What are cookies?
Cookies are short text files that the websites you visit send to your browser. They enable the websites to record information about your visit, for example your preferred language and other settings, so that your next visit is simpler and more efficient. Cookies are important, as without them web browsing would be far more difficult. Cookies have many purposes: we use them, for example, to store your safe-search settings, to monitor the number of visitors to our website, to choose and set up relevant ads, to make registration for new services easier, and also to protect your data. Cookies cannot be used to establish the identity of website visitors in any way. You can restrict the use of cookies or block them in your browser settings. If, however, you restrict or block some cookies, you will not be able to use some of the functions of our website.
What types of cookies and other tools do we use?
We split cookies and other measuring tools into the following categories depending on their function and purpose:
Strictly necessary cookies are cookies that ensure the basic functionality of the website or our online services. They are usually only set in response to your activity, which is a request for a service such as logging on to a secure part of our website. These cookies are essential for the operation of our website or the given services.
Statistical cookies enable us to recognise and count the number of visitors and to get information about how the website is used (e.g. which pages a user opens most often and whether the user gets an error message from any pages). This helps us improve the function of the website, for example ensuring that users can easily find what they are searching for.
We only use preference cookies with your consent, and these enable us to recognise when you return to our website and enable us to offer you improved and personalised functions such as welcoming you by name and remembering your site preferences. You can set your own preferences in relation to ads and targeting cookies at any time in your web browser as described below, or in the Consent settings.
We only use marketing cookies with your consent. In such a case, they record your visit to our website, the pages you visit outside our website, and the links you follow. We use this information to serve you with ads that are relevant for you and your interests. This information is also used to reduce the number of repeated ads you see, and to measure the effectiveness of ad campaigns. For this purpose, we can also provide this information to third parties (like advertisers). You can set your own preferences in relation to ads and targeting cookies at any time in your web browser as described below, or in the Consent settings.
Consent to cookies storage
Browsers usually automatically accept cookies unless they are configured otherwise. You can restrict or block the use of cookies in your browser settings at any time.
You can find the most commonly used browsers and information about setting them up here:
Third-party cookies
We also use services provided by our partners, who also use cookies. These cookies are managed by third parties and we do not have read or write access to these data. These are in particular systems for delivering ads or visitor analysis. We also use Google services like Google Recaptcha and Google Fonts.
Our website contains links to social networks like Facebook, which can process your personal data, typically your IP address and the sites you visit, and potentially information about your device and your behaviour using e.g. cookies. The processing of your personal data in such a case is then subject to the principles adopted by the operators of these social networks, which are available on their websites.
