Cookies – what are they?

Cookies are small text files, they cannot look into your computer or read any personal information or anything else on your hard drive They do not contain viruses or install anything harmful on your computer. They are stored on your computer or mobile device and you can control how cookies are placed and used on your device by changing the settings yourself within your internet browser on your own device.

Cookies are collected and stored locally by your own web browser, so the method for enabling or disabling them will vary depending on which browser you are using. This section explains how to enable cookies (turn cookies on) and how to disable them in the most popular browsers.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 or 9.0
Select the ‘Tools->Internet Options’ menu item, and then open the ‘Privacy’ tab – you can then adjust the slider to block or allow various categories of cookie. Alternatively by clicking ‘Advanced…’ you can exercise finer control over the browser’s behavior, choosing whether to accept, block, or prompt for cookies originating either on the website you are visiting (first party cookies) or originating from websites other than the one you are visiting (third party cookies, typically used by banner advertisements hosted on an advertiser’s website).
Firefox 7.0
Use the ‘Tools->Options’ menu item (may be under the Firefox button), then choose the ‘Privacy’ tab. Set the ‘Firefox will:’ option to ‘Use custom settings for history’. Now you can choose whether cookies are enabled for websites you visit and third party websites, and if so how long they will persist. You can also use the ‘Exceptions’ button to override the settings for particular websites.
Firefox 3.0
Use the ‘Tools->Options’ menu item, then choose the ‘Privacy’ tab. Here you can choose whether cookies are enabled, and if so how long they will persist. You can also use the ‘Exceptions’ button to override the settings for particular websites.
Google Chrome 5.0
Choose ‘Options’ on the ‘Cutomsize and control’ menu, then open the ‘Under the Bonnet’ tab. In the ‘Privacy’ section, click on the ‘Content settings…’ button and open the ‘Cookies tab. Set the required cookie behaviour and use the ‘Exceptions…’ button (if required) to configure specific websites.
Apple Safari 5.0
Choose ‘Preferences…’ on the ‘Settings’ menu, then open the ‘Security’ tab. Now set the required cookie behaviour.
Note: Disabling cookies will prevent some websites from working correctly, and may mean that you are prompted to re-enter information that would normally have been stored in a cookie.

Deleting/Removing Cookies

Note: If you delete all the cookies on your computer, some websites may require you to re-enter the information which was previously stored in their cookies.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 or 9.0
Select the ‘Tools->Internet Options’ menu item, and then click the ‘Delete…’ button under the ‘General’ tab. Check the ‘Cookies’ option, check/uncheck other options as required and click ‘Delete’.
Note – the ‘Tools’ option can also be accessed by clicking the ‘gear’ icon in Internet Explorer’s toolbar.
Firefox 7.0
Select the ‘Tools->Options’ menu item (may be under the Firefox button) and click on the ‘Privacy’ tab. Click the ‘remove individual cookies’ link, and you will be shown a list of all cookies stored by Firefox. You can select which cookies to delete and then press ‘Remove Cookies’, or you can simply click ‘Remove All Cookies’ to delete them all.
Firefox 3.0
Select the ‘Tools->Clear Recent History’ menu item. Choose the time range you wish to clear, then check the ‘Cookies’ option, check/uncheck other options as required and click ‘Clear Now’.
Google Chrome 5.0
Choose ‘Options’ on the ‘Cutomsize and control’ menu, then open the ‘Under the Bonnet’ tab. In the ‘Privacy’ section, click on the ‘Clear browsing data…’ button then check the ‘Delete cookies and other site data’ option and check/uncheck other options as required. Choose the time period you wish to clear and click ‘Clear browsing data’.
Apple Safari 5.0
Choose ‘Preferences…’ on the ‘Settings’ menu, then open the ‘Security’ tab and click the ‘Show Cookies’ button. Individual cookies can be deleted by selecting them and clicking ‘Remove’ or they can all be deleted by clicking ‘Remove All’.