On this page, you will find more information about what cookies are, which cookies we use, and how you can manage them. A cookie is a small piece of text that a web server provides to a visiting browser in the hope and expectation that the browser will return it on a subsequent visit. A cookie is an addition to the HTTP specification; it manages communication between a web server and a browser. However, it is not designed to treat consecutive page visits as a single session. Therefore, it is not automatically possible to retrieve data or settings from a previous visit.

Contrary to what politicians sometimes claim, cookies are not programs or files, and technically nothing is stored on the visitor’s computer by the web server. The browser decides this entirely for itself. Ultimately, cookies are often stored as files, but a web server cannot force a browser to save cookies or return them on a later visit.

A cookie is always tied to a specific domain or subdomain. Cookies are therefore only sent back to the same domain from which they originated. This ensures that only the servers of this website receive the cookies previously set by this website. Javascript can also only access cookies placed by the same domain.

An important point about cookies is that they can be sent with every HTTP request, and all relevant cookies are included with each request. This also applies to requests for images, Javascript, and CSS files for a webpage. Domain verification is applied in these cases as well.

Cookies received from the same domain you are visiting are called first-party cookies. When viewing this page, the cookies from this domain are therefore first-party cookies.

It is also possible that a website contains elements from third parties. Common examples include embedded videos, advertisements, and social media buttons. If these elements send cookies from their own servers, they are called third-party cookies. This means that when you visit this website, you may also receive third-party cookies from Youtube.com and other third-party websites. Due to the way HTTP works and the security around cookies, the first party cannot influence the sending of third-party cookies.

Cookies make it possible to retrieve information from previous visits to this website. In practice, this is used to keep track of whether you are logged in, to remember settings you have adjusted, and to record which site elements you have seen before. Cookies that adjust the site’s functionality to your preferences are called functional cookies.

In addition, cookies can also be used to let the website know that a visitor has previously visited the site. In this way, statistical data on website usage can be collected. A well-known tool that collects this information is Google Analytics. This tool only uses anonymized statistical information, which we use to analyze and improve the functioning of the site. This website currently uses Google Analytics to collect statistics. Information about your browsing behavior can also be used to tailor advertisements to your interests. We only use anonymized information about pages previously visited on this domain for that purpose.

Visitor profiles created by this domain using first-party cookies are never shared with third parties and are only used to improve the quality and relevance of the website.