehicle configurations) when navigating back to a page in the same session.

Performance cookies
Gather information about how a website is used – for example, which pages a visitor opens most often, and whether the user receives error messages from some pages. These cookies do not save information that would allow the user to be identified. The collected information is aggregated, and therefore anonymous. These cookies are used exclusively to improve the performance of the website, and with it the user experience.

Functional cookies
Enable a website to save information which has already been entered (such as user names, languages choices, and your location), so that it can offer you improved and more personalised functions. For example, a website can offer you local, price-relevant tax information if it uses a cookie to remember the region in which you are currently located. Functional cookies are also used to enable features you request such as playing videos. These cookies collect anonymous information and cannot track your movements on other websites.

Marketing cookies
Are used to deliver adverts and other communications more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement and to help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. They remember whether you have visited a website or not, and this information can be shared with other organisations such as advertisers. Cookies for improving group targeting and advertising will often be linked to site functionality provided by other organisations.

Security cookies

This website uses wordfence to protect our website from malicious hackers and criminal activity. To help you understand which cookies the Wordfence plugin sets, when installed on your WordPress site, we have provided the guide below. Wordfence currently sets three cookies and we explain what each cookie does, who will have the cookie set, and why the cookie helps secure your site.

wfwaf-authcookie-(hash)

What it does: This cookie is used by the Wordfence firewall to perform a capability check of the current user before WordPress has been loaded.

Who gets this cookie: This is only set for users that are able to log into WordPress.

How this cookie helps: This cookie allows the Wordfence firewall to detect logged in users and allow them increased access. It also allows Wordfence to detect non-logged in users and restrict their access to secure areas. The cookie also lets the firewall know what level of access a visitor has to help the firewall make smart decisions about who to allow and who to block.

wf_loginalerted_(hash)

What it does: This cookie is used to notify the Wordfence admin when an administrator logs in from a new device or location.

Who gets this cookie: This is only set for administrators.

How this cookie helps: This cookie helps site owners know whether there has been an admin login from a new device or location.

wfCBLBypass

What it does: Wordfence offers a feature for a site visitor to bypass country blocking by accessing a hidden URL. This cookie helps track who should be allowed to bypass country blocking.

Who gets this cookie: When a hidden URL defined by the site admin is visited, this cookie is set to verify the user can access the site from a country restricted through country blocking. This will be set for anyone who knows the URL that allows bypass of standard country blocking. This cookie is not set for anyone who does not know the hidden URL to bypass country blocking.

How this cookie helps: This cookie gives site owners a way to allow certain users from blocked countries, even though their country has been blocked.