More information about Cookies

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a harmless text file that is stored in your browser when you visit almost any website. The purpose of a cookie is to enable the website to remember your visit when you browse that page again. Although many people are unaware of it, cookies have been used for 20 years, since the first browsers for the World Wide Web appeared.

What is NOT a cookie?

It is not a virus, Trojan, worm, spam or 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 card or bank details, photographs, ID documents or personal information, etc. The data they store is generally technical information, personal preferences, content personalization, etc.

The web server does not associate you as a person, but rather with your web browser. In fact, if you normally browse using Internet Explorer and then try browsing the same website with Firefox or Chrome, the website will not recognize that you are the same person because it is actually associating the information with the browser, not the individual.

What types of cookies are there?

• • • Technical cookies: These are the most basic and make it possible, among other things, to determine whether a human or an automated application is browsing, whether the user is anonymous or registered, and to perform basic tasks required for the operation of any dynamic website.
    • Analytics cookies: These collect information about the type of browsing being carried out, the sections used most frequently, products viewed, times of use, language, etc.
    • Advertising cookies: These display advertising based on your browsing activity, country of origin, language, etc.

What are first-party and third-party cookies?

First-party cookies are 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 possible consequences of disabling cookies, 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 commonly the case with 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: You will not be able to make online purchases; they will have to be made by telephone or by visiting the physical store, if one is available.
    • It will not be possible to personalize geographical preferences such as time zone, currency or language.
    • The website will not be able to perform web analytics on visitors and website traffic, making it more difficult for the website to remain competitive.
    • You will not be able to write on the blog, upload photos, post comments, rate or score content. The website will also be unable to determine whether you are a human or an automated application posting spam.
    • Targeted advertising will not be displayed, which will reduce 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 specifically for a particular domain.

To delete cookies from a website, go to your browser settings, where you can search for those associated with the relevant domain and delete them.

Cookie settings for the most popular browsers

Below we explain how to access a specific cookie in the Chrome browser. Note: these steps may vary depending on the browser version:

1. 1. 1. Go to Settings or Preferences via the File menu or by clicking the customization icon at the top right.
      2. You will see different sections; click the Show advanced settings option.
      3. Go to Privacy, Content settings.
      4. Select All cookies and site data.
      5. A list of all cookies sorted by domain will appear. To make it easier to find the cookies for a particular domain, enter part or all of the address in the Search cookies field.
      6. After applying this filter, one or more lines containing the requested website’s cookies will appear on screen. Simply select the relevant one and click the X to delete it.

To access the cookie settings in Internet Explorer, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the browser version):

1. 1. 1. Go to Tools, Internet Options.
      2. Click Privacy.
      3. Move the slider to set the desired privacy level.

To access the cookie settings in Firefox, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the browser version):

1. 1. 1. Go to Options or Preferences depending on your operating system.
      2. Click Privacy.
      3. Under History, choose Use custom settings for history.
      4. You will now see the Accept cookies option, which you can enable or disable according to your preferences.

To access the cookie settings in Safari for OSX, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the browser version):

1. 1. 1. Go to Preferences, then Privacy.
      2. There you will see the Block cookies option, where you can select the type of blocking you wish to apply.

To access the cookie settings in Safari for iOS, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the browser version):

1. 1. 1. Go to Settings, then Safari.
      2. Go to Privacy and Security; you will see the Block cookies option, where you can select the type of blocking you wish to apply.

To access the browser cookie settings on Android devices, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the browser version):

1. 1. 1. Open the browser and press the Menu button, then Settings.
      2. Go to Security and Privacy; you will see the Accept cookies option, which you can enable or disable.

To access the browser cookie settings on Windows Phone devices, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the browser version):

1. 1. 1. Open Internet Explorer, then More, then Settings.
      2. You can now enable or disable the Allow cookies option.