Cookies policy

If you need more information and it is not found below, you can contact us at [email protected]. Please read the following information carefully: This website uses its own cookies and third-party cookies to provide visitors with a much better browsing experience and services tailored to each person’s needs and interests. In what we call “web 2.0,” “cookies” play an important role in facilitating access and delivery of the multiple services the user enjoys on the internet, such as:

• Personalizing certain settings like the language in which a site is viewed, the currency in which certain prices or rates are expressed, keeping options for various products (sizes, other details, etc.) in the shopping cart (and remembering these options), thus generating the flexibility of the “shopping cart” (accessing old preferences by clicking the “forward” and “back” buttons).
• Cookies provide valuable feedback to website owners on how their sites are used by users so that they can make them even more efficient and accessible for users.
• Allowing multimedia applications or other types from other sites to be included on a particular site to create a more valuable, useful, and pleasant browsing experience;
• Improving online advertising efficiency.

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 will be stored on the user’s computer, mobile terminal, or other equipment from which the internet is accessed. The cookie is installed by request issued by a web-server to a browser (e.g., Internet Explorer, Chrome) and is completely “passive” (it does not contain software programs, viruses, or spyware and cannot access information on the user’s hard drive). A cookie consists of two parts: the name and the content or value of the cookie. Moreover, the lifetime 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 two major categories of cookies:

• Session cookies – these are temporarily stored in the cookie file of the web browser so that it can remember them until the user leaves the website or closes the browser window (e.g., when logging in/out of a webmail account or social networks).
• Persistent cookies – These are stored on the hard drive of a computer or equipment (and generally depends on the predetermined lifetime of the cookie). Persistent cookies also include those placed by a different website than the one visited by the user at the moment – known as ‘third party cookies’ (cookies placed by third parties) – which can be used anonymously to remember a user’s interests so that advertising is delivered as relevant as possible to users.

What are the advantages of cookies?

A cookie contains information that links a web-browser (user) to a specific web-server (website). If a browser accesses that web-server again, it can read the already stored information and react accordingly. Cookies ensure a pleasant browsing experience and support the efforts of many websites to provide comfortable services to users: e.g., online privacy preferences, site language options, shopping carts, or relevant advertising.

What is the lifespan of a cookie?

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, while others 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 the browser settings.

What are third-party cookies?

Certain content sections on some sites may be provided through third parties/suppliers (e.g., news box, video, or an advertisement). These third parties can also place cookies through the site, and they are called “third party cookies” because they are not placed by the owner of that website. Third-party providers must also comply with the applicable law and the privacy policies of the site owner.

How are cookies used by this site?

A visit to this site can place cookies for purposes of:

• Site performance cookies
• Visitor analysis cookies
• Geotargeting cookies
• Registration cookies
• Advertising cookies
• Advertising provider cookies

Site performance cookies

This type of cookie remembers user preferences on this site, so there is no need to set them each time you visit the site. Examples:

• Volume settings for the video player
• Video streaming speed with which the browser is compatible

Visitor analysis cookies

Every time a user visits this site, the 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 tells us if you have this cookie, and if not, we generate one. This allows the monitoring of 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; they are used only for statistical purposes. If you are registered, we can also know the details you have provided us, such as email address and username – these being subject to confidentiality and provisions in the Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, as well as the provisions of the legislation in force regarding the protection of personal data.

Geotargeting cookies

These cookies are used by software that determines the country you come from. It is completely anonymous and is used only to target content – even when you are on our page in Romanian or another language, you receive the same advertisement.

Registration cookies

When you register on this site, we generate a cookie that notifies us if you are registered or not. Our servers use these cookies to show us the account you are registered with and if you have permission for a particular service. It also allows us to associate any comment you post on our site with your username. If you did not select “keep me registered,” this cookie will be automatically deleted when you close the browser or computer.

Advertising cookies

These cookies allow us to know whether or not you have viewed an online advertisement, what type it is, and how long it has been since you saw the advertising message. These cookies are also used to target online advertising. We may also use third-party cookies to better target advertising, for example, to show ads about holidays if the user has recently visited an article on the site about holidays. These cookies are anonymous, they store information about the viewed content, not about users. We also set anonymous cookies through other sites on which we have advertising. Receiving them allows us to use them to recognize you as a visitor of that site. If you later visit our site, we can deliver advertising based on this information.

Advertising provider cookies

A large part 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 to the same advertisement multiple times. 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 can set their own anonymous cookies to track the success of an application or to customize an application. Due to how they are used, this site cannot access these cookies in the same way that third parties cannot access the cookies owned 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 keep 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 Internet browsing experience (e.g., the language in which a site is desired to be accessed; keeping a user logged in to the webmail account; online banking security; keeping products in the shopping cart).

Why are cookies important for the Internet?

Cookies are the central point of the efficient functioning of the Internet, helping to generate a friendly browsing experience adapted 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 you will no longer receive online advertising – but only that it will not be able to consider your preferences and interests highlighted by your browsing behavior.

Important cookie uses (that do not require user authentication through an account):

• Content and services tailored to user preferences – categories of news, weather, sports, maps, public and government services, entertainment sites, and travel services.
• Offers tailored to user interests – password retention, language preferences (e.g., displaying search results in Romanian).
• Child protection filters for Internet content (family mode options, safe search functions).
• Limiting the frequency of ad serving – limiting the number of times an ad is shown to a particular user on a site.
• Providing more relevant advertising for the user.
• Measurement, optimization, and analytics features – such as confirming a certain level of traffic on a website, what type of content is viewed, and how a user reaches a website (e.g., through search engines, directly from other websites, etc.). Websites conduct these analyses of their use to improve the sites for the benefit of users.

Security and privacy issues related to cookies:

Cookies are NOT viruses! They use plain text formats. They are not composed of pieces of code, so they cannot be executed nor can they self-run. Consequently, they cannot duplicate or replicate on other networks to run or replicate again. Since they cannot perform these functions, they cannot be considered viruses. However, cookies can be used fornegative purposes. Because they store information about user preferences and browsing history, both on a particular site and on several other sites, cookies can be used as a form of Spyware. Many anti-spyware products are aware of this and consistently mark cookies for deletion during anti-virus/anti-spyware deletion/scanning procedures. Generally, browsers have built-in privacy settings that provide different levels of cookie acceptance, validity period, and automatic deletion after the user has visited a particular site.

Other security issues related to cookies:

Because identity protection is very valuable and is the right of every internet user, it is advisable to know what problems cookies can create. Since through them, information is constantly transmitted in both directions between the browser and the website, if an attacker or unauthorized person intervenes during data transmission, the information contained in the cookie can be intercepted. Although very rarely, this can happen if the browser connects to the server using an unencrypted network (e.g., an unsecured Wi-Fi network). Other cookie-based attacks involve incorrect cookie settings on servers. If a website does not require the browser to use only encrypted channels, attackers can use this vulnerability to trick browsers into sending information through insecure channels. Attackers then use the information to gain unauthorized access to certain sites. It is very important to be careful in choosing the most appropriate method of protecting personal information.

Tips for safe and responsible cookie-based browsing:

• Customize your browser settings regarding cookies to reflect a comfortable level for you of cookie security.
• If you share access to your computer, you might consider setting your browser to delete individual browsing data each time you close your browser. This is an option to access sites that place cookies and delete any visit information when closing the browsing session.
• Install and constantly update anti-spyware applications.

Many spyware detection and prevention applications include detecting attacks on sites. Thus, it prevents the browser from accessing websites that could exploit browser vulnerabilities or download dangerous software. Ensure your browser is always up to date. Many cookie-based attacks are carried out by exploiting the weaknesses of older versions of browsers. Cookies are everywhere and cannot be avoided if you want to enjoy access to the best and biggest Internet sites – local or international. With a clear understanding of how they operate and the benefits they bring, you can take the necessary security measures so that you can browse with confidence on the internet.

How can I stop cookies?

Disabling and refusing to receive cookies can make certain sites impractical or difficult to visit and use. Also, refusing to accept cookies does not mean you will no longer receive/see online advertising. It is possible to set the browser to no longer accept cookies, or you can set the browser to accept cookies from a specific site. But, for example, if a user is not registered using cookies, they will not be able to leave comments. All modern browsers offer the possibility to change cookie settings. These settings are usually found in the “Options” or “Preferences” menu of your browser. To understand these settings, the following links may be useful, otherwise, you can use the browser’s “help” option for more details.