More Information About Cookies

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a harmless text file that is stored in your browser when you visit almost any website. Cookies are used to enable a website to remember your visit when you return to browse that website. Although many people are unaware of this, cookies have been used for more than 20 years, since the first web browsers appeared for the World Wide Web.

What is NOT a cookie?

A cookie is not a virus, Trojan horse, worm, spam, spyware, nor does it open pop-up windows.

What information does a cookie store?

Cookies generally do not store sensitive information about you, such as credit card or banking details, photographs, identity documents, or other personal information. The information they store is generally technical in nature, such as personal preferences, content customisation, etc.

The web server does not associate you as an individual, but rather associates information with your web browser. For example, if you normally browse using Internet Explorer and then visit the same website using Firefox or Chrome, 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 cookies and allow, among other things, the website to determine whether a human user or an automated application is browsing, whether the visitor is an anonymous or registered user, and to perform basic tasks required for the operation of any dynamic website.
Analytics cookies: These collect information about the type of browsing activity being carried out, the sections most frequently visited, products viewed, time of use, language, etc.
Advertising cookies: These display advertising 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. 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 the website on Facebook, Twitter, or other social networks.
The website will not be able to adapt content to your personal preferences, as commonly occurs with online stores.
You may not be able to access the personal area of the website, such as My Account, My Profile, or My Orders.
Online stores: You may be unable to make purchases online, requiring you to place orders by telephone or visit a physical store, if available.
It will not be possible to personalise geographical preferences such as time zone, currency, or language.
The website will not be able to perform web analytics relating to visitors and traffic, which may make it more difficult for the website to remain competitive.
You may not be able to write on the blog, upload photographs, publish comments, or rate content. The website may also be unable to determine whether a visitor is a human user or an automated application posting spam.
Targeted advertising may not be displayed, which may reduce the website’s advertising revenue.
All social networks use cookies. If you disable cookies, you may not be able to use social networking services.

Can cookies be deleted?

Yes. Cookies can not only be deleted but also blocked, either generally or specifically for a particular domain.

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

Cookie settings for the most popular browsers

Below are instructions on how to access cookies in Google Chrome. Please note that these steps may vary depending on the version of the browser:

Go to Settings or Preferences through the menu, or click the customisation icon located in the upper-right corner.
You will see several sections. Select Show advanced settings.
Go to Privacy and security → Content settings.
Select All cookies and site data.
A list of all cookies organised by domain will appear. To make it easier to find cookies from a specific domain, enter part or all of the website address in the Search cookies field.
After filtering, one or more entries relating to the requested website will appear. Select the relevant cookie and click the X to delete it.

Internet Explorer

To access the cookie settings in Internet Explorer, follow these steps. Please note that these may vary depending on the version of the browser:

Go to Tools → Internet Options.
Click Privacy.
Move the slider to adjust the privacy level you require.

Firefox

To access cookie settings in Firefox, follow these steps. Please note that these may vary depending on your operating system:

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

Safari for macOS

To access cookie settings in Safari for macOS:

Go to Preferences.
Select Privacy.
You will find the Block cookies option, where you can configure the type of blocking you wish to apply.

Safari for iOS

To access cookie settings in Safari for iOS:

Go to Settings.
Select Safari.
Go to Privacy & Security, where you will find the options for managing cookies.

Android devices

To access cookie settings on an Android device, follow these steps. Please note that these may vary depending on the browser version:

Open your browser and press the Menu button.
Select Settings.
Go to Security and Privacy, where you will find the option to enable or disable cookies.

Windows Phone

To access cookie settings on a Windows Phone:

Open Internet Explorer.
Select More → Settings.
You can then enable or disable the Allow cookies option.