Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies
Cookies
Cookies are small portions of text that are stored on the device you use to access our services. Cookies enable us (or third parties that we allow to set cookies on your device) to recognize repeat users. Our websites, for example, may use first and third party cookies. Cookies may expire after a period of time, depending on what they are used for. We also use various technologies to collect and retain information about visits to our websites and use of our mobile applications.
Other Tracking Technologies
Pixel Tags / Page Tags / Web Beacons / Tracking Links - These are small, hidden images and blocks of code placed in web pages, ads, and our emails that allow us to determine if you perform a specific action. When you access a page, ad, or email, or click a link, these items let us know that you have accessed that page, opened an email, or clicked a link.
SDKs - SDKs or software development kits are software code provided by our business partners that let our software interact with the services those partners provide. For example, in our free mobile apps, we may use an SDK to enable our app to serve ads from an advertising network. Sometimes these interactions will involve that business partner collecting some information from the device on which the software is run.
Types of Cookies We Utilize and Why We Utilize Tracking Technologies
We Utilize Cookies:
- To provide our services - Essential Cookies are essential for security and the proper operation of our website and services. While you cannot switch off Essential Cookies in our systems, they are usually only set in response to actions made by you that amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms. For example, Essential Cookies allow us to authenticate who you are and whether you’re authorized to access a resource or enable us and our payment processors to help prevent and detect certain kinds of fraud.
- To store your preferences - Functional Cookies enable our platforms to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our platforms. Functional Cookies can store your preferences, such as language preferences or whether to pre-fill your username on sign in forms. We may also use them to optimize the content that we create and show to you. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these services may not function properly.
- For analytics - Analytic Cookies help us measure and improve the performance of our services for our customers. For example, Analytic Cookies help us know which screens or webpages are the most and least popular, count visits and traffic sources, see how visitors move around the site and whether our advertising is effective.
- For advertising-related purposes - Advertising cookies, we advertise our services online with the help of third parties who show ads and marketing about us on sites around the internet. Our advertising partners may set these cookies through our site and to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant ads on other sites. If you do not allow these cookies, you may experience less targeted advertising.
Third Parties
We may allow our business partners to place certain tracking technologies in our services. These partners use these technologies for the following purposes:
- To provide our services - Some business partners who help us to provide our services may use these technologies to support those efforts.
- For analytics - To help us understand how you use our services.
- For marketing - To help us market and advertise our services to you, including on third party websites. Cookies are used in connection with this to measure the performance of our advertising, attribute actions you take with our ads with actions you take on our services, deliver ad retargeting (serving ads based on your past interactions with our services), and target ads at similar audiences.
Third Party Advertising Cookies
We also use cookies or other automatic data collection technologies to collect information relating to your web interactions, browser events, and equipment over time and across third-party websites or other online services. This information allows us and third-parties to deliver personalized advertisements to you based on your inferred interests.