This website uses its own and third-party cookies to provide visitors with a better browsing experience and services tailored to each individual’s needs and interests. These cookies may come from the following third parties: Google Analytics, Facebook, Google+, Twitter. On this website, there are links to third-party websites; once these links are accessed, users are subject to the respective website’s policy.
In what we call “web 2.0,” cookies play an important role in facilitating access and delivering multiple services that users enjoy on the Internet, such as:
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 is stored on a user’s computer, mobile device, or other equipment from which the Internet is accessed. The cookie is installed through a request issued by a web server to a browser (e.g., Internet Explorer, Chrome, Mozilla Firefox) and is completely “passive” (it does not contain software programs, viruses, or spyware and cannot access the user’s hard drive).
A cookie consists of 2 parts: the name and its content or value. Furthermore, the lifespan of a cookie is determined; technically, only the web server that sent the cookie can access it again when a user returns to the website associated with that web server.
Cookies themselves do not request personal information to be used and, in most cases, do not personally identify Internet users. There are 2 major categories of cookies:
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 already stored information and react accordingly. Cookies ensure users a pleasant browsing experience and support the efforts of many websites to provide comfortable services to users: e.g., privacy preferences online, language options for the site, shopping carts, or relevant advertising.
Cookie expires or is deleted
The cookie stores important information that improves the browsing experience on the Internet (e.g., language settings for accessing a site, keeping a user logged into a webmail account, online banking security, keeping products in the shopping cart).
Why are cookies important for the Internet?
Cookies are the centerpiece of the efficient functioning of the Internet, helping to generate a user-friendly browsing experience tailored to each user’s preferences and interests. Refusing or disabling cookies can make some sites impossible to use. Refusing or disabling cookies does not mean that you will no longer receive online advertising – it just means that it will not be able to take into account your preferences and interests, as highlighted by your browsing behavior.
Examples of important uses of cookies (which do not require user authentication through an account):
Cookies are NOT viruses! They use plain text formats. They are not made up of code pieces so they cannot be executed or self-run. Consequently, they cannot be considered viruses. However, cookies can be used for negative purposes.
Because they store information about users’ preferences and browsing history, both on a particular site and on multiple other sites, cookies can be used as a form of Spyware.
Many anti-spyware products are aware of this and consistently mark cookies to be deleted in anti-virus/anti-spyware scan procedures.
Cookies are managed by web servers. 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 not retained once the user has left the website, and some cookies are retained and reused each time the user returns to that website (‘persistent cookies’). However, cookies can be deleted by a user at any time through browser settings.
What are third-party cookies?
Certain content sections on some websites can be provided through third parties/providers (e.g., news box, video, or advertisement). These third parties can also place cookies through the website, and they are called “third-party cookies” because they are not placed by the owner of the respective website. Third-party providers must also comply with applicable laws and the privacy policies of the website owner.
How are cookies used by this site?
A visit to this site may place cookies for purposes such as:
Site performance cookies
This type of cookie retains the user’s preferences on this site, so there is no need to set them each time the site is visited.
Examples:
Every time a user visits this site, analytics software provided by a third party generates a user analysis cookie. This cookie tells us if you have visited this site before.
The browser will tell us if you have this cookie, and if not, we will generate one. This allows us to monitor unique users who visit us and how often they do so. As long as you are not registered on this site, this cookie cannot be used to identify individuals; it is only used for statistical purposes.
If you are registered, we can also know the details you have provided us with, such as email address and username – these are subject to confidentiality and provisions of the Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, as well as current legislation regarding the protection of personal data.
Geotargeting cookies
These cookies are used by software that determines which country you are from. It is completely anonymous and is only used to personalize the content of our site.
Registration cookies
When you register on this site, we generate a cookie that informs us whether you are registered or not. Our servers use these cookies to show us the account you are registered with and whether you have permission for a specific service. It also allows us to associate any comments you post on our site with your username. If you have not selected the option “Keep me logged in”, this cookie will automatically be deleted when you close your browser or computer.
Advertising cookies
These cookies allow us to determine whether you have viewed an online advertisement, what type it is, and how long it has been since you saw the advertisement. We use these cookies to target online advertising. We may also use third-party cookies for better ad targeting, to show, for example, vacation ads if the user has recently visited an article on vacation on the site. These cookies are anonymous; they store information about the content viewed, not about users. We also set anonymous cookies through other sites where we advertise. By receiving them, we can use them to recognize you as a visitor to that site if you subsequently visit our site, and we can deliver advertising based on this information.
Provider advertising cookies
Much of the advertising you find on this site belongs to third parties. Some of these parties use their own anonymous cookies to analyze how many people have been exposed to an advertising message or to see how many people have been exposed multiple times to the same advertisement. The companies that generate these cookies have their own privacy policies, and this site does not have access to read or write these cookies. Third-party cookies can be used to show you targeted advertising on other sites based on your browsing on this site.
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. Due to the usage method, this site cannot access these cookies, just as third parties cannot access the cookies held by this site. For example, when you share an article using the social media button on this site, 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 web server will recognize the browser until the cookie expires or is deleted. The cookie stores important information that improves the browsing experience on the Internet (e.g., language settings for accessing a site, keeping a user logged into a webmail account, online banking security, keeping products in the shopping cart).
Why are cookies important for the Internet?
Cookies are the centerpiece of the efficient functioning of the Internet, helping to generate a user-friendly browsing experience tailored to each user’s preferences and interests. Refusing or disabling cookies can make some sites impossible to use. Refusing or disabling cookies does not mean that you will no longer receive online advertising – it just means that it will not be able to take into account your preferences and interests, as highlighted by your browsing behavior.
Examples of important uses of cookies (which do not require user authentication through an account):
Cookies are NOT viruses! They use plain text formats. They are not made up of code pieces so they cannot be executed or self-run. Consequently, they cannot be considered viruses. However, cookies can be used for negative purposes. Because they store information about users’ preferences and browsing history, both on a particular site and on multiple other sites, cookies can be used as a form of Spyware.
Many anti-spyware products are aware of this and consistently mark cookies to be deleted in anti-virus/anti-spyware scan procedures.
