How are IHLE cookies used?

1. What is a cookie?
A cookie is a text file, a code or part of software which stores information from a browser process as well as a profile of your workplace on the Internet. This cookie is managed by your web browser, and has, in some cases, a unique and random number. You can read, erase or change these cookies.
 
2. For what are IHLE cookies used?
IHLE always looks for new opportunities to improve the company and its web page(s) and to offer you, the web user, better service and a better experience. For this reason, IHLE uses various types of cookies which are described below, and which require prior approval by the web user (commercial cookies) before the cookies can be installed on the web user’s computer.

3. How are you informed by IHLE about the cookies used?
When you visit www.ihlenet.de  the first time, you will be led from the masthead to a page on which you will find all information about cookies which are installed and used by this web page.
Since you have control over the cookies at any rate, you can refuse or erase these.

4. How can you refuse and/or de-install cookies?

A. On a PC

You can de-install cookies in two different ways. 

One possibility is to display the cookies already installed on your computer, and to erase them altogether, or one-by-one.

• Apple Safari Browser: In the “Confidentiality” area, under the “Preferences” menu, you will find the “Cookies and other data of Internet websites” section.
• Google Chrome Browser: In the “Confidentiality” area, in the “Content Parameter” sub-menu of the “Parameter” menu, there is a “Cookies and website data” section.
• Internet Explorer Browser: In the “Tools” menu, you will find under “Internet Options”, “General”, “Browser history”, “parameters” the “Parameters of temporary    Internet files and history” window, and the option “Display files”.
• Mozilla Firefox Browser: Go to the “tools” menu to the “Options” section under “Privacy”, and call up the function “Delete specific cookies”.

Another possibility is to manually erase the cookies using the following steps:

• Go to C:\ in the Windows folder,
• open the “Temporary Internet Files” folder, and choose all files (CTL+A).
• Then select the “delete” option.

You can in addition set your web browser in such a way that storing cookies on your computer is prevented, or a warning message is shown if a cookie is to be installed. The steps needed for this vary from one browser to another. You will find further information in every browser under “Help”. You can program your browser independent of this on each computer you use in order to call up an IHLE web page.
When de-installing or blocking cookies to the IHLE web pages, your use of these web pages may be impacted or even prevented.

B. On a smart phone or tablet

You can de-install your cookies using the following methods:

• Android Browser : Open your “Home screen”, tap on your web browser icon, tap on the “menu” surface, tap on “settings”, your device will either bring you to a menu of available “settings”, or it will display one of the following three options. Tap on the option that you have: “Privacy & security” option, “Private”, “Security”, tap on “Clear cache”, tap on “OK” to confirm, tap on “Clear all cookie data”, tap “OK” to confirm, click on the “Home” surface to return back to your home screen, turn off and turn on your device.
• Google Chrome Browser: Click on “the Chrome menu” browser strip, then “more tools”, and “clear browsing data”. In the box that appears, click on the check box for “cookies and other site and plug-in data”, and “cached images and files”. Use the upper menu in order to select the data that you would like to erase. Select “beginning of time” in order to erase everything. Click on “clear browsing data”. 
• Apple iOS 8: Click on the “home button”, tap on “settings”, scroll to “Safari,” tap on “clear history and website data”. You will see a warning. Tap on “clear history and data” in order to confirm. Click on the “home button” in order to return back to your home screen, restart your device by turning it off and turning it back on.

5. What types of cookies does IHLE use?
Cookies can be temporary, and apply only to the time of your visit to the web page. You can, however, also install permanently or for a longer period, depending upon which period is referred to, and which settings you use in your web browser. There are many types of cookies which can be classified into the following groups:
 

Absolutely required cookies

• Absolutely required cookies are cookies which cannot be avoided, as the web pages depend upon the proper functioning of these cookies. Deactivation of such cookies leads to severe problems in connection with using the web page, or that all the services in this web page cannot be used. Absolutely required cookies do not store information after you have left the page. These cookies can, for example, identify the computer in order to transfer communications, to refer to data packet numbers in order to be able to present these in the required sequence, and to recognise transfer errors or data loss.

Functional cookies

• Functional cookies are exclusively used to present electronic communication at the request of the web user. This function can no longer be executed when these cookies are de-installed. The information gathered is also stored after you leave the web page, and can be forwarded to partners, but these data are exclusively used for the purposes of preparation of the services required. These can be cookies, for example, which store the user’s preferred settings, such as language preference, cookies, which store a “user session”, or cookies which provide a “virtual shopping basket”.

Analysis cookies and cookies to determine user information

• Cookies to determine visitor information identify the web page user for each of your visits. These cookies only store the web user's ID (which is unique for each cookie), and are not used in any case to collect name information about the web page visitor. These cookies store the pages visited by the user, the duration of each visit, as well as any error messages which occur. All this information can help to improve the performance and execution of IHLE’s Internet web pages. Analysis cookies can be installed and managed by partners. IHLE limits use of these types of cookies to what is required for analytical statistics.

Tracking and tracing cookies

• Using tracking cookies, third parties can provide services which are primarily related to marketing, and improve the efficacy of these services. These cookies can store the pages and websites which you visit, and gather some personal data, mainly the web user’s computer’s IP address. The information gathered can also be transferred to third parties.

This is the case for cookies, for example, in which the advertising companies offer advertising customised to the web user’s interests; these are determined by analysing the browsing behaviour by the web user on the IHLE website. Repeated display of the advertising is limited to one time on the basis of these interests. The web user’s consent when visiting the website is required for these cookies. In such a case, a banner is shown on the home page, in which the web user is asked whether he would like to have such cookies installed.

IHLE and third-party service providers, especially Google, use “first party cookies” and “third-party cookies" in order to collect information and to display and optimise advertising displays to the page visitors.  IHLE and these providers also use these two types of cookies in order to determine the behaviour of a number of page visits for Ad Impressions, other uses of advertising services, as well as interactions with these Ad Impressions and advertising services. Finally, IHLE and these providers use these two types of cookies in order to note your interests and demographic data, so that you can be provided with targeted advertising displays.