What are cookies?

A cookie is a piece of data that a website stores on your computer. A cookie will typically contain:

  • the name of the website from which the cookie has come
  • an expiry date (after which it is no longer used)
  • some data (often a randomly generated number)

Cookies are used by websites so that they can treat you as an individual. For example they can be used to:

  • remember if you have logged in
  • remember options that you selected (so that you don't have to reselect the options each time you visit)
  • differentiate you from other visitors - a shopping site may use cookies to make sure the items in your shopping basket remain separate from the items in other visitors' shopping baskets.

Does Voice use cookies?

Yes, this site does use cookies for the following essential purposes:

  • To store some information when you move between pages (for example, when you register or apply for a site).
  • To know if you are logged in and, optionally, to remember you between visits (so when you return you will see the members or admin options that you are used to - when you use them, you will be asked to log in again).

The cookies are not used to gather personal information and store no personal data. We cannot use the cookies to tell us who you are nor track your individual use of the site.

Voice does not use any cookies for tracking users, the only cookies used are those that are essential for the operation of the site. Therefore we do not require visitors to give explicit consent for visiting Voice sites. Details of the law and exceptions can be found on the ICO's website.

The table below lists the cookies we use, their purpose and when they expire. 

NamePurposeExpiry date
ad_session_id

Used to remember information that you have entered when you move between certain pages (such as when registering or when applying for a site).

The cookie is also used to determine if you are logged in and actively using the system.

1 hour
ad_secure_token

Set when you log in. Links user to current session.

End of session
ad_user_login_secure Set when you log in. If you don't select 'remember my login' when logging in the cookie expires at the end of your session.

Jan 31 2035
or
End of session

poll_<number> Set when you answer a poll on a Voice site. Each poll will set an individual cookie. January 1 2035

Sites hosted on Voice may include embedded content from third party sites such as YouTube, Flickr, Facebook etc. Some of these third party sites may also set cookies. 

Enabling or disabling cookies

We recommend that you allow all cookies set by this site as they help us provide you with a better service. If you decide to disable our cookies then you will not be able to login or access certain parts of the website.