What are cookies?

Cookies are files that a web browser automatically stores on a user’s computer when they visit a website. Cookies are sent from the server to the website visitor. Subsequently, each time the user visits that same website or another within the same domain, the cookies will be read by the web browser.

Therefore, they are merely data stored on the user’s computer that allow for the retrieval of information regarding the browsing habits of the user or their equipment. Depending on the information obtained, they can be used to recognize the user and improve the service offered.

Types of Cookies

There are first-party cookies, which are those sent from the website being visited, and third-party cookies, which are generated by external providers or services.

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• Session Cookies: Designed to collect and store data while the user accesses a web page. They are usually used to store information that is only relevant to keep for the provision of the service requested by the user on a single occasion (e.g., a list of purchased products).
• Persistent Cookies: The data remains stored in the terminal and can be accessed and processed for a period defined by the person responsible for the cookie, which can range from a few minutes to several years.

Finally, there is another classification with five types of cookies depending on the purpose for which the obtained data is processed:

• Technical Cookies: Those that allow the user to navigate through a website, platform, or application and use the different options or services existing therein, such as controlling traffic and data communication, identifying the session, accessing restricted access parts, remembering the elements of an order, carrying out the purchase process, applying for registration or participation in an event, using security elements during navigation, storing content for video or sound broadcasting, or sharing content through social networks.
• Personalization Cookies: These allow the user to access the service with some predefined general characteristics based on a series of criteria in the user’s terminal, such as language, the type of browser through which the service is accessed, the regional configuration from where the service is accessed, etc.
• Analysis Cookies: These allow the person responsible for them to monitor and analyze the behavior of the users of the websites to which they are linked. The information collected through this type of cookie is used to measure the activity of the websites, application, or platform and to create navigation profiles of the users, in order to introduce improvements based on the analysis of the usage data.
• Advertising Cookies: These allow for the most effective management possible of advertising spaces.
• Behavioral Advertising Cookies: These store information on user behavior obtained through continuous observation of their browsing habits, allowing for the development of a specific profile to display advertising based on it.
• External Social Network Cookies: These are used so that visitors can interact with the content of different social platforms (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) and are generated only for the users of said social networks. The conditions for using these cookies and the information collected are regulated by the privacy policy of the corresponding social platform.

Disabling and Deleting Cookies

You have the option to allow, block, or delete the cookies installed on your equipment by configuring the options of the browser installed on your computer. By disabling cookies, some of the available services might stop being operational.

The way to disable cookies is different for each browser, but it can usually be done from the Tools or Options menu. You can also consult the browser’s Help menu where you can find instructions. The user may, at any time, choose which cookies they want to work on this website.