1. Introduction
Welcome to Alfred Gera & Sons Limited’s IP Address and Cookie Policy (the “Policy”).
We, Alfred Gera & Sons Limited (C 120) of 10, Triq il-Masgar, Qormi, Malta (“we”; “us”; “our”) collect aggregate information about the users of our website: https://www.alfredgera.com (the “Site”) through the use of ‘cookies’ and Internet Protocol Addresses (“IP Addresses”) and our related practices.
The practices that we apply for the generation of such aggregate information are described in this Policy.
Please read the following carefully to understand how and why the Site uses your IP Address and cookies! If you do not accept or agree to the practices described in this Policy, you must exit the Site immediately! Continued use will be deemed to amount to your full acceptance and consent.
2. IP Address
2.1 What happens when you visit the Site
Every time you connect to the internet or, if you use an always-on connection such as broadband or ADSL, when you boot up or restart your computer, you are automatically assigned a unique identifying number known as an IP Address. This IP Address, which contains information regarding the location of your computer on the internet (your country of origin) and the name of your internet service provider (“ISP”), is automatically logged by the Site.
2.2 What is an IP Address?
When you first started your internet session (i.e., your computer connected to the internet), your computer was automatically assigned a unique number (normally in the region of 9 or 10 decimal numbers), known as an IP Address. This is your computer’s unique address on the internet.
Without an IP Address, websites would not be able to deliver their content to you, as they would not be able to find your computer on the internet. Since each time you disconnect and reconnect to the internet a new IP Address is automatically assigned to your computer, IP Addresses are not inherently capable of identifying you as an individual (at least, by themselves and not combined with other identifiers).
An IP Address does, however, contain information regarding the location of your computer on the internet (your country) and the name of your ISP, which, when combined with other available information, may lead to your identification. For these reasons, EU data protection law treats IP Addresses as personal data with the resulting protections.
2.3 How do we collect your IP Address?
Each time you visit a page on the Site, your computer sends out a message asking for the requested content to be delivered. This message sent by your computer also encloses your IP Address as a form of “return address,” so that the Site may find your computer in order to send it the requested content. Our web server automatically logs all these messages.
2.4 What do we do with your IP Address?
When we log your IP Address, the data collected is grouped with other logged IP Addresses to provide us with statistics on the geographic location of visitors to the Site, how long they stay on the Site, which pages are most viewed, and other statistical purposes.
We gather your IP address automatically and store it in log files. These files also contain information relating to your browser type, ISP, operating system, date/time stamp, clickstream data, and the files viewed on the Site. Collecting this type of information allows us to generate aggregate information for the purposes of developing the Site, analyzing user trends, and improving user experience.
IP Addresses are not stored for longer than necessary for the above-stated purposes.
3. Cookies
3.1 Information about our use of Cookies
The Site uses cookies to distinguish you from other users. They allow us to analyze trends, administer the Site, provide you with a good browsing experience, and develop and improve the Site.
A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer if you agree. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer’s hard drive. A cookie enables the website to remember users who have already visited.
Without a cookie, every time you open a new web page, the server where that page is stored will treat you like a completely new visitor. Cookies allow us to remember your custom preferences such as your language preference and allow you to complete tasks without having to re-enter your information when browsing.
We use the following cookies:
- Strictly necessary cookies – These are required for the operation of the Site, such as enabling you to log into secure areas.
- Analytical and Performance cookies – These help us recognize and count the number of visitors and see how they move around the Site. This allows us to improve the Site by ensuring users find what they need easily.
Third-party Cookies
Please note that third parties (including advertising networks and providers of external services like web traffic analysis services) may also use cookies over which we have no control. These cookies are likely to be analytical and performance cookies or targeting cookies.
You do not have to accept cookies to use our Site.
You can control the use of cookies at the individual browser level, and can even block or reject all or some cookies by adjusting your browser settings.
If you block or reject cookies (including essential cookies), you may still be able to access and use the Site, but some features and services may be limited or may not function properly.
Most browsers allow private browsing, which automatically erases cookies after you visit a site. Below are common browser settings for private browsing:
- Internet Explorer 8 and later versions: In Private
- Safari 2 and later versions: Private Navigation/Browsing
- Firefox 3.5 and later versions: Private Navigation/Browsing
- Google Chrome 10 and later versions: Incognito
Further information on cookies can be found at allaboutcookies.com.
Social Media Features and Widgets
The Site includes social media features such as [insert details]. These features may collect your IP address, record the pages you visit on the Site, and may set a cookie to enable this feature to function properly.
Any personal information you provide via such social media applications may be collected and used by other members of that application. Such interactions are governed by the privacy policies of the companies providing the application. We do not control these companies or their use of your information.
4. Other Information Stored
4.1 Web Server Logs
For security and troubleshooting purposes, our web server stores logs of activity on the website. The information stored includes: date, time, IP, page visited, result, amount of data sent, and browser used.
4.2 Google Analytics
To improve the quality, functionality, and overall user experience of the Website, we use Google Analytics Advertising Features.
If you would like to opt out of Google Analytics for display advertising, you may do so using the Ads Preference Manager. Additionally, you can download the Google Analytics Opt-Out browser add-on at Google Analytics Opt-Out.
5. Updates to this Policy
We will occasionally update this Policy to reflect changes in our practices and services. When we post changes to this Policy, we will revise the “Last Updated” date at the top. We recommend checking this page from time to time to stay informed of any updates.
6. Contact Us
If you have any questions or comments about this Policy or privacy matters in general, please contact us via email at info@alfredgera.com.