A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer's hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.
We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about webpage traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.
Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.
Delete Cookies
Explorer (IE) 9.0+ browser
If you are using Internet Explorer (IE) 9.0+:
Go to 'Tools' in the menu bar which should drop down then click on 'Internet Options'
Click on 'Privacy' Tab on top
Move the slider up to the 'Block all Cookies' button
Important Notice: Blocking all cookies may prevent you from entering alot of sites.
The next two Internet Explorer privacy levels, High and Medium High, may be more suitable.
To delete existing cookies:
Go to 'Tools' in the menu bar which should drop down then click on 'Internet Options'
Click on 'General' tab which should be under 'Browsing History' and click 'Delete'
Your Internet Explorer 9.0 should now be cookie free
Explorer (IE) 8.0+ browser
If you are using Internet Explorer (IE) 8.0+:
Go to 'Tools' in the menu bar which should drop down then click on 'Internet Options'
Click on 'Privacy' Tab on top
Click on 'Sites' a new window should open called 'Per Site Privacy Actions'
Type in the URL of the site you wish to allow or block cookie in th 'Address of website' box
To delete existing cookies:
Go to 'Tools' in the menu bar which should drop down then click on 'Internet Options'
Click on 'Privacy' Tab on top
Click on 'Sites' a new window should open called 'Per Site Privacy Actions'
Under the "Managed websites' box should be a list of all the webistes you have visited.
To remove all cookies simply click on the "Remove all" button.
Your Internet Explorer 8.0 should now be cookie free!!
Explorer (IE) 7.0+ browser?
If you are using Internet Explorer (IE) 7.0+:
Go to 'Tools' in the menu bar
Click on 'Options'
Click on 'Privacy' Tab on top
Click on 'Advanced" button
Select "Prompt" for both "First party cookies" and "Third Party Cookies"
To delete existing cookies:
Go to 'Tools' in the menu bar
Click on 'Options'
Click on 'General' Tab on top
In "Browsing History" section, click on "Delete"
Click on "Delete Cookies"
Your Internet Explorer 7.0 should now be cookie free!
Google Chrome browser
If you are using Google Chrome to disable cookies:
Go to 'Tools Menu'
Click on 'Options'
Click on 'Under the Hood'
'Cookie Setting' should be selected. Once done select 'Block all Cookies'
Now all cookies should be blocked on your Google Chrome
To clear existing cookies:
Go to 'Tools Menu'
Click on 'Options'
Click on 'Under the Hood'
Under 'Privacy' section select "Show Cookies'
A new window should open called 'Cookies' In here you can see all the cookies within your Google Chrome Browser.
Click on "Remove All" to remove all traces of cookies
If you wish to only remove a certain cookie, simply highlight and click "Remove"
Firefox 2.0+ / 3.0+ / 4.0+/ browser
If you are using Firefox 2.0+ / 3.0+ / 4.0+/ to disable cookies:
Go to 'Tools' in the menu bar
Click on 'Options'
Click on 'Privacy Tab'
Disable the box that says 'Accept Cookies From sites'
To clear existing cookies:
Go to 'Tools' in the menu bar
Click on 'Options'
Click on 'Privacy Tab'
Click on "Clear Now"
Select "Cookies"
Click on "Clear Private Data Now"
This procedure will stop sites from installing cookies on your firefox browser.
Managing Cookies from the Latest Firefox 8.0 Browser
You can specify your cookie options under Firefox 8.0 by selecting Tools -> Options -> Privacy. On the Privacy box, you can disallows websites from tracking you by checking on the “Tell web site I do not want to be tracked” under Tracking. But even if you are tracked, you can go to the linked “remove individual cooker” which opens up a new dialog box containing the websites and their respective cookie files saved by the browser. You can individually delete the cookies, search for specific cookie or just delete all of the with one click.
Safari browser
Safari 5.1 + (the later editions)
Go to the Safari Menu, click 'About', to determine which version of Safari you are using.
From the Safari Menu, click on 'Preferences.
Once in the Safari preference window, click 'Privacy'.
Set your preferences for accepting cookies next to 'Block Cookies'.
Select 'Parties and Advertisers' - 'Always' or 'Never'.
If there are any website data/cookies being stored, click 'Details'.
If you wish to remove the data, highlight the information and click 'Remove'.
If you wish to remove the data from all the sites, simply click 'Remove All'.
Now you are finished, click 'Done' to return to the preference window.
Safari 5.0.x - (the previous editions)
Go to the Safari Menu, click 'About', to determine which version of Safari you are using.
From the Safari Menu, click on 'Preferences.
Enable cookies by selecting next to 'Accept Cookies' - 'Always or Only from sites you navigate to'.
Disable cookies by selecting 'Never'.
View your cookies by clicking on ''Show Cookies'.
Browse your list of cookies on your computer in the sheet that drops down.
Remove all cookies by clicking, 'Remove All'.
Click 'Done' when you are finished to return to the preference window.
Opera browser
Opera have arguably, the most flexible and the most specific privacy and cookie control of all browsers.
It allows you options that range from blocking referral websites to deleting cookies at the end of each visit, and to manage cookies for specific websites.
It even allows for rejecting automatic redirection, from a website, although most websites might do that for perfectly good reasons. Disabling automatic redirection can be impractical most times but it does allow that extra control over what sites you visit.
For controlling your preferences for Referrals and control over redirections, Go Settings > Preferences > Advanced > Network
"Send Referrer Information"
If you wish to keep your last website visited secret from your next visited website, uncheck this option.
"Enable Automatic Redirection"
Switching this off will prevent a website redirecting your browser to another website address, which often can be for a valid reason and can happen fairly often as a page or a whole website may have moved address. This is generally only a security risk, if the site has been hacked and redirects you to a malicious site.Having a good security sysytem installed on your computer will minimise any risk.
Enabling Cookies in Opera
9.61+
The settings have been simplified as Opera now supports site specific preferences.
These allow you to change your cookie settings on a per site basis.
It's as easy as choosing your domain in which you wish to create a site preference for.
Go to the Opera window at the top, select 'Tools'.
Select from here, 'Preferences'
Click on 'Advanced'.
Click on 'Content'.
From here, click on 'Manage site preferences'
Click the chosen site.
Click 'Edit'.
Click on the 'Cookies tab'.
Handily, Opera's browser gives you the option of simply clearing the websites and it's third party cookies at the end of your visit. This will not delete any cookies previously installed.
Opera has 5 manageable options for general treatment of cookies. They are Allow all, Prompt to accept, Block all, Block only third party cookies ,and or Delete new cookies at the end of a session. It should be noted that Opera refuses to accept all "invalid cookies" which it defines as "being set for top-level domains: domains ending in .com, .net, and .org, among others. Such cookies are considered invalid or illegal and are blocked because:
:Any Web site could read such a cookie's contents, it would have unlimited access.
:The only use for such cookies is to track surfers across the Web."
Enabling Cookies in Opera 10.0
Go to the Opera window at the top, select 'Tools'.
Select from here, 'Preferences'
Click on 'Advanced'.
Select 'Accept Cookies'.
Select 'Accept Cookies' or 'Accept Cookies only from the site I visit'.
Make sure 'Delete new cookies when visiting Opera' is not ticked.
Now you can click 'OK'.
More information on managing Opera's privacy functions are available here. http://www.opera.com/browser/tutorials/security/privacy/