More Information About Cookies

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a harmless text file stored in your browser when you visit almost any website. The purpose of the cookie is to allow the site to recognise your visit when you return. Although many people are not aware of this, cookies have been in use for over 30 years, since the appearance of the first web browsers for the World Wide Web.

What is NOT a cookie?

It is not a virus, a Trojan, a worm, spam, spyware; nor does it open pop-up windows.

What information does a cookie store?

Cookies do not usually store sensitive information about you, such as credit cards, banking details, photographs, your ID number or personal information, etc. The data they hold is technical in nature, personal preferences, content customisation, etc.

The web server does not associate you as a person but rather your web browser. In fact, if you usually browse with one browser and then try the same website with a different one, you will see that the website does not recognise you as the same person, because it is actually associating the browser, not the person.

What types of cookies exist?

• Technical cookies: the most basic ones. They allow, among other things, the site to know whether the visitor is a human or an automated application, whether an anonymous or registered user is browsing — basic tasks for the operation of any dynamic website.
• Analytical cookies: gather information about the type of browsing you are carrying out, the sections you use most, products consulted, time of day, language, etc.
• Advertising cookies: display advertising based on your browsing, country of origin, language, etc.

What are first-party and third-party cookies?

First-party cookies are those generated by the website you are visiting, while 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 impact disabling cookies may have, here are some examples:

• You will not be able to share content from that website on Facebook, Twitter or any other social network.
• The website will not be able to adapt its content to your personal preferences, as is common in online stores.
• You will not be able to access the personal area of that website, such as My Account, My Profile or My Orders.
• Online stores: it will be impossible to make purchases online; orders will have to be placed by phone or by visiting the physical store, if available.
• It will not be possible to customise your geographic preferences such as time zone, currency or language.
• The website will not be able to perform web analytics on visitors and traffic, which will make it harder for the site to remain competitive.
• You will not be able to write on the blog, upload photos, post comments, or rate content. The website will also be unable to tell whether you are a human or an automated application posting spam.
• It will not be possible to display targeted advertising, reducing the website’s advertising revenue.
• All social networks use cookies; if you disable them, you will not be able to use any social network.

Can cookies be deleted?

Yes. They can not only be deleted but also blocked, either generally or for a specific domain.

To delete the cookies of a website you must go to your browser’s settings, where you will be able to find those associated with the relevant domain and remove them.

Cookie settings for the most popular browsers

Below we explain how to manage cookies in Chrome. Note: these steps may vary depending on the browser version.

1. Open the menu (three dots, top right) and go to Settings.
2. Go to Privacy and security > Third-party cookies (or Cookies and other site data, depending on the version).
3. Adjust the desired blocking level, or click See all site data and permissions to manage cookies for a specific site.
4. To remove cookies from a particular domain, search for the domain in the list, click it and select Delete.

For Firefox (steps may vary depending on the browser version):

1. Open the menu and go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
2. Under Enhanced Tracking Protection, choose the level of protection you prefer.
3. Under Cookies and Site Data, click Manage Data to delete cookies from specific sites, or Clear Data to remove all cookies.

For Safari on macOS (steps may vary depending on the browser version):

1. Go to Safari > Settings > Privacy.
2. Tick Block all cookies to refuse them, or click Manage Website Data to remove cookies from specific sites.

For Safari on iOS (steps may vary depending on the browser version):

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Safari.
2. Under Privacy & Security, enable Block All Cookies, or tap Advanced > Website Data to remove cookies from specific sites.

For browsers on Android devices (steps may vary depending on the browser version):

1. Open Chrome, tap the menu (three dots) and go to Settings.
2. Go to Privacy and security > Third-party cookies and choose your preferred setting.