The following statement explains our policy regarding the personal information we collect about you.

1. Introduction
2. Visitor Information
3. What is a cookie?
4. Submitting personal information
5. Access to your personal information
6. Users 16 and under
7. How to find and control your cookies
8. How do you know which sites use cookies?
9. How to see your cookie code

1. Introduction

This policy covers NorthBloc's use of personal information that the we collect when you use northbloc.com or northbloc.co.uk. The policy also gives you information about cookies; NorthBloc and third parties' use of cookies; and how you may reject such cookies.

From time to time, you will be asked to submit personal information about yourself (e.g. name and email address) in order to receive or use services on our website.

By entering your details in the fields requested, you enable NorthBloc and its service providers to provide you with the services you select. Whenever you provide such personal information, we will treat that information in accordance with this policy. When using your personal information NorthBloc will act in accordance with current legislation and aim to meet current Internet best practice.

2. Visitor Information

During the course of any visit to northbloc.com or northbloc.co.uk, the pages you see, along with a short text file called a 'cookie', are downloaded to your computer. Many websites do this, because cookies enable website publishers to do useful things like find out whether the computer (and probably its user) has visited the website before. This is done on a repeat visit by checking to see, and finding, the cookie left there on the last visit.

Information supplied by cookies can help us to provide you with a better online user experience and assist us to analyse the profile of our visitors.

3. What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small amount of data, which often includes an anonymous unique identifier that is sent to your browser from a website's computer and stored on your computer's hard drive. Each website can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser's preferences allow it, but (to protect your privacy) your browser only permits a web site to access the cookies it has already sent to you, not the cookies sent to you by other sites.

Many sites do this whenever a user visits their website in order to track online traffic flows.

Cookies record information about your online preferences. Users have the opportunity to set their computers to accept all cookies, to notify them when a cookie is issued, or not to receive cookies at any time. The last of these, of course, means that certain personalised services cannot then be provided to that user user and accordingly you may not be able to take full advantage of all of the bbc.co.uk features. Each browser is different, so check the "Help" menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences.

If you have set your computer to reject cookies you can still browse northbloc.com and northbloc.co.uk anonymously. For further information on cookies please visit www.aboutcookies.org.

4. Use and storage of your personal information

When you supply any personal information to northbloc.com or northbloc.co.uk, we have legal obligations towards you in the way we use those data. We must collect the information fairly, that is, we must explain how we will use it (see the notices on particular webpages that let you know why we are requesting the information) and tell you if we want to pass the information on to anyone else.

In general, any information you provide to NorthBloc will only be used within NorthBloc and by its agents and service providers. Your information will be disclosed where we are obliged or permitted by law. Also, if you post or send offensive, inappropriate or objectionable content anywhere on or to northbloc.com or northbloc.co.uk or otherwise engage in any disruptive behaviour on northbloc.com or northbloc.co.uk, NorthBloc can use whatever information that is available to it about you to stop such behaviour. This may involve informing relevant third parties such as your employer, school e-mail/Internet provider and law enforcement agencies about the content and your behaviour.

5. Access to your personal information

You have the right to request a copy of the personal information NorthBloc holds about you and to have any inaccuracies corrected. (We charge £10 for information requests.) Please address requests to Customer Services, NorthBloc Ltd, The Quadrus Centre, Woodstock Way, Boldon Business Center, Boldon, Tyne & Wear, NE35 9PF.

6. Users 16 and under

If you are aged 16 or under, please get your parent/guardian's permission beforehand whenever you provide personal information to NorthBloc's website. Users without this consent are not allowed to provide us with personal information.

7. How to find and control your cookies

If you're using Netscape 6.0:
On your Task Bar, click:

1. Edit, then
2. Preferences
3. Click on Advanced
4. Click on Cookies

If you're using Internet Explorer 6.0:

1. Choose Tools, then
2. Internet Options
3. Click the Privacy Tab
4. Click on Custom Level
5. Click on the 'Advanced' button
6. Check the 'override automatic cookie handing' box and select Accept, Block or Prompt for action as appropriate.

If you're using Internet Explorer 5.0 or 5.5:

1. Choose Tools, then
2. Internet Options
3. Click the Security tab
4. Click on Custom Level
5. Scroll down to the sixth option to see how cookies are handled by IE5 and change to Accept, Disable, or Prompt for action as appropriate.

If you're using Internet Explorer 4.0:

1. Choose View, then
2. Internet Options
3. Click the Advanced tab
4. Scroll down to the yellow exclamation icon under Security and choose one of the three options to regulate your use of cookies.

If you're using Internet Explorer 3.0:

You can View, Options, Advanced, then click on the button that says Warn before Accepting Cookies.

If you're using Netscape Communicator 4.0:
On your Task Bar, click:

1. Edit, then
2. Preferences
3. Click on Advanced
4. Set your options in the box that says Cookies.

8. How do you know which of the sites you've visited use cookies?

If you're using Netscape 6.0:
On your Task Bar, click:

1. Edit, then
2. Preferences
3. Click on Advanced
4. Click on Cookies
5. Click the View Cookies button

If you're using Internet Explorer 5.0 or 6.0:

1. Choose Tools, then
2. Internet Options
3. Click the General tab
4. Click Settings
5. View Files

If you're using Internet Explorer 4.0:
On your Task Bar, click:

1. View, then
2. Internet Options
3. Under the tab General (the default tab) click
4. Settings
5. View Files

If you're using Internet Explorer 3.0:
On your Task Bar, click:

1. View
2. Options
3. Advanced
4. View Files

If you're using Netscape Communicator 4.0:
Netscape bundles all cookies into one file on your hard drive. You'll need to find the file, which it calls Cookie.txt on Windows machines.

9. How to see your cookie code

Just click on a cookie to open it. You'll see a short string of text and numbers. The numbers are your identification card, which can only be seen by the server that gave you the cookie.