This website uses its own and third-party cookies to provide visitors with a much better browsing experience and services tailored to their needs and interests.

Cookies play an important role in facilitating access to and delivery of the multiple services that the user enjoys on the internet, such as:

1. Customization of certain settings such as: the language in which a site is viewed, accessing old preferences by accessing the “forward” and “back” buttons.
2. Cookies provide website owners with valuable feedback on how their websites are used by users so that they can make them even more efficient and accessible to users.
3. They allow multimedia or other applications from other sites to be included in a particular site to create a more valuable, useful, and enjoyable browsing experience.

What is a “cookie”?

An “Internet Cookie” (also known as a “browser cookie” or “HTTP cookie” or simply “cookie”) is a small file consisting of letters and numbers that will be stored on a user’s computer, mobile terminal or other equipment from which the Internet is accessed.

The cookie is installed by a request issued by a webserver to a browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Chrome) and is completely “passive” (it 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. Furthermore, the duration of a cookie’s existence is determined; Technically, only the webserver that sent the cookie can access it again when a user returns to the website associated with that webserver.

Cookies themselves do not ask for personal information to be used and, in most cases, do not personally identify internet users.

There are 2 main categories of cookies:

1. Session cookies – these are temporarily stored in the cookie folder of the web browser for it to remember until the user leaves the website or closes the browser window (e.g. when logging in/out of a webmail account or on social networks).
2. Persistent cookies – these are stored on the hard drive of a computer or equipment (and generally depend on the default cookie lifespan). Persistent cookies also include those placed by a website other than the one the user is visiting at the time – known as ‘third-party cookies’ – which can be used anonymously to remember a user’s interests so that advertising that is as relevant as possible to users is delivered.

What are the advantages of cookies?

A cookie contains information that links a web browser (the user) to a specific web server (the 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 choices, shopping carts or relevant advertising.

What is the lifespan of a cookie?

Cookies are managed by webservers. The lifespan 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 remembered once the user has left the website, and some cookies are retained and reused each time the user returns to that website (permanent cookies). However, cookies can be deleted by a user at any time through their browser settings.

What are third-party cookies?

Certain sections of content on some sites may be provided through third parties/vendors (e.g., news box, video, or advertisement). 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 that website. Third-party providers must also comply with applicable law and the privacy policies of the site owner.

How cookies are used by a website.

A visit to a website may place cookies to:

1. increasing the performance of the website.
2. a visitor analysis.
3. user registration.

Performance cookies

This type of cookie remembers the user’s preferences on this website, so there is no need to set them each time they visit the website.

Examples: Volume settings for the video player, the video streaming speed that the browser is compatible with.

Cookies for Visitor Analytics

Each time a user visits a website, the analytics software provided by a third party generates a user analysis cookie. This cookie tells you if you have visited this site before. The browser will signal if you have this cookie, and if not, one will be generated. It allows monitoring of the unique users who visit the site and how often they do it.

If the visitor is not registered on the website, this cookie cannot be used to identify individuals, they are used only for statistical purposes. If you are registered, you can also know the details provided, such as your e-mail address and username – these being subject to confidentiality, according to the provisions of the legislation in force regarding the protection of personal data.

Geotagging cookies

These cookies are used by software that determines which country you are from. It is completely anonymous and is only used to target the content – even when the visitor is on the page in Romanian or another language, the same advertisement will be received.

Cookies for registration

When you register on a site, a cookie is generated that lets you know whether you are registered or not. The servers use these cookies to show which account you are registered with and whether you have permission for a particular service. It is also allowed to associate any comment posted on the site with your username. If you have not selected “keep me registered”, this cookie will be automatically deleted when you close your browser or computer.

Other third-party cookies

On some pages, third parties may set their own anonymous cookies to track the success of an application or to customize an application. For example, when you share an article using the social media button on a 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 webserver will recognize the browser until the cookie expires or is deleted.

The cookie stores important information that improves the Internet browsing experience (e.g.: settings of the language in which you want to access a site; keeping a user logged in to 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. Refusing or disabling cookies may make some sites unusable.

Examples of important uses of cookies (which do not require a user to log in through an account):

1. Content and services tailored to the user’s preferences – news, weather, sports, maps, public and government services, entertainment sites and travel services.
2. Offers tailored to users’ interests – remembering passwords, language preferences (e.g. displaying search results in Romanian).
3. Remember child protection filters on Internet content (family mode options, safe search functions).
4. Measurement, optimization and analytics features – such as confirming a certain level of traffic on a website, what type of content is viewed and how a user arrives at a website (e.g. through search engines, directly, from other websites). Websites carry out 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, nor can they self-execute. As a result, they cannot duplicate or replicate on other networks to run or replicate again. Since they cannot perform these functions, they cannot be considered viruses.

Cookies can still be used for negative purposes. Because they store information about users’ preferences and browsing history, both on a particular site and on several other sites, cookies can be used as a form of Spyware. Many anti-spyware products are aware of this fact and constantly mark cookies for deletion as part of anti-virus/anti-spyware deletion/scanning procedures.

In general, browsers have built-in privacy settings that provide different levels of cookie acceptance, validity period, and automatic deletion after the user has visited a particular site.

Tips for safe and responsible browsing based on cookies.

1. Customize your browser settings with respect to cookies to reflect a comfortable level of security for your use of cookies.
2. If you share access to your computer, you may want to consider setting your browser to delete individual browsing data each time you close your browser. This is a way to access sites that place cookies and delete any visitor information when you close your browsing session.
3. Constantly install and update your antispyware applications.
4. Many of the spyware detection and prevention applications include detecting attacks on websites. Thus, it prevents the browser from accessing websites that could exploit browser vulnerabilities or download dangerous software.

How can I stop cookies?

Disabling and refusing to receive cookies may make certain websites impractical or difficult to visit and use.

It is possible to set in your browser to stop these cookies from being accepted, or you can set your browser to accept cookies from a specific website. But, for example, if a visitor is not registered using cookies, they will not be able to leave comments.

All modern browsers offer the possibility to change cookie settings. These settings are usually found in the Settings menu or in the Preferences / Favourites menu of the browser.

To understand these settings, the following links may be helpful:

Cookie settings in Internet Explorer

Cookie settings in Firefox

Cookie settings in Chrome

Cookie settings in Safari web și iOS.