Cookie policy
Notice under Directive 2009/136/EC (EU Cookie Law)
For the proper functioning of the site and to improve the service, the site uses so-called “cookies” – small text files containing fragments of information about the site’s visitors. These cookies are of two types: generated by the site’s platform and generated by external services used by the platform.
On a first visit to the site the user receives a notice about the use of cookies in the form of a message that appears below the browser’s address bar.
What is a cookie?
A cookie is a small file made up of a text set of information that a website transfers from the web browser to your computer’s hard drive, either temporarily for the duration of your visit or sometimes for longer periods, depending on the type of cookie. Cookies perform certain functions (including distinguishing you from other users of the same website or remembering certain information about you, such as your preferences) and are used by most sites to make browsing easier. Each cookie is unique to your web browser and contains some anonymous information. A cookie usually contains the name of the domain it comes from, the cookie’s “lifetime” and a value (usually a randomly generated number).
Types of cookies
Session cookies
These are temporary cookies that remain in your web browser’s cookie file only for the duration of your visit and are deleted when you close the browser.
Persistent cookies
These remain in your web browser’s cookie file even after the browser is closed, sometimes for a year or longer (the exact duration depends on the “lifetime” of the individual cookie). Persistent cookies are used when the website operator needs to know who you are across more than one browsing session (for example, to remember your username or your preferences for personalising the website).
First-party cookies
These are cookies placed in your browser and/or hard drive by the actual website you are visiting. This includes assigning you a unique identity in order to track your movement on the website. Website operators often use first-party cookies for session management and identification purposes.
Third-party cookies
These are cookies used by third parties, for example social networks, to track your visits to the various sites on which they advertise. The website operator has no control over third-party cookies.
Do cookies contain personal data?
Cookies themselves do not require personal information in order to be used and in most cases do not identify internet users. Personal data collected through the use of cookies may be collected only to make use easier for the user. These data are encrypted in a way that prevents unauthorised persons from accessing them.
Deleting cookies
In general, a web-browsing application allows cookies to be stored by default. These settings can be changed so that automatic management of cookies is blocked by the web browser, or so that the user is informed each time cookies are sent to their device. Detailed information about the options and ways of managing cookies can be found in the application’s (web browser’s) settings. Restricting the use of cookies may affect some features of the web page.
Why are cookies important for the internet?
Cookies are central to the effective functioning of the internet, helping to build a model of each user’s preferences and interests. Refusing or disabling cookies may make some sites impossible to use.
Refusing or disabling cookies does not mean you will no longer receive online advertising, only that it will no longer be tailored to your preferences and interests as gathered from your browsing behaviour. Examples of important roles of cookies (which do not require authentication through an account):
- Content and services tailored to the user’s preferences – product and service categories.
- Offers tailored to the user’s preferences – remembering passwords.
- Remembering child-protection filters for internet content (family mode, safe search).
- Limiting how often advertising is shown – limiting how often a given advertisement is displayed to a given user of the site.
- Providing advertising that may interest the user.
- Measurement, optimisation and analytics features – confirming a level of traffic on the website, what type of content is viewed and how the user reaches a website (e.g. search engines, directly, other websites). Websites carry out these analyses and use them to improve the site for the benefit of users.