What is a cookie?
A cookie is an inoffensive text file that is stored in your browser when you visit almost every website. The cookie utility is that that website can remember your viewing if you navigate again, with the purpose of customizing its contents to your profile and needs. Every service offered in a website would be notably diminished without the use of cookies. Many people do not know that cookies have been used for already 20 years, when the first World Wide Web browsers appeared.
What is NOT a cookie?
It is not a virus, a trojan, a worm, a spyware, and it does not open pop up tabs.
What information does a cookie store?
Cookies are NOT made to store sensitive situation about you, as credit cards or bank information, photographies, Ids or personal information, etc. The data saved has a technic character, like personal preferences, contents personalization use statistics, etc.
The web server does not associate you as a person, but as a web navigator. In fact, if you usually use Internet Explorar and try to go through the same website using Firefox or Chrome, it is noticeable that the website does not know that it is the same person browsing for it. This is because the cookie is only associated to the browser but not to the person.
What kind of cookies exist?
Technical cookies: Are the most elemental and they allow, among other things, know when the website is being browsed by a human or an automatized application or when an anonimous user or a registered one is browsing, basic tasks for the correct functioning of every dynamic website.
Analysis cookies: they store information about the navigation type the users are making, the most used sections, consulted products, time slot of the use, language, etc.
Advertising tracking cookies: they show advertising depending on the browser, the residence country, etc., making the adverts be more relevant and feasible that they suit to your tastes.
What are the own cookies and the third parties cookies?
Own cookies are generated by the website that is being visited, and the third party cookies are the ones produced by external services and providers, as Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc.
Can cookies be removed?
Yes. They cannot only be removed but also blocked generally or particularly for a specific domain.
To remove the cookies from a website you should go to your navigator configuration and there you can search for the ones associated to the domain and remove them, such as it is explained further on.
What happens if I deactivate cookies?
In a general way, to understand the scope of completely deactivating the cookies, here are some examples of the consequences this can have:
You will no be able to directly share contents from that web in Facebook, Twitter or any other social network.
The website will not be able to adapt the contents to you personal preferences, in a way that is done for example in online shops.
You will not be able to access the personal area of that web, for example to “My Account”, “My Profile” or “My Orders”.
It will be impossible to do online purchases, they will have to be phone purchases or visiting the physical store if there is one.
It will not be possible to customize your geographic preferences (as the time slot, currency or language).
The website will not be able to make web analytics about the visitors and the web traffic, which will cause a difficulty in the website being competitive.
Every social network uses cookies, if you deactivate them, you will not be able to use any social network.
Cookies used in this website
Following the Spanish Agency of Data Protection guidelines, we proceed to detail the use of cookies this website does, with the purpose of informing you with the maximum accuracy possible.
This website uses the following own cookies:
Session cookies, to make sure the users who write comments in the blog are humans and not automated applications. In this way, spam is avoided.
This website uses the following third parties cookies:
Session cookies, to make sure the users who write comments in the blog are humans and not automated applications. In this way, spam is avoided.
Google Analytics: The purpose of this cookies is being able to develop statistics of the traffic and volume of visitors in this website. Google stores information in servers located in the United States and they are committed not to share it with third parties, excluding the cases in which the correct operation of the system depends on it, or when they are forced by law. According to Google, your IP address is not stored. If you want more information about the use Google gives to the cookies, you can find it in this link.
Social Networks: each social network uses their own cookies for you to click on buttons of the kind “Like” or “Share”.
Cookies deactivation or elimination
You can always exercise your right to deactivate or eliminate the cookies of this website. This actions can be made differently depending on the navigator you are using.
To access the cookies configuration in the Chrome browser, you have to follow this steps. Note: this steps can change depending on the browser version.
- Go to Configuration or Preferences through the File menu or clicking the personalization icon displayed on the right top.
- You will see different sections, click on Show advanced options.
Go to Privacy, Content Configuration. - Select All the cookies and Website Data.
- A list will be showed with all the cookies arranged by domain. To be able to find more easily a website cookies, introduce partially or totally the website direction in the field Search cookies.
- After adding this filter, one or many lines with the website cookies will appear on the screen. Now you only have to select it and click on the X to proceed to its elimination.
For further information, visit this link.
To access the cookies configuration in the Internet Explorer browser, follow this steps (they can variate depending on the browser’s version).
- Go to Tools, Internet Options.
- Click on Privacy.
- Move the slider until getting your desired level of privacy.
For further information, visit this link.
To access the cookies configuration in the Firefox browser, follow this steps (they can variate depending on the browser’s version):
- Go to Options or Preferences, depending on your operation system.
- Click on Privacy.
- In History, choose “use a personalized configuration for the history”.
- You will see the Accept cookies option, you can activate or deactivate it, depending on your preferences.
For further information, visit this link.
To access the cookies configuration in the Safari for OSX browser, follow this steps (they can variate depending on the browser’s version):
- Go to Settings, then Safari.
- Go to Privacy and Security, you will see the Block cookies option, where you can choose the kind of block you want to do.
For further information, visit this link.
To access the cookies configuration in the browser for Android devices, follow this steps (they can variate depending on the browser’s version):
- Open the browser and click on Menu, then Settings.
- Go to Security and Privacy, you will see the Accept cookies option to activate or deactivate the box.
To access the cookies configuration in the browser for Windows Phone devices, follow this steps (they can variate depending on the browser’s version):
- Open Internet Explorer, click on More, then Configuration.
- Now you can activate or deactivate the Allow cookies box.
To access the cookies configuration of Opera visit this link.
