What is a cookie?
Cookies are small text files that are stored on the User's computer when they visit almost any website. Cookies are very useful for remembering a User's visit when they browse this website again. Many people don't know that cookies started to be used 20 years ago, when the first browsers appeared on the World Wide Web.
What a cookie IS NOT
It isn't a virus, or a Trojan, or a worm, or spam, or spyware, nor can it open pop-up windows.
What information does a cookie store?
Cookies do not usually store sensitive information about the User, such as credit card or banking details, photographs, ID document or personal information, etc. The data stored are technical, personal preferences, content personalisation, etc.
The web server does not associate the User as a person, but rather their web browser. In fact, if a User browses habitually with Internet Explorer and attempts to browse the same website with Firefox or Chrome, they will not register that the User is the same person because in reality it is associating with the browser, not the person.
What types of cookies are there?
- Technical cookies: they are the most elementary and allow, among other things, to know whether a human or an automated application is browsing, or when an anonymous user or a registered one are browsing, which are basic tasks for the operation of any dynamic website.
- Analytical cookies: they collect information on the type of navigation that is being performed, the sections most used, products consulted, time zone of use, language, etc.
- Advertising cookies: they display advertising based on a User's browsing, their country of origin, language, etc.
What are first-party and third-party cookies?
First-party cookies are those generated by the website being visited and third-party cookies are those generated by external services or suppliers such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc.
What happens if I disable the cookies?
To understand the effect that disabling cookies may have, here are some examples:
- You will not be able to share content of this website on Facebook, Twitter or any other social network
- The website will not be able to tailor content to your personal preferences, as usually happens with online stores
- You will not be able to access the personal area of this site, such as My account, or My profile or My orders.
- Online stores: It will be impossible to make online purchases, they will have to be done by telephone or by visiting the actual store, if available.
- It will not be possible to customise your geographical preferences such as time zone, currency or language.
- The website will not be able to perform web analytics on visitors and website traffic, which will make it difficult for the website to be competitive.
- You will not be able to write on the blog, nor upload photos, post comments, rate or score contents. The website will also not be able to know whether you are a human or an automated application that publishes spam.
- You will not be able to display sectorised advertising, which will reduce the advertising revenues of the website.
- All social networks use cookies, if you disable them off you will not be able to use any social network.
Can you delete cookies?
Yes. Not only can you delete them, but you can also block them, generally, or for a specific domain.
To delete cookies from a website go to your browser settings, here you can find the ones associated to the domain in question and proceed to delete them.
Configuring cookies for the most popular browsers
Below we show you how to access a determined cookie for Chrome. Please note: these steps may vary depending on the browser version:
- Go to Settings or Preferences by using the File menu or by clicking the customisation icon in the top right corner.
- You will see different sections, click the option Show Advanced Options.
- Go to Privacy, Content configuration.
- Select All cookies and site data.
- A list of all the cookies will appear, filtered by domain. To make it easier to find the cookies of a determined domain, enter the total or partial address in the Search cookies field.
- After making this filter, a screen will appear with one or several lines with the cookies of the requested website.. Now all you need to do is click on the X to delete it.
Follow these steps to access the configuration of cookies on Internet Explorer (these steps may vary depending on the browser version):
- Go to Tools, Internet Options
- Click on Privacy.
- Move the slider to adjust the level of privacy you require.
Follow these steps to access the configuration of cookies on Firefox (these steps may vary depending on the browser version):
- Go to Options or Preferences according to your operating system.
- Click on Privacy.
- In History select Use personalised configuration for history.
- Now you will see the option Accept cookies, you can enable or disable it according to your preference.
Follow these steps to access the configuration of cookies on Safari OSX (these steps may vary depending on the browser version):
- Go to Preferences, and then Privacy
- Here you will find the option Block cookies where you can adjust the type of block you would like to make.
Follow these steps to access the configuration of cookies on Safari iOS (these steps may vary depending on the browser version):
- Go to Settings, and then Safari.
- Go to Privacy and Security, you will see the option Block cookies where you can adjust the type of block you would like to make.
Follow these steps to access the configuration of cookies on Android device browsers (these steps may vary depending on the browser version):
- Launch the browser and click on Menu, and then Settings.
- Go to Security and Privacy, you will see the option Accept cookies where you can enable or disable the box.
Follow these steps to access the configuration of cookies on Windows Phone device browsers (these steps may vary depending on the browser version):
- Open Internet Explorer, then More, and Configuration
- Now you can enable or disable the box Allow cookies.