What is the purpose of cookies?
Cookies are very useful and perform many different functions that make using the site easy and effortless. You could say that cookies are a bit like memories that the site stores about you – they remind it of how you behaved on its pages and the decisions you made. A site that remembers you works faster and is much easier to use than one that knows nothing about you. This is why most of the sites you know and love use cookies.
What does a cookie contain?
A cookie is a simple piece of information in the form of a very small text file. Each cookie is unique and includes the name of the site that created it and a unique sequence of numbers and letters.
The vast majority of websites and applications, when you use them, place cookies on your device’s hard drive (computer, mobile phone, or tablet). They do this through your browser – for example, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, or Firefox. Only the site that created the cookie can read and use it; websites cannot exchange information through cookies. Some cookies only exist while you are on the site. These “session cookies” disappear from your computer or mobile device as soon as you close your browser. Other cookies remain on your computer or mobile device after you close your browser and are stored for a specified period of time. These “persistent cookies” are activated every time you visit the site that created them.
What is not in a cookie?
Cookies do not contain:
- Personal information – you cannot be identified through a cookie;
- Program code – unlike a computer virus, a cookie does not contain code, which means it cannot harm your device.
Are cookies dangerous?
No.
Cookies are small, simple sequences of characters, known as text files. They are not computer programs. They cannot read your personal information. They cannot spread computer viruses. Cookies cannot harm your device, and they do not threaten your privacy.
How does the site use cookies?
When you use our site, the following four categories of cookies may be set on your device:
- Strictly Necessary
These cookies are necessary for navigating our sites and using their functions. Without these cookies, our services will not work properly;
- Functionality
These cookies allow our site to remember your choices and preferences. They allow us to offer you enhanced and personalized features. These cookies may also be used to remember text size, font, and other elements of the site that you prefer and that can be customized through the browser; These cookies do not collect information that could identify you. These files also do not collect information about you that could be used for marketing purposes or to remember which sites you visit.
- Behavioral
In order to keep the site easy to use, relevant, and up-to-date, we use web analytics tools that help us understand how people use our sites and applications. Web analytics data and cookies cannot be used to identify you, as they never contain personal information. They are used solely for our own statistical purposes. We typically use the services of independent companies to collect this data for us. In such cases, these cookies may be set by a third-party company (third-party cookies).
- Targeting
Cookies also help us use targeted advertising. These files are used to show you advertisements containing information that we think might interest you. You may see this advertising on other websites. Although these cookies may track your movements on the internet, they do not know who you are. These cookies do not collect any sensitive information about you. We also use links to social networks, such as Facebook. These sites may later use information about your visit to offer you advertising on their platforms.
How to manage cookies?
There are various ways to manage cookies. For accurate information on how to manage cookies in your browser, please visit the browser’s Help section.
Most browsers will allow you to:
- View what cookies are set on your device(s) and delete them individually
- Block third-party cookies
- Block cookies from individual sites
- Block cookies completely
- Delete all cookies when you close your browser
Please remember that any changes made to your cookie settings will apply to all websites you visit, not just our site (unless you block cookies from a specific site).
