Cookies FAQs

1. How can I view and manage my cookie settings on my browser?

Your internet browser generally accepts cookies automatically, but you can modify your settings to stop accepting them. You can also delete cookies manually, however, please note that Media24 websites require cookies to function properly and by removing them the websites may no longer be useable. You are able to view and manage your cookies and cookies settings from your internet browser’s privacy and security settings.

2. How do I change, clear or delete my cookie settings on my browser?

2.1 Google Chrome (Desktop)
• Navigate to the ellipse icon menu in the upper right corner to open the Chrome menu
• Select “More tools, “Clear Browsing Data”
• To delete cookies from your browser, check off the third and fourth boxes in the pop-up box
• To manage your Chrome cookie settings type chrome://settings/content/cookies in the omnibox – here you can manage your settings to allow cookies only from website that you visit, to clear cookies when you close your browser, or to completely block cookies (You can also choose to only block third-party cookies or set exceptions for certain websites e.g., if you set an exception for News24 you won’t have to log in every time you visit the website.)
• To see a list of all the cookies installed locally on your computer select “See All Cookies and Site Data”. You can select the cookies one by one or click on “Remove All”

2.2 Google Chrome (Mobile)
• Navigate to the menu via the ellipses menu in the lower right corner (iOS) or upper right corner (Android)
• Select “Settings”, followed by “Privacy” and then “Clear Browsing Data”
• Select the section that refers to cookies – it will be highlighted and will show a tick mark next to it
• Scroll down and select “Clear Browsing Data” (iOS) and “Clear Data” (Android”) – this will clear all the cookies on the Chrome browser on our mobile device (you do not have any granular controls over existing cookies and are not able to block third-party cookies alone)

2.3 Mozilla Firefox (Desktop)
• Select the hamburger menu in the upper right corner and select “Options” followed by “Privacy & Security”
• Under the “Cookies and Site Data” section select “Clear Data”, followed by “Cookies and Site Data”, followed by “Clear to remove your entire cookie history” – this will clear all cookies from your browser
• To select which cookies to remove, navigate back to “Cookies and Site Data”, select “Manage Data” to view the list of cookies and to choose the website from which to remove cookies
• To remove cookies after a browsing session has ended, check the box to “Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed”
• To create rules for your cookies, navigate to “Manage Exceptions”, followed by “Create Exceptions” to create a list of websites from which to always (or never) accept cookies

2.4 Firefox (Android)
• Navigate to the ellipse menu and select “Settings”, “Privacy”, followed by “Cookies”
• In the “Cookie” section there are three options to manage your cookie settings: “Enabled”, “Enabled Excluding 3rd Party”, or “Disabled”
• To clear all cookies from your browser, on the “Privacy” screen, select the box by “Clear Data on Exit” – this will clear your cookies when you exit the browser

2.5 Firefox (iOS)
• Tap the hamburger menu on the lower right corner
• Select “Settings”, followed by “Tracking Protection” which will give you the option of selecting “Standard” or “Strict” of which the latter is equivalent of private browsing mode
• To manage your Cookies on a more granular level navigate to “Settings”, “Data Management”, followed by “Cookies”
• Here you can turn your cookies off by clicking on “Website Data” and deleting cookies by website, alternatively scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on “Clear Private Data” to clear all cookies

2.6 Microsoft Edge
• Navigate to the three-dot menu in the Microsoft Edge browser and select “Settings”
• Select the hamburger menu on the top left corner of the settings menu and select “Privacy and services
• Under the “Clear browsing data” select “Choose what to clear” to view a list of cookies settings
• Some of the options will be pre-selected, however you are able to de-select/select the items you want to delete followed by “Clear now” – this will clear the selected cookies from your browser
• Under “Clear browsing data, you can also choose which websites must clear cookies every time a browsing session ends (when the browser is closed)
• To manage cookies on your browser, scroll up to “Tracking Prevention” – here you can view a list of blocked cookies and set expectation by choosing one of three options (Basic, Balanced or Strict)

2.7 Internet Explorer
• Click “Tools” (the gear icon) in the browser toolbar
• Choose “Internet Options”
• Select the Privacy tab, and under Settings, select Advanced and choose whether you want to accept, block, or be prompted for first-party and third-party cookies
• To delete cookies, point to Safety, and then select Delete browsing history and select the Cookies and website data check box, and then select Delete

2.8 Safari (macOS)
The default Safari settings is to only store cookies for websites that you visit, which automatically exclude third-party cookies. You can make changes to your cookie settings on Safari (for macOS) by following these steps:
• Navigate to the Safari menu (gear icon)
• Select “Preferences”
• Select “Privacy” and look under the “Cookies and website data” section
• If you want to block all cookies on your browser; select the “Block All Cookies” box under the privacy tab
• Click on the “Manage website data” button to view the cookies enabled on your browser
• From here, you can manage the cookies Safari will accept – click any website under the Cookies and Website data to clear the cookies for the selected websites

2.9 Safari (iOS)
When using Safari on your mobile device you have to access your cookie settings on the device and not via the browser. You can make changes to your cookies settings on Safari (for iOS) by following these steps:
• Open the settings of you Apple mobile device
• Scroll down to the Safari settings
• In the Safari settings, scroll down to the “Privacy & Security” section
• To disable/block all cookies on your browser, toggle “Block All Cookies” to on
• To clear all cookies on you Safari (iOS) browser scroll down to the bottom of the “Privacy & Security” section and tap on the “Clear History and Website Data” button – this will clear all cookies saved on your browser
• To clear only selected cookies stored by websites scroll down to the bottom in the Safari settings to “Advanced” and select “Website data” – here you will be able to view a list of websites from which you can select for which websites you want to clear cookies by selecting the edit option in the right top corner and then selecting the red minus button next to the website for which cookies should be removed

3. How can I block targeting cookies?

Most web browsers allow for cookie settings to be set to block targeting cookies (also referred to as third-party cookies). In some browsers it is as simple as disabling third-party cookies, but if your web browser does not allow you to manage your cookie settings on a granular level it will give you the option to set your cookie functionality to “essential” or “strict”. If you do not want to block all third-party cookies you can manage your cookie settings by removing (or blocking) cookies for specific websites.

4. What happens if third-party cookies are disabled on my browser?

When you disable third-party cookies on your browser settings, a website will not be able to track your browsing activity as you move from the one website to the next. Therefore, by disabling third-party cookies on your web browser you can restrict tracking advertising by third-party entities.

5. Why do cookies remain active after I closed my browser?

Session cookies (also referred to as temporary cookies) are stored in the memory of the web browser (not on your computer disk). Session cookies will only remain active for the duration of your browsing session and once you close your browser the cookies will no longer be active. Persistent cookies, on the other hand, are stored on your device with the purpose of assisting your browsing experience by remembering your login details, settings and preferences that you previously used and saved on a website. For this reason, these cookies remain active when you close your browser and ultimately creates a more convenient website experience. All cookies have an expiration date, and when persistent cookies reach their expiration date they will automatically be removed. You can change your browser settings to clear all cookies every time you end a browsing session. Some browsers also allow you to set an expiration date for certain cookies. However, it is important to note that if you clear cookies from your browser every time you end a browsing session, you will be required to log in and set your preference every time you start a new browsing session.

6. Why do I need to keep strictly necessary cookies enabled?

Strictly necessary cookies allow our readers to move around our website and to make use of essential features, such as subscriber features for which our readers must be signed into their profile to access. Without strictly necessary cookies our services will not be able to function optimally. We make use of strictly necessary cookies to recognise that you are signed in to your profile and to verify your preferences.

7. How do I manage my cookie setting to only keep strictly necessary cookies enabled?

You can manage your cookie settings on your web browser by only allowing cookies while you are actively browsing a website or set your cookie settings to “strict” or “essential” based on your browser settings to effectively only enable necessary cookies on your browser. Before you change your cookie settings, it’s important to note that blocking cookies may prevent many websites to perform all functionality.

1. Is it safe to accept cookies from a website?

Cookies are used everywhere on the internet and are safe to access on reputable websites, such as Media24. In fact, cookies are an important part of creating an enjoyable experience on websites. With a clear understanding of how cookies work and how they assist our readers to improve your browsing experience, you can make informed decisions on your cookie browser settings to browse our websites confidently.

2. Do cookies collect my personal information and what information do cookies collect?

When cookies are created, they are not created with personal information. Cookies also do not scan your computer in an attempt to find your personal information. Any personal information that cookies may contain is as a result of the information you complete on an online form on a website. The primary purpose of cookies is to help you, as the reader, access a website faster and with improved efficiency. For example, if you have a profile on one of the Media24 websites, cookies can store your sign-in information to help you enter the website without having to sign in every time that you visit the website. What happens is that cookies inform the website that your specific browser has been to the website before. Your identity is not known, but rather your browser is recognised.

3. What information do Media24 collect from you and how do we use that information?

We collect personal information that is necessary for us to provide you with our services as advertised. We only collect and use the minimum personal information we need in order to provide and improve our services. In some instances, we will share information (e.g. subscriber status) with third parties such as Google that they use for advertisement targeting. We do not, however, share your personal information that can identify you with third parties.
Examples of personal information which we may collect and process include your name; email address; fixed or mobile phone number; location information and in some circumstances (provided you have explicitly consented to us collecting and processing this personal information) your race or ethnic origin; gender; age; religious or philosophical beliefs; financial, health or biometric information; culture; language; education or employment history.
We use the personal information we collect and receive primarily to identify you, verify your identity, create a user account for you and contract with you. Please refer to the Media24 Privacy Policy for further details on the information we collect from you, and how we use, protect and retain that information.

4. How long does Media24 keep my personal information?

We retain personal information only for as long as we need it. We have a defined time period in place that is tied to the purpose/s for which the personal information was collected.

5. How does POPIA relate to cookies and what is required by law?

As a South African company, Media24 is governed by South African data privacy laws – the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) in particular. While our websites may be accessible worldwide, we are not subject to the European General Data Protection Regulation (Article 3). We are always working on improving our users’ experience. This includes the cookie preference capability. For now, users can delete or disable cookies manually, however, this may adversely affect the operation and functionality of our websites. For more information on POPIA, please refer to the POPIA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

6. What steps do I need to follow to request Media24 to remove all my personal details from their records?

If you are an existing subscriber, you need to first cancel your subscription before we can remove your personal details from our records. In your profile section, at the bottom of the screen on your subscription detail page, there is a button that reads: ‘Cancel my subscription’. Click on the button and follow the steps to unsubscribe. In the process, you can also help us understand why you are cancelling your subscription by selecting the option that applies to your decision or by writing us a more comprehensive message. After you have successfully cancelled your subscription to one of the Media24 digital products, please log a data deletion request here.

7. Can cookies reveal your identity to third parties?

Third-party cookies primarily collect marketing-relevant information such as age, origin, gender, and user behaviour data. Cookies usually contain two parts of data; the first is a unique identifier for each user and the second is the name of the website. Due to this limited amount of information third-party cookies obtains, it cannot obtain your identity or personally identifying information.

8. Can I get a virus on my device from cookies?

Cookies are not viruses. Cookies also cannot transfer malware or viruses to your computer as it does not contain executable code. The data within a cookie does not change and therefore does not have the inherent ability to affect your computer. However, some malware and viruses may be in disguise as cookies. With that said, all Media24 websites are reputable sites and the cookies we use are disclosed up front and do not pose any risk to be disguised as malware.

9. What can I do to ensure my internet browser is secure?

There are simple steps that you can take to ensure your internet browsing sessions are more secure. By installing a spyware/antivirus detection and clean-up application on your computer, you will be able to block your browser from accessing websites that may expose you to malicious software. In addition, by making sure your browser automatically updates to the latest browser version you eliminate security vulnerabilities that may be caused by outdated browser settings.

10. I still have a question about cookies. How do I send my request to Media24?

If you require more information relating to cookies, you can click here to submit a request to Media24.

For more information view the full version of the Media24 Privacy Policy and the Media24 Group Policy on Cookie Consent.