dreamdateuk COOKIE POLICY
Last update: 22nd May 2024
dreamdateuk.co.uk aim to provide a professional online dating service. One that all our members can be proud of and enjoy using.
We provide this cookie policy within the confines of UK law and the European GDPR, which requires us to provide you with certain information regarding the cookie files we use. This cookie policy lets you know what cookies are, what types of cookies are placed on your computer or other device when you visit our site and what they are used for.
dreamdateuk.co.uk needs your consent for cookies to be set in your browser or downloaded to your computer (or other device) and we obtain this consent when you join as a member.
Our cookie policy – in a nutshell
Our website needs certain cookies to make it work properly and in order to use the site you must agree to the use of these which are used for things like remembering your login details. There is only one cookie used for this purpose which is: __session: and this lasts for 28 days.
We also use Google analytics on the site and our usage of the basic analytics service requires 3 cookies which are: _gat_gtag_UA_, _gid and _ga. These cookies may last up to 2 years.
In law, EU citizens have the option of declining 3rd party cookies. To decline 3rd party cookies bring up the GDPR tab at the bottom right hand of the browser window and click the ‘Reject’ button on the GDPR bar. This will also reject any 3rd party cookies that may come into use in the future.
About cookies
Just about every website you visit nowadays uses cookies of some sort and dreamdateuk.co.uk is no exception. Some websites use over 100 cookies! We are the opposite of this and try to use as few as possible. We use cookies to make your on-site experience a better one.
The cookies we use assist you to login directly to your member area, to distinguish you from other users on the website, to allow you to login using Facebook and to remember any settings and preferences you may have made in your member settings. So, without these cookies, the site would not function how you would expect it to.
We need to use cookies in order to provide the features on the website that we offer and when you join dreamdateuk.co.uk you agree to our use of these cookies. The simple fact is; your experience on our site will be a better one with the use of a few cookie files.
It is possible for you to use the dreamdateuk site with cookies disabled but many of the member features will no longer be available. You will not be able to have the browser remember your login details or use the Facebook login feature or save any preferences in your member settings area etc.
What is a cookie?
A cookie (also called an http cookie, web or internet cookie or browser cookie) can be sent in two different ways. It can be set as a small piece of data sent from a website and stored in your web browser while you are on the site. Every time you load the website in the browser, it sends the cookie data back to the server to notify the website of your previous activity.
Alternatively, a cookie could take the form of a text file. This file is sent from the websites hosting server and stored on your computer or mobile or other device, to provide the same information.
Cookies were originally designed as a method for websites to remember useful information about website visitors (such as login details or items added into a shopping cart in an online store etc.). They can also record browsing activity. Cookies can also store passwords and content added into forms.
Cookies perform essential functions for most websites nowadays and the term was coined by Lou Montulli, a browser programmer. It was derived from the term ‘Magic cookie’ which is a piece of data used by Unix programmers.
What are the different types of cookie?
There are various types of cookies and each type relates to a different purpose.
First party cookies
These are set by the website that you are visiting and can only be read by that website.
Third party cookies
These are set by a different website to the website that you are visiting. For example, the website that you are visiting might be using a service on its site which is provided by another business or website and it will be that website that sets the cookies.
Session cookies
These are cookie files which last only while you have the browser open. As soon as you close it, they are deleted.
Persistent cookies
These cookies are saved on your computer for a fixed period (usually a year or so) and are not deleted when the browser is closed. Persistent cookies are used when a website needs to know who you are for more than one browsing session. At dreamdateuk, we use this type of cookie to store your membership preferences so that they are remembered for your next visit.
Flash cookies
This type of cookies are usually associated with Adobe content such as video content and these cookies work in a different way to web browser cookies. Rather than having individual cookies for particular jobs, a website is restricted to storing all required data in just one cookie.
Website users can control how much data can be stored in a flash cookie but you can’t choose what type of information is allowed to be stored in it.
Cookies are also referred to as usage types and mainly consist of four types:
Strictly necessary cookies
These are cookies that are required for the correct operation of a website. At dreamdateuk, strictly necessary cookies include cookies that enable you to log in and to store member preferences in the member settings.
Analytical and performance cookies
These allow a website owner to count the number of visitors to a site and see which pages they visit.
Functionality cookies
These are used to recognise a user when they return to a website. This enables the website owners to personalise content and provide more appropriate content for that user. Functionality cookies are also responsible for remembering you name and preferences when you next log on.
Targeting cookies
These cookies record your visit to a website, the pages you have visited on the site and any links that you have followed.
What cookies do dreamdateuk use?
We use a small selection of cookies in order to provide a personalised service to you when you login. We use a small number of persistent functionality cookies. These are used to remember your name when you log in (which is displayed on the widget at the top left) and to store any settings you might have made in your member area. They also remember your login details so we can redirect you to your member area when you log in.
Occasionally, we will implement analytics cookies. These will be in the form of third party cookies and will originate from Google. You can see what cookies Google use for their analytics page here.
We do this to keep a track of numbers of visitors to the site and what pages they look at. We do this so we can improve the site in the best way possible. For example, if a certain page has only ever received a couple of visitors, we will either alter it to make it more interesting or just delete it.
You can block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of either one, some or all cookies, however, if you do block cookies, you may not be able to access all or parts of our site. Some cookies are necessary to make the site work but others (when used) may be classed as 3rd party cookies and these can easily be disabled without any loss of functionality to the site.