A tracking technology is a mechanism allowing websites to monitor and measure user behavior and interest for multiple purposes. Some technologies are necessary for internet operation and functioning, performance measures, load balancing or maintenance servers; some others provide services to provide services to the user as they engage with the websites and serve information that may be of interest; some may also be used for marketing purposes and profiling.There are different types of online tracking technologies used on the internet as summarized below. The most common category of online tracking technology is called “cookies.” This policy is intended to apply broadly to all types of online tracking technologies, including cookies.
| Our Cookie Categories | How These Cookies Are Used | Your Choices |
| Strictly Necessary (may also be referred to as “Required”) | These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information. | Since these cookies are strictly necessary for certain of our web sites to operate and function, our cookie preferences tools do not enable you to control these cookies. If you set your browser not to accept them, you will not be able to use the sections of our web sites that depend on them. |
| Functional (may also be referred to as “Site Experience”) | These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, then some or all of these services may not function properly. | Like Strictly Necessary cookies, our sites depend on Functional cookies in order to deliver content and features that you request when using our web sites. You can control the use of these cookies either by electing not to designate certain preferences offered on our web sites, or by controlling these cookies through your browser settings as described above. Third party cookies could be used for authentication or server balancing capabilities, but not for marketing purposes. If you set your browser not to accept these cookies, certain functionality on our web sites may not work. |
| Performance (may also be referred to as “Operational”) | These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information collected by these cookies is aggregated and anonymous. If users do not allow these cookies, we will not know when users have visited our site and will not be able to effectively monitor its performance. | Where cookie preference tools are required by local law, our web sites have incorporated cookie preference tools that provide prominent notice about the use of cookies on the site and provide you with the ability to turn cookie use on or off. Some of these cookies are set by us and some are set by third parties. |