More information about cookies

INFORMATION ABOUT COOKIES: WHAT IS A COOKIE?

Information about cookies: a cookie is a harmless text file that is stored in your browser when you visit almost any website. The purpose of a cookie is to enable the website to remember your visit when you browse that page again. Although many people are unaware of this, cookies have been used for 20 years, since the first browsers for the World Wide Web appeared.

WHAT IS NOT A COOKIE?

It is not a virus, Trojan, worm, spam, or spyware, nor does it open pop-up windows.

WHAT INFORMATION DOES A COOKIE STORE?

Cookies do not usually store sensitive information about you, such as credit card or bank details, photographs, your ID number, or other personal information. The data they store is generally technical in nature, such as personal preferences, content customisation, etc.

The web server does not identify you as an individual; rather, it associates information with your web browser. In fact, if you normally browse using Internet Explorer and then visit the same website using Firefox or Chrome, you will see that the website does not recognise you as the same person because it is actually associating the information with the browser, not with the individual.

WHAT TYPES OF COOKIES ARE THERE?

  • Technical cookies: These are the most basic type of cookies and, among other things, allow the website to determine whether it is being browsed by a human or an automated application, and whether the user is anonymous or registered. They perform basic tasks required for the operation of any dynamic website.
  • Analytics cookies: These collect information about the type of browsing you carry out, the sections you use most, the products you view, the times of day when the website is used, your language, etc.
  • Advertising cookies: These display advertisements based on your browsing activity, country of origin, language, etc.

WHAT ARE FIRST-PARTY AND THIRD-PARTY COOKIES?

First-party cookies are generated by the website you are visiting, while third-party cookies are generated by external services or providers such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I DISABLE COOKIES?

To help you understand the potential impact of disabling cookies, here are some examples:

  • You will not be able to share content from this website on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media platform.
  • The website will not be able to tailor its content to your personal preferences, as is often the case with online stores.
  • You will not be able to access the personal area of the website, such as My Account, My Profile, or My Orders
  • Online stores: You will not be able to make purchases online; purchases will have to be made by telephone or by visiting the physical store, if one is available.
  • You will not be able to customise your geographical preferences, such as time zone, currency, or language.
  • The website will not be able to perform web analytics on visitors and website traffic, making it more difficult for the website to remain competitive.
  • You will not be able to write on the blog, upload photos, post comments, or rate or review content. The website will also not be able to determine whether you are a human or an automated application posting spam.
  • Targeted advertising cannot be displayed, which will reduce the website’s advertising revenue.
  • All social media platforms use cookies; if you disable them, you will not be able to use any social media platform.

CAN COOKIES BE DELETED?

Yes. You can not only delete cookies, but also block them, either generally or for a specific domain.

To delete cookies from a website, go to your browser settings, where you can find the cookies associated with the relevant domain and delete them.

Below, we explain how to access a specific cookie in the Chrome browser. Note: these steps may vary depending on the version of the browser.

  1. Go to Settings or Preferences via the File menu, or by clicking the customisation icon in the top-right corner.
  2. You will see several sections. Click Show advanced settings.
  3. Go to Privacy and then Content settings.
  4. Select All cookies and site data.
  5. A list of all cookies, organised by domain, will appear. To make it easier to find the cookies for a specific domain, enter part or all of the address in the Search cookies field.
  6. After applying this filter, one or more lines containing the cookies for the requested website will appear on screen. Simply select the relevant cookie and click the X to delete it.

To access the cookie settings in the Internet Explorer browser, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the version of the browser):

  1. Go to Tools > Internet Options.
  2. Click Privacy.
  3. Move the slider to set your preferred privacy level.

To access the cookie settings in the Firefox browser, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the version of the browser):

  1. Go to Options or Preferences, depending on your operating system.
  2. Click Privacy.
  3. Under History, select Use custom settings for history.
  4. You will now see the Accept cookies option, which you can enable or disable according to your preferences.

To access the cookie settings in Safari for OS X, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the version of the browser):

  1. Go to Preferences, then Privacy.
  2. Here, you will see the Block cookies option, where you can select the type of blocking you wish to apply.

To access the cookie settings in Safari for iOS, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the version of the browser):

  1. Go to Settings, then Safari.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security. You will see the Block Cookies option, where you can select the type of blocking you wish to apply.

To access the cookie settings in the browser on Android devices, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the version of the browser):

  1. Open the browser and tap the Menu button, then select Settings.
  2. Go to Security & Privacy. You will see the Accept cookies option, where you can enable or disable the checkbox.

To access the cookie settings in the browser on Windows Phone devices, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the version of the browser):

  1. Open Internet Explorer, then select More and Settings.
  2. You can now enable or disable the Allow cookies checkbox.

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