Cookies are a tool used by websites to store and retrieve information about its users. It is as simple as a text file placed on your hard drive to store and transmit information to the server of some websites you visit from your browser. This information allows you to identify yourself as a user and save your personal preferences, as well as technical information such as visits to specific sites. Cookies have expiry dates, that can go from the time a session is opened, to a specific future date, after which they stop being operational.
Cookies allow us to improve the services we offer. Some cookies are strictly necessary for the website to work properly, and others are used to enhance the performance and the user experience.
Hereunder, we provide a classification of cookies, based on a series of categories:
Types of cookies according to entity that manages it:
- First-Party cookies: These are cookies that are sent to the user’s terminal equipment from a system or domain managed by the own editor and from which the solicitated service is provided.
- Third-Party cookies: These are sent to the user’s terminal equipment from a system or domain that is not managed by the editor but from a different entity, which processes the obtained data through cookies.
Types of cookies according to purpose:
- Technical cookies: These allow the user to browse through a website, platform or app; and allow the use of different options or services that are in them. For example: controlling traffic and data communication, identifying a session, accessing restricted-access parts, remembering the elements that integrate a web server petition, making order’s purchase processes, making requests to subscribe or participate in events, using security elements during browsing, storing content for video or sound broadcasting, or sharing content through social media.
- Customization cookies: These allow the user to access a service with some predefined general characteristics, based on a series of criteria in the user’s terminal. They allow the website, app or platform to remember choices you make, such as your language, region, or type of browser through which you access the service, etc.
- Analysis Cookies: These allow the responsible of the cookies to follow and analyze user behavior on the websites these cookies are linked to. Information gathered through this type of cookies is used to measure activity on websites, apps or platforms, and to elaborate browsing profiles of the users of said websites, apps or platforms, with the objective of making improvements based on the data analysis that the service’s users provide.
- Advertise Cookies: These are used to deliver more relevant adverts to you. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator’s permission.
- Behavioral Advertising Cookies: These are used to manage advertising space in the most effective way possible. These cookies store information on the user’s behavior, based on the continuous observation of their browsing habits, which is used to develop a specific profile to show specific advertising.
You will find more information on cookies and how to manage them at www.aboutcookies.org or in the “Help” menu on your browser.