Cookies info

The Economist Group operates a strict privacy policy around the world. We are committed to being transparent about the technologies we use, and we've outlined below how we use cookies when you visit our site www.economist.com.

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small snippet of text that a website asks your browser to store. All cookies have expiration dates in them that determine how long they stay in your browser. Cookies can be removed in two ways: automatically, when they expire, or when you manually delete them. We've included more details below to help you understand what kinds of cookies we use.

Does Economist.com use cookies?

Yes, with the primary purpose to make our website work more effectively.

What are session and persistent cookies?

• Session cookies - these are temporary cookies that expire (and are automatically erased) whenever you close your browser. An example of how we use session cookies is to grant access to content and enable commenting (things you have to log in to do).
• Persistent cookies - these usually have an expiration date far into the future and thus stay in your browser until they expire, or until you manually delete them. An example of how we use persistent cookies is for functionalities like the "Stay logged in" tickbox. We also use persistent cookies to better understand usage patterns so we can improve the site for our customers. This information is anonymised - when we look at the data, in other words, we look at patterns, but we do not see individuals' personally identified information (PII).

In what circumstances does Economist.com use cookies, and why?

We use different kinds of cookies for various reasons outlined below. All cookie information is completely anonymised ie we do not see individuals' PII.

There are also limited third-party cookies on the site. These cookies could be session or persistent and are set by entities other than The Economist. To ensure compliance with our policies, we restrict the use of third-party cookies to trusted partners of The Economist Group. For example, we currently allow:

1. Essential cookies - these cookies are all first party cookies that are essential for the operation of our website. For example, some cookies allow us to identify subscribers and ensure they can access the subscription pages.
2. Functional cookies - these cookies remember your log-in details if you have the "Stay logged in" box ticked which makes it possible for registered users to return to the site without having to log in. Functional cookies also make sure the website looks consistent as well as allowing us to analyze site usage so we can measure and improve performance.
   We use a functional cookie to remember your cookie preference from our 'Cookie preference' tool as well as to provide you with enhanced services like commenting.
   In addition, we use functional cookies for Audience measurement and validation. We use services such as Omniture, Chartbeat, and Google Analytics to understand how many people visit us and what is popular, which helps us improve the website. Additionally, we use tools like Quantcast and Comscore to validate our understanding of that information for advertising purposes.
   When you register or log in to Economist.com with credentials from social networks like Facebook or Twitter, you authorise them to store a persistent cookie that will remember you and grant you access to our site every time you visit until it expires. You can delete that cookie (and revoke the access it grants) by updating your preferences with each respective social network. So if you no longer want to be able to log in through Facebook, you'll need to update your settings at Facebook.
3. Advertising cookies - these cookies allow you to share pages with social networks should you wish to do so. They also enable us and our advertisers to serve you with relevant advertisements that may interest you through a practice often called OBA, or online behavioral advertising. You might see these advertisements on economist.com and on other sites you visit, including our advertising network, Ideas People Media. They are sometimes referred to as 'behaviourally targeted advertising cookies' and track information such as which websites you visit and build a profile based on your interests. We however do not collect your personal or sensitive information.
   There are also other limited third-party cookies on the site that fall into the 'Advertising cookies' category. These cookies could be session or persistent and are set by entities other than The Economist. To ensure compliance with our policies, we restrict the use of third-party cookies to trusted partners of The Economist Group. For example, we currently allow:
   • Brightcove for our multimedia platform, Doubleclick (Google) for our advertising platform. Those teams set cookies in order to control frequency of advertising and to target advertising to the right section or geographic region;
   • We use third party data from validated third party sources (such as Bizo Private Audience Targeting) acquired through BlueKai Data Exchange, to enable us to target advertising by establishing a particular audience demographic based on cookie data. These are validated by BlueKai, not by us.
   You can opt out of these cookies at any time – to learn how to do this or if you would like to learn more about how advertisers use these types of cookies, please visit http://www.youronlinechoices.eu if you are based in the EU. If you are based in the United States and would like to learn more, please visit http://www.aboutads.info/choices/. You can also use our cookie preference tool, located at the footer of our site pages to opt-out from all advertising cookies, if you wish to do so. Please note that we are not responsible for the content of external websites. The Economist is also a signatory of the European Principles on OBA.

Do any of the cookies that Economist.com use contain my personal details?

No. All the data contained in the cookies that we use is completely anonymous and doesn’t contain any PII.

Does Economist.com use cookies to sell customer information?

No.

How can I change my preferences, delete or opt-out of cookies?

Please find our "Cookie Preferences" tool at the footer of this page.

Alternatively, whilst we are not responsible for the content of any external websites, we set out some websites below which may help if you wish to delete or opt-out of cookies.

If you want to delete or disable cookies, see: www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies

To opt out of cookies from Google: www.google.com/privacy/ads

To opt out of cookies from Quantcast: www.quantcast.com/how-we-do-it/consumer-choice/opt-out

To opt out of cookies from Bizo: www.bizo.com/businessProfessionals/opt_out

Will the site work if I disable cookies?

You can browse Economist.com with cookies disabled, though some interactions may not work. For example, ticking the “Stay logged in” box at login will not actually keep you logged in to the site unless you have enabled cookies.

How long will cookies last for?

We limit the lifetime of our cookies to 13 months and so you will be asked about your cookie preferences again no later than 13 months since the last time we asked you. You can of course opt-out of cookies and update your consent at any time during your experience through our cookie preference tool. If you do not opt-out of cookies or subsequently update your consent, and continue to use our sites, you consent to the use of cookies as described. If you choose to opt-out of cookies or remove your consent subsequently, we will necessarily have to ask you about your cookie preferences when you use our sites. The pop-up message will therefore reappear more regularly. For further detail please see the "Why does the message explaining cookies keep appearing?" section below.

Why does the message explaining cookies keep appearing?

A pop-up message will appear the first time someone visits our site to notify them of our use of cookies and how to change preference. There is a 20 second timer on this after which the pop-up will disappear. If you continue to get this pop-up then you most likely have cookies disabled or you have opted out of functional cookies. We use a persistent cookie to remember your preferences, but this only works when cookies on our site are enabled and functional cookies are allowed.

Who is our ‘Cookie Preference’ tool provider?

We have chosen to use TRUSTe as our ‘cookie preference’ tool provider, utilising their ‘consent manager’ technology. to provide our users with an easy and transparent 'cookie preference' tool. TRUSTe is a leading Data Privacy Management company which assesses, monitors, and certifies websites, mobile apps, cloud, and advertising channels in relation to data collection and usage practices. The company incorporates regulatory requirements and industry best practices. More information on TRUSTe can be found at their website: http://www.truste.com/about-TRUSTe/ although please note that we are not responsible for any content on external websites.

What are the ​associations we belong to?

The European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) is the single authoritative voice on advertising self-regulation issues. It promotes high ethical standards in commercial communications by means of effective self-regulation, while being mindful of national differences of culture, legal and commercial practice.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 500 leading media and technology companies that are responsible for selling 86% of online advertising in the United States. The IAB educates marketers, agencies, media companies and the wider business community about the value of interactive advertising. Working with its member companies, the IAB evaluates and recommends standards and practices and fields critical research on interactive advertising. The IAB is committed to the continued growth of the interactive advertising ecosystem in tandem with ethical and consumer-friendly advertising practices. The IAB Board of Directors is authorised not only to develop and maintain this Code of Conduct, but to also establish and implement procedures and guidelines for the purpose of determining when violations or failures occur and for allowing the Members to participate in a resolution and remediation process that is both reasonable and fair to the Members and the industry in which the Members do business.

The European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA) is "a cross-industry self-regulatory initiative that was developed by leading European bodies to introduce pan-European standards to enhance transparency and user control for online behavioural advertising" as explained on their website www.edaa.eu. You can get more information about how to exercise your online choices on their website as well.

The Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) serves the same mission as the EDAA in the United States. You can learn more about online behavioral advertising and your online choices on their website http://www.aboutads.info/choices/

Why have The Economist signed up to the EASA and IAB?

EASA is becoming an industry standard and reflects the same high ethical standards for which we strive. As we want to make sure it is as simple and straightforward as possible for our readers to manage their preferences, we have committed to adhering to these standards.
For more information on cookies, see: www.allaboutcookies.org
For more information on EASA, see www.easa-alliance.org
For more information on the IAB code of conduct, see: www.iab.net/public_policy/codeofconduct

What changes have been made to the cookies policy?

• We first launched this on May 23rd, 2012 and the change made on April 5th, 2013 includes:
• We are now members of the IAB
• We added some cookies for functionality (for example the Bizo cookie mentioned above)
• We broadened the array of our targeting possibilities, including allowing re-targeting cookies (all anonymous)
• We added opt out links for Google, QuantCast and Bizo cookies
• The change made on February 5th, 2014 includes:
• We added more detail on the types of cookies used on economist.com
• We added links to explain how advertisers use 'behaviourally targeted advertising cookies'
• The change made on February 26th, 2014 includes:
• We added a cookie preference tool to allow our users to easily choose what kinds of cookies to opt out from
• We moved from placing a message about cookies on our banner to a pop-up