This website uses cookies.
The information presented below aims to provide the user more details about the placement, use and administration of the cookies used by this website. There are also some useful links related to this topic.
Please read the following information carefully:
This website uses its own and third-party cookies to provide visitors with a much better browsing experience and services tailored to everyone's needs and interests.
In what we call web 2.0, cookies play an important role in facilitating access to and delivery of multiple services the user enjoys on the Internet, such as:
- They customize certain settings such as: the language in which a website is viewed, the currency in which
certain prices or tariffs are expressed, keeping options for various products (sizes, other
details, etc.) in the shopping cart (and storing these options) - thus making
the shopping cart flexible (accessing old preferences by accessing the button
back and next)
- The cookies give website owners valuable feedback on how their
websites are used by users enabling them to make the websites even more effective and more
accessible to users.
- They allow multimedia or other applications from other websites to be included in a particular website
to create a more valuable, useful and enjoyable browsing experience;
- They improve the efficiency of online advertising.
What is a cookie?
An Internet cookie (also known as a browser cookie or HTTP cookie or simply a cookie) is a small file, consisting of letters and numbers, that will be stored on the computer, mobile terminal or other equipment of a user used to access the Internet.
The cookie is installed by a request issued by a web server to a browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Chrome) and it is completely passive (does not contain software, viruses or spyware and cannot access the information on the user's hard drive).
A cookie consists of 2 parts: the name and the content or value of the cookie. Moreover, the life of a cookie is fixed; technically, only the web server that sent the cookie can access it again when a user returns to the website associated with such web server.
Cookies themselves do not request personal information in order to be used and, in most cases, do not personally identify internet users.
There are 2 major categories of cookies:
- Session cookies - these are temporarily stored in the cookies folder of the web browser so that it can store them until the user leaves the website or closes the browser window (e.g. when logging in/out of a webmail or social network account).
- Persistent Cookies - These are stored on the hard drive of a computer or equipment (and generally depend on the preset lifetime of the cookie). Persistent cookies also include those placed by a website other than the one the user is currently visiting - known as third party cookies - which can be used anonymously to store the interests of a user, so that the most relevant advertising for the users is delivered.
What are the advantages of cookies?
A cookie contains information that links a web browser (user) to a specific web server (website). If a browser accesses that web server again, it can read the information already stored and react accordingly. Cookies provide users with a pleasant browsing experience and support the efforts of many websites to provide comfortable services to users: e.g. - online privacy preferences, website language options, shopping carts or relevant advertising.
What is the lifetime of a cookie?
Cookies are managed by web servers. The lifetime of a cookie can vary significantly, depending on the purpose for which it is placed. Some cookies are used exclusively for a single session (session cookies) and are no longer kept once the user has left the website and some cookies are kept and reused each time the user returns to that website (permanent cookies). However, cookies can be deleted by a user at any time through the browser settings.
What are third-party cookies?
Certain sections of content on some websites may be provided through third parties/providers (e.g. news box, a video or an ad). These third parties may also place cookies through the website and they are called third party cookies because they are not placed by the owner of the website. Third party providers must also comply with the applicable laws and the privacy policies of the website owner.
How cookies are used by this website
A visit to this website may place cookies for purposes such as:
- Website performance cookies
- Visitor analysis cookies
- Geotargetting cookies
- Registration cookies
- Advertising cookies
- Cookies of advertising providers
These cookies may come from the following third parties: Zontera.com, doubleclick.com, Gemius and others.
Performance cookies
This type of cookie stores the user's preferences on this website, so there is no need to set them each time you visit the website.
Examples:
- volume settings for the video player
- the video streaming speed the browser is compatible with
Visitor analysis cookies
Every time a user visits this website, the analytics software provided by a third party
generates a user analysis cookie. This cookie tells us if you have visited this website before. The browser will tell us if you have this cookie, and, if not, we will generate one. It allows monitoring the unique users who visit us and how often they do it.
As long as you are not registered on this website, this cookie cannot be used to identify natural persons, they are used only for statistical purposes. If you are registered we may also know the details you have provided to us, such as your email address and username - these being subject to privacy provisions and to the Terms and Conditions, the Privacy Policy and the laws in force on the protection of personal data.
Geotargetting cookies
These cookies are used by a software that determines which country you come from. It is completely anonymous and is only used to target content - even when you are on our page in Romanian or in another language you receive the same ad.
Registration cookies
When you register on this website, we generate a cookie that notifies us if you are registered or not. Our servers use these cookies to show us the account you are registered with and if you have permission for a specific service. It also allows us to associate any comments you post on our website with your username. If you have not selected the “keep me logged in” feature, this cookie will be deleted automatically when you close your browser or computer.
Advertising cookies
These cookies allow us to find out whether or not you have viewed an online ad, its type is and how long it has been since you saw the advertising message.
We also use these cookies to target online advertising. We may also use third-party cookies for better advertising targeting, to show for example holiday ads, if the user has recently visited an article on holidays on the website. These cookies are anonymous, they store information about the content viewed, not about users.
We also set anonymous cookies through other websites we advertise on. By receiving them, we can use them to recognize you as a visitor to that website if you later visit our website and we will be able to deliver advertising based on this information.
Cookies of advertising providers
Much of the advertising you find on this website belongs to third parties. Some of these parties use their own anonymous cookies to analyse how many people have been exposed to an ad, or to see how many people have been exposed several times to the same ad.
The companies that generate these cookies have their own privacy policies, and this website does not have access to read or write these cookies. Third-party cookies may be used to show you targeted advertising on other websites as well, based on your browsing on this website.
Other third party cookies
On some pages, third parties may set their own anonymous cookies, in order to track the success of an application or to customize an application. Due to the manner of use, this website cannot access these cookies, just as third parties cannot access the cookies held by this website.
For example, when you distribute an article using the social media button on this website, that social network will record your activity.
What type of information is stored and accessed through cookies?
Cookies store information in a small text file that allows a website to recognize a browser. The web server will recognize the browser until the cookie expires or is deleted.
The cookie stores important information that improves the Internet browsing experience (e.g. the settings of the language in which you want to access a website; keeping a user logged in the webmail account; online banking security; keeping products in the shopping cart)
Why are cookies important for the Internet?
Cookies are the central point of the efficient functioning of the Internet, helping to generate a friendly browsing experience, adapted to the preferences and interests of each user. If cookies are refused or disabled, some websites may be impossible to use.
If cookies are refused or disabled, you will continue to receive online advertising - however, it will no longer be able to take into account your preferences and interests, highlighted by your browsing behaviour.
Examples of important uses of cookies (which do not require a user to authenticate through an account):
- Content and services adapted to the user's preferences - categories of news, weather, sports, maps, public and government services, entertainment websites and travel services.
- Offers adapted to the users' interests - storing passwords, language preferences (e.g.:
displaying search results in Romanian).
- Maintaining child protection filters for Internet content (family mode options,
safe search functions).
- Limit the frequency of ads - limit the number of displays of an ad
for a particular user on a website.
- Providing more relevant advertising for the user.
- Measurement, optimization and analytics features - such as confirming a certain level of traffic on a website, the type of content viewed and how a user reaches a website (e.g. through search engines, directly from other websites, etc.). Websites conduct these analyses of their use to improve the websites for the benefit of users.
Security and privacy issues
Cookies are NOT viruses! They use plain text formats. They are not made up of pieces of code so they cannot be executed or auto-run. Consequently, they cannot be duplicated or replicated on other networks to run or replicate again. As they cannot perform these functions, they cannot be considered viruses.
However, cookies can be used for negative purposes. Since they store information about users' preferences and browsing history, both on a particular website and on several other websites, cookies can be used as a form of spyware. Many anti-spyware products are aware of this and constantly mark cookies to be deleted during anti-virus/anti-spyware deletion/scanning procedures.
In general, browsers have integrated privacy settings that provide different levels of acceptance of cookies, validity period and automatic deletion after the user has visited a particular website.
Other security issues related to cookies:
Because identity protection is very valuable and represents the right of every internet user, it is advisable to know what possible problems cookies can create. As they are used to constantly transmit in both directions information between the browser and the website, if an attacker or unauthorized person intervenes during the transmission of data, the information contained in the cookies can be intercepted.
Although very rare, this can happen if the browser connects to the server using an unencrypted network (e.g. an unsecured WiFi network).
Other cookie-based attacks involve incorrect cookie settings on servers. If a website does not require the browser to use only encrypted channels, attackers can use this vulnerability to trick browsers into sending information through unsecured channels. Attackers then use the information to gain unauthorized access to certain websites. It is very important to be careful in choosing the most appropriate method of personal information protection.
Tips for safe and responsible browsing, based on cookies.
Due to their flexibility and the fact that a large majority of the most visited and largest websites use cookies, they are almost inevitable. If cookies are disabled, the user will not be able to access the most widespread and used websites, including Youtube, Gmail, Yahoo and others.
Here are some tips to ensure safe browsing with the help of cookies:
- Customize your browser settings for cookies to reflect a
level of cookie use security you are comfortable with.
- If you do not mind cookies and you are the only person who uses the computer,
you can set long expiry periods for storing your browsing history and
personal data access.
- If you share the access to the computer, you can consider setting the browser to delete individual browsing data each time you close the browser. This is an option to access the websites that place cookies and to delete any visit information at the end of the browsing session.
- Install and constantly update antispyware applications.
Many of the spyware detection and prevention applications include website attack detection. This prevents the browser from accessing websites that could exploit your browser's vulnerabilities or download dangerous software.
Make sure your browser is always up to date.
Many of the cookie-based attacks are conducted by exploiting the weaknesses of older versions of browsers.
Cookies are everywhere and cannot be avoided if you want to enjoy access to the best and largest websites on the Internet - local or international. With a clear understanding of how they operate and of the benefits they bring, you can take the necessary security measures so that you can navigate the Internet with confidence.
How can I stop cookies?
If cookies are disabled or refused, certain websites can become impractical or difficult to visit and use. Moreover, the refusal to accept cookies does not mean that you will no longer receive/see online advertising.
You can set the browser to no longer accept these cookies or you can set the browser to accept cookies from a specific website. However, for example, if you are not registered using cookies, you will not be able to leave comments.
All modern browsers offer the possibility to change cookie settings. These settings are usually found in your browser's options or preferences menu.
To understand these settings, the following links may be useful, or you can use the help option
of the browser for more details.
Cookie settings in Internet Explorer
Cookie settings in Firefox
Cookie settings in Chrome
Cookie settings in Safari
For the settings of cookies generated by third parties, you can also consult the website:
http://www.youronlinechoices.com/ro/
Useful links
If you want to know more about cookies and what they are used for, we recommend the following links:
Microsoft Cookies guide
All About Cookies
IAB Romania makes available the following website to provide more information on
privacy related to online advertising: http://www.youronlinechoices.com/ro/
For more details on privacy issues, you can also access the following links:
http://www.dreptonline.ro/legislatie/oug_13_2012_modificare_prelucrare_date_caracter_personal_protectia_vietii_private_comunicatii_electronice.php
www.youronlinechoices.eu/ro