This website uses its own and third-party cookies to provide visitors with a much better browsing experience and services tailored to everyone's needs and interests.
Cookies play an important role in facilitating the access and delivery of multiple services that the user enjoys on the Internet, such as:
- Customizing certain settings such as: the language in which a site is viewed, accessing old preferences by accessing the "forward" and "back" buttons.
- Cookies provide site owners with valuable feedback on how their sites are used by users, so that they can make them even more efficient and accessible for users.
- They allow multimedia or other applications from other sites to be included in a certain site to create a more valuable, useful and pleasant browsing experience.
What is a Cookie?
An "Internet Cookie" (term also known as "browser cookie" or "HTTP cookie" or simply "cookie") is a small file, consisting of letters and numbers, which will be stored on the computer, mobile terminal or other equipment of a user from which the Internet is accessed.
The cookie is installed through the request issued by a web server to a browser (eg: Internet Explorer, Chrome) and is completely "passive" (it does not contain software programs, viruses or spyware and cannot access the information on the hard drive the user).
A cookie consists of 2 parts: the name and the content or value of the cookie. Moreover, the duration of existence 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 require personal information to be used and, in most cases, do not personally identify Internet users.
There are 2 large categories of cookies:
- Session cookies - these are temporarily stored in the cookie folder of the web browser so that it remembers them until the user leaves the respective website or closes the browser window (eg: when logging in/out of an account webmail or on social networks).
- Persistent cookies – these are stored on the hard drive of a computer or equipment (and, in general, it depends on the lifetime of the cookie). 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 the most relevant advertising for users is delivered.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF COOKIES?
A cookie contains information that connects a web-browser (the user) and 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 offer comfortable services to users: eg - online privacy preferences, website language options, shopping baskets or relevant advertising.
WHAT IS THE LIFETIME OF A COOKIE?
Cookies are managed by web servers. The lifetime 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 retained once the user has left the website, and some cookies are retained and reused every time the user returns to that website (cookie- permanent hours). However, cookies can be deleted by a user at any time through the browser settings.
WHAT ARE THIRD PARTY COOKIES?
Certain sections of content on some sites may be provided through third parties/providers (eg: news box, a video or an 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 the law in force and the privacy policies of the website owner.
HOW COOKIES ARE USED BY Alterart.ro
A visit to a website can place cookies for:
- increasing the performance of the website
- a visitor analysis
- geotargeting
- user registration
PERFORMANCE COOKIES
This type of cookie remembers the user's preferences on this site, so there is no need to set them each time the site is visited. Examples: volume settings for the video player, video streaming speed with which the browser is compatible.
COOKIES FOR VISITORS ANALYSIS
Every time a user visits a site, the analytics software provided by a third party generates a user analysis cookie. This cookie tells 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 the monitoring of unique users who visit the site and how often they do so. As long as the visitor is not registered on the site, this cookie cannot be used to identify individuals, they are used only for statistical purposes. If it is registered, it is also possible to know the details provided, such as the e-mail address and the username - these being subject to confidentiality, according to the provisions of the legislation in force regarding the protection of personal data.
COOKIES FOR GEOTARGETING
These cookies are used by a software that determines which country you come from. It is completely anonymous and is only used to target the content - even when the visitor is on the page in Romanian or in another language, he will receive the same advertisement.
COOKIES FOR AUTHENTICATION
When you authenticate on a site, a cookie is generated that announces whether you are authenticated or not. The servers use these cookies to show the account with which you are registered and if you have permission for a specific 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 can set their own anonymous cookies, in order to track the success of an application or to customize an application. For example, when you share an article using the button for social networks located on a website, that social network will record your activity.
SECURITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY 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. Consequently, they cannot be duplicated or replicated 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 the preferences and browsing history of users, both on a specific 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 to be deleted during anti-virus/anti-spyware deletion/scanning procedures.
In general, browsers have integrated privacy settings that provide different levels of cookie acceptance, validity period and automatic deletion after the user has visited a certain site.
TIPS FOR A SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE NAVIGATION, USING COOKIES
- Customize your browser settings regarding cookies to reflect a comfortable level of cookie security for you.
- If you share access to the computer, you may consider setting your browser to delete individual browsing data each time you close the browser. This is an option to access the sites that place cookies and to delete any visit information at the end of the browsing session.
HOW CAN I DISABLE COOKIES?
Disabling and refusing to receive cookies can make certain websites impractical or difficult to visit and use. It is possible to set the browser so that these cookies are no longer accepted or the browser can be set to accept cookies from a specific site.
All modern browsers offer the possibility to change cookie settings. These settings are usually found in the Options/Settings menu or in the Preferences menu of the browser.