A "cookie" is a small text file containing an unique ID tag (typically no more than a few hundred bytes) which our web server sends to your computer. In fact compared to all the other files that accumulate on your hard disk as you surf the Web, a cookie is a grain of sand.

Cookies enable our servers to recognise you as the legitimate user and associate that information with you as you travel through our portal. Otherwise, every time you view a new page the portal would have to ask you for your details.

It also stores information on the type of browser you are using and any other preferences you may have set.

As an example, as you purchase items from our portal, the cookie keeps track of the items in your cart. When you check out, the portal knows what you have purchased by retrieving the information through the cookie. Without cookies, it would be impossible to implement a convenient on-line shopping system.

We also use cookies to improve the portal by counting:

• The number of visitors to the portal
• How many are new versus repeat visitors
• How often a visitor has visited

This information helps us to improve the design of and the information on the portal to make our portal more useful, entertaining and in determining the popularity of items in the Offers section.

If you wish to delve further into cookies the following sites have more information;

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-computer-cookies.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie

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