What is a ‘cookie’?
Cookies are small electronic files which are transferred to users’ devices when they visit a website. They allow a website to recognise a device so that users’ behaviour on the website can be analysed.
Use of cookies is covered by the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.
Are cookies common?
Cookies are commonly used on most websites to assist the owners of the websites in managing, maintaining and improving them, as well as for personalising user’s online experience. In some cases cookies are vital to the provision of online services.
About the cookies used on this website
Blackwater Law uses the following type of cookies:
Persistent cookies are stored on a user’s device between sessions on the website. Should a user visit this site twice during the period for which cookie data is retained, using the same device, the device will be remembered and will be identified as returning.
Session cookies are stored on a user’s device for as long as the user is visiting the site. The session cookie expires at the end of the browsing session.
Blackwater Law uses the following specific cookies on this website:
| Cookie Name | Type | Retention period | Description |
| query_string | Session | The duration of the session | Used to identify an advertising source |
| http_referrer | Session | The duration of the session | Used to identify an advertising source |
| _fbp | Persistant | 90 days | Used by Facebook to deliver a series of advertisement products such as real time bidding from third party advertisers |
| _gat_UA-45239470-1 | Persistant | 10 minutes | Used to throttle requests in Google Analytics |
| _ga | Persistant | 2 years | Used to distinguish users in Google Analytics |
| _gid | Persistant | 24 hours | Used to distinguish users in Google Analytics |
| _hjIncludedInSample | Persistant | 365 days | Used to let Hotjar know whether that visitor is included in the sample which is used to generate funnels |
| adiLP | Persistant | 30 minutes | Used to identify an advertising source from ResponseTap |
| adiS | Persistant | 30 minutes | Used to identify an advertising source from ResponseTap |
| adiVi | Persistant | 30 minutes | Used to identify an advertising source from ResponseTap |
| adiV | Persistant | 30 minutes | Used to identify an advertising source from ResponseTap |
| PREF | Persistant | 8 months | Registers a unique ID that is used by Google to keep statistics of how the visitor uses YouTube videos across different websites. |
| GPS | Persistant | 1 day | Registers a unique ID on mobile devices to enable tracking based on geographical GPS location for YouTube. |
| VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE | Persistant | 179 days | Tries to estimate the users’ bandwidth on pages with integrated YouTube videos. |
| YSC | Session | The duration of the session | Registers a unique ID to keep statistics of what videos from YouTube the user has seen. |
Turning off cookies
You can manage cookies via the settings tools provided by your internet browser software. Be aware that turning off cookies may impact your online user experience across a wide range of websites.
If you are happy for cookies to continue to be used and set on your devices, you do not need to take any action.
You can learn more about cookies by visiting: http://www.allaboutcookies.org/
