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. Its purpose is to allow the website to remember your visit when you browse the page again. Although many people are unaware, cookies have been in use for over 20 years, since the advent of the first web browsers for the World Wide Web.

What is NOT a cookie?

A cookie is not a virus, trojan, worm, spam, spyware, or a pop-up window.

What information does a cookie store?

Cookies typically do not store sensitive personal information such as credit card details, bank data, photos, IDs, or personal information. Instead, they store technical data, personal preferences, content personalization, and more.

The web server does not associate you as a person but rather your web browser. For instance, if you normally browse with Internet Explorer and switch to Firefox or Chrome on the same website, the site will not recognize you as the same user because it associates the data with the browser, not the individual.

What types of cookies exist?

Technical cookies: These are the most basic cookies, used to identify whether a user is human or an automated application, or whether they are a registered or anonymous user. These are essential for basic website functionality.

Analytical cookies: They collect information about how you navigate, the sections you use most frequently, the products you view, the time frame you visit, the language, and more.

Advertising cookies: These display advertisements based on your browsing habits, country of origin, language, and other criteria.

What are first-party and third-party cookies?

First-party cookies: Generated by the website you are visiting.

• Third-party cookies: Generated by external services or providers such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc.

What happens if I disable cookies?

Here are some examples of what could happen if you disable cookies:

You won’t be able to share content from that website on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social network.

The website won’t be able to adapt its content to your preferences, such as in online stores.

You won’t be able to access personal areas of the website, like «My Account,» «My Profile,» or «My Orders.»

Online shopping may become impossible; you may need to place orders by phone or visit the physical store (if available).

Your geographic preferences, such as time zone, currency, or language, cannot be customized.

The website won’t be able to perform web analytics on visitors and traffic, reducing its competitiveness.

You won’t be able to write on blogs, upload photos, post comments, rate or review content. The site also won’t be able to determine whether you’re a human or an automated application posting spam.

Targeted advertising won’t be displayed, reducing the website’s ad revenue.

Social networks won’t work, as they all use cookies to function.

Can cookies be deleted?

Yes. Not only can cookies be deleted, but you can also block them—either globally or for a specific domain.

To delete cookies from a specific website, go to your browser’s settings, find the cookies associated with the domain, and delete them.

Cookie Configuration for Popular Browsers

Chrome:

1. Go to Settings or Preferences via the File menu or the customization icon in the top-right corner.
2. Select Show advanced settings.
3. Go to Privacy, then Content settings.
4. Choose All cookies and site data.
5. A list of all cookies ordered by domain will appear. To locate cookies from a specific domain, enter part or all of the address in the search field.
6. After filtering, you’ll see one or more lines with the cookies from the desired website. Select and click the X to delete them.

Internet Explorer:

1. Go to Tools, then Internet Options.
2. Click on Privacy.
3. Adjust the slider to set the desired privacy level.

Firefox:

1. Go to Options or Preferences, depending on your operating system.
2. Click on Privacy.
3. Under History, choose Use custom settings for history.
4. You’ll now see the option to enable or disable cookies based on your preferences.

Safari (macOS):

1. Go to Preferences, then Privacy.
2. You’ll find the option to block cookies and can adjust the settings as desired.

Safari (iOS):

1. Go to Settings, then Safari.
2. Go to Privacy & Security, and choose Block Cookies to adjust the settings.

Android Browser:

1. Open the browser and press Menu, then Settings.
2. Go to Security & Privacy, where you’ll find the option to enable or disable cookies.

Windows Phone:

1. Open Internet Explorer, then go to More, followed by Settings.

You can now enable or disable the Allow cookies option.