Overview of cookies

A cookie is a small piece of text that a website asks your browser (such as Internet Explorer) to save to your computer when you visit the website. When you visit another page on the same website, or in some cases when you next visit the website, the browser sends the cookie back to the website so it can remember your visit. This kind of memory is then used to keep you logged in for example.

What cookies are for

Cookies do a lot of different jobs, and there are four types of cookies:

  • Strictly necessary cookies allow a browser to keep each visit to the website as a single browsing 'session'. This enables your browser to keep you logged in to the website, for example. These cookies contain an anonymous identifier that remains the same during the time you are on the website.
  • Performance cookies allow a browser to tell the website which pages it is visiting. This enables the performance of the website to be monitored, and shows how many visits the website has, which areas are most popular, and which areas can be improved.
  • Functionality cookies allow the browser to remember the preferences you have set for the website, for example text and colour preferences.
  • Targeting cookies, unlike the cookies listed above, allow the browser to store and send information to 'third parties' - organisations other than the owner of the website - about your visit. These are used to tailor advertisements or social media content.

Why this website uses cookies

This website requests cookies to:

  • enable logins and the filling in of forms (strictly necessary cookies)
  • check and improve the website's operation (performance cookies)
  • set language and page display options (functional cookies).

The Royal Greenwich website includes some online services provided by third parties. You can find further details about the cookies used by the Royal Greenwich and affiliated websites on the following pages.