Cookies are a small text file that is stored on your computer, they are used to improve the websites you use. Every website uses cookies, this is to ensure websites are user friendly and reliable. Find out how we use them at Scrapping A Car below.

What is a cookie and how are they used?

Cookies are a small text file which is often encrypted that contains a string of characters. These text files are placed on a computer or mobile device and help websites uniquely identify your browser or device. Cookies typically contain two pieces of information, the site name and a unique user ID. Cookies cannot recognise a user or their identity personally, they are rather used to measure the user’s behaviour and their preferences.

When you visit a website that uses cookies for the first time, a cookie is downloaded onto your computer. The next time you visit that website, your computer will check to see if it has a relevant cookie that contains the site name, and it will then send the information the cookie contains back to the website to improve and tailor your user experience.

Cookie text files are used to help a website perform certain functions, such as remembering items you previously placed in your shopping cart and they can also help improve the website's navigation. Most websites use cookies primarily to enhance usability, however, cookies can be blocked, and you will usually be asked if you agree to use cookies or not when entering a website.

It isn’t recommended that you block cookies as this can affect the usability. Most websites' privacy settings will limit which cookies are accepted and how long they remain valid before they expire. This ensures your data is kept safe as cookies can be used for malicious purposes if you visit an untrusted website. If you visit an untrusted website and your computer has anti-spyware built in, it will warn you and flag the cookies for removal. Trusted website will always list the cookies used but in order to ensure data is always secure, users should backup their computer and delete cookies regularly.

What does a cookie do?

A cookie helps understand a user’s behaviour on a website, this in term makes the user experience more relevant and efficient. Cookies remember the user’s preferences which helps the user navigate between pages. If you visit a site and add an item to your basket and then return later to find the item is still in your basket, this is because of a cookie remembering you visited the site previously and your behaviour. Cookies have various uses and have many different reasons for operating. However, the main purpose is to improve a user’s experience.

Different types of cookies

Cookies are similar to a bookmark, they help websites remember a user’s preferences and what actions they took on the website. This helps make the users experience easier as they will not have to keep re-entering information each time they visit the website. The main types of cookies are:

Persistent cookies
These cookies are used to make it easier for a user to navigate a site by storing their preferences. This may be in terms of how information is presented within the theme or layout or the language selected by a user. Persistent cookies remain on your hard drive until you erase them, or they expire.

Session cookies
These cookies are used to store information on a user’s page activity each session. If you leave a page and then return, it can retrieve where you were before you left. Session cookies are temporary and are erased when you close a website.

First party cookies
These are created by the website you are visiting and are stored on that website.

These are set by a website that is not the one you are currently on. Third party cookies are often used when a website owner wants the ability to track and analyse how their site is being used.

Which cookies do Scrapping A Car use?

Websites use cookies in a variety of places, they not only regulate the look of a site, but are also used within elements throughout the webpages, these are trusted cookies. If activated, a cookie can store information that helps authenticate a user when logging in to a secure area so they don’t have to do it repeatedly.

Scrapping A Car uses first party cookies for Wordpress, these are used to run the website and further enhance user’s experiences. We also use third party cookies for Google Analytics, these allow us to measure our users’ demographics on our website. This information is used to understand where our users are from and how they enter our website, this is then used to further the development of our website.

Can I delete cookies?

Yes, you can delete cookies. Cookies are transmitted to and from a browser and a website, if an unauthorised individual was to access the data transmission, sensitive cookie data could be intercepted. This is rare but if a user uses a non secure Wi-Fi channel for example, or an encrypted network, this could happen. To ensure your web presence is always secured, it is advised that you do not visit untrusted sites and that you regularly delete cookies.

You do also have the option to disable all cookies on your browser, however, this would limit your options as the majority of websites use them. It’s important to remember that many trusted websites primarily use cookies to make your user experience better. If you disable all cookies, you may lose access to parts of a website or it may not work properly.

If you do not wish to disable all cookies but in order to remain safe online, you can do the following:

● Ensure you delete cookies and history regularly, especially if you are using a shared computer.
● Change your devices settings to ensure cookies have expiration dates.
● Install antivirus and antispyware software and ensure it's up to date.

If you have any questions regarding how we use cookies, get in touch by calling us on 0203 870 2545 and we will be happy to help.