More information about cookies

What is a cookie?

A cookie is an inoffensive information file that is saved in your web browser when you visit almost any web page. It’s purpose is to remember your preferences once you visit the site once again. Though people don’t know it, cookies have been being used for 20 years now. When the first world wide web browsers appeared.

A cookie is not: a virus, trojan, bug, spyware or spam and they don’t open pop-up pages.

What type of information do cookies save?

Cookies don’t save sensible information about users, such as ID, credit cards, bank accounts, photos or personal information. The saved data is of technical characteristics, like personal preferences, contents personalization, etc.

What type of cookies exist?

• Technical cookies: are the most essential ones. allow the user to navigate a website, platform or application and to use the variety of options or services which exist within them such as, control traffic and data communication, identify sessions, access restricted areas, remember the elements in an order that has been placed, conduct the buying process in an order, process an application for registration or participation in an event, use security features during the browsing session.
• Analytical cookies: Are those which allow to monitor and analyse the behaviour of users on a website. Most visited sections, viewed products, usage time slots, language, etc.
• Advertising cookies: Show advertisements according to what you have been browsing, your language, country, etc.

What are own cookies and third party cookies?

Own cookies are generated by the web page the user is visiting, whereas the third party cookies are generated by external providers such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc.

What would happen if I deactivate cookies?

Here are some examples of what could happen if cookies are deactivated:

• You won’t be able to share content from the site on Facebook, Twitter or any other social network.
• The website won’t be able to adapt its content to your personal preferences , as it usually occurs in online shops.
• You won’t be able to access personal areas of the web page such as My account, My profile, or, My orders.
• Online shops: It won’t be possible to complete online purchases. Must be via telephone or at shops.
• It won’t be possible to adapt sites to user’s personal and geographical preferences, time zones, currency or language.
• The visited website won’t be able to register traffic and visit analytics, making it harder for it to be competitive.
• Users won’t be able to post comments in blog, upload photos, or evaluate any type of content.
• Website can’t produce specific banners and advertising media according to each user, reducing the site’s potential customers and income.
• All social networks use cookies. If you deactivate them, you won’t be able to use any.

Can you remove cookies?

Yes. Not only blocking them is possible, but you may eliminate them. Generally or from a particular domain.

Cookies configuration for the most popular browsers

We are going to explain how to reach a single cookie in Chrome web browser. This steps could be different depending on the web browser version:

1. Go to Configuration or Preferences throw the File menu or clicking in the top-right personalization button.
2. You will see different sections, search for Show advanced options and click it.
3. Go to Privacy, Content configuration.
4. Select All cookies and site data.
5. It would be shown a list with all the cookies ordered by domain. To easily find the cookies of a single domain, write the url in the Search cookies
6. When that filter is applied, you will see the cookies of the related website. Now you only have to press X to eliminate.

To access the cookies configuration on Internet Explorer, follow these steps (they could be different depending on the web browser version):

1. Go to Tools, Internet Options
2. Click in Privacy
3. Move the slider to adjust the privacy level.

To access the cookies configuration on Firefox, follow these steps (they could be different depending on the web browser version):

1. Go to Options or Preferences depending on your Operating System.
2. Click on Privacy.
3. In History, choose Use a personal configuration to the history.
4. Now you will see the Accept cookies option, you can turn it on or off depending on your personal preferences.

To access the cookies configuration on Safari for OSX, follow these steps (they could be different depending on the web browser version):

1. Go to Preferences, and then
2. In this section, you will see the Block cookies option to adjust what kind of blocking you want to do.

To access the cookies configuration on Safari for iOS, follow these steps (they could be different depending on the web browser version):

1. Go to Settings, then Safari.
2. Go to Security and Privacy,  you will see the Block cookies option to adjust what kind of blocking you want to do.

To access the cookies configuration on Android, follow these steps (they could be different depending on the web browser version):

1. Run the web browser and press de Menu button, then Settings.
2. Go to Security and Privacy, you will see the Acept cookies to active or deactive the box.

To access the cookies configuration on Windows Phone, follow these steps (they could be different depending on the web browser version):

1. Open Internet Explorer, then More, then Configuration.
2. Then you can turn on or off the Allow cookies box.