The four types of cookies above will be either session cookies or persistent cookies.
Session Cookies.
Session cookies exist only during an online session. They disappear from your computer when you close your browser or turn off your computer. We use session cookies to allow our systems to uniquely identify you during a session or while you are logged into the Website or Services. This allows us to process your online transactions and requests and verify your identity, after you have logged in, as you move through our Website or Services.
Persistent Cookies.
Persistent cookies remain on your computer after you have closed your browser or turned off your computer. We use persistent cookies to remember your user information, preferences and activity, to enable us to provide our services to you when you next return to our Website or Services. We also use persistent cookies to track aggregate and statistical information about user activity, which may be combined with other user information.
Local Storage Objects.
We may use Flash Local Storage Objects (“Flash LSOs”) to store your Website preferences and to personalize your visit. Flash LSOs are different from browser cookie because of the amount and type of data stored. Typically, you cannot control, delete, or disable the acceptance of Flash LSOs through your web browser. For more information on Flash LSOs, or to learn how to manage your settings for Flash LSOs, go to the Adobe Flash Player Help Page, choose “Global Storage Settings Panel” and follow the instructions. To see the Flash LSOs currently on your computer, choose “Website Storage Settings Panel” and follow the instructions to review and, if you choose, to delete any specific Flash LSO.
Storage HTML5 Storage.
We may also store your user information and Website preferences locally within your web browser via HTML5.
Clear GIFs, pixel tags and other technologies.
Clear GIFs are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies. In contrast to cookies, which are stored on your computer’s hard drive, clear GIFs are embedded invisibly on web pages. We may use clear GIFs (a.k.a. web beacons, web bugs or pixel tags), in connection with our Website or Services to, among other things, track the activities of Website visitors, help us manage content, and compile statistics about Website and Services usage. We and our third-party service providers also use clear GIFs in HTML emails to our customers, to help us track email response rates, identify when our emails are viewed, and track whether our emails are forwarded.
Changing or Disabling your Cookie Settings.
Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but if you prefer you can edit your browser options to block them in the future. The Help portion of the toolbar on most browsers will tell you how to prevent your computer from accepting new cookies, how to have the browser notify you when you receive a new cookie, or how to disable cookies altogether. Visitors to our Website who disable their web browsers’ ability to accept cookies will be able to browse the Website; however, most site features will not function if you disable cookies and you will not be able to login to use our services.
Do Not Track. Currently, our systems do not honor browser “do-not-track” requests. You may, however, disable certain tracking as discussed above (e.g., by disabling Cookies); you also may opt-out of
Third Party Analytics or targeted advertising by following the instructions in the
Third Party Ad Networks section below.