What are cookies, and what are they for?
Cookies are small text files that are stored on the device through which you access a website, specifically through the browser used for this purpose, and which collect information about your browsing on that website.
The main function of cookies is to facilitate and personalize your browsing experience, but this is not the only reason for their use, they also serve other purposes, namely to help us prevent fraud, optimize our services and identify your preferences so that we can provide you with advertisements and offers tailored to your interests.
What information is collected through cookies?
Cookies and other similar technologies collect:
- Traffic and location information, such as your IP address (Internet Protocol Address), your location captured through a Global Positioning System (or GPS system), WI-FI access points and mobile network antennas covered by your device;
- Access and session information, i.e. the number generated to identify you as a logged-in user on a particular website (Session ID), the date you logged in and the most searched words;
- Information about the device, detecting, for example, the operating system and browser used, the date and duration of the visit to the site, and the identification of other sites visited;
- Information on user behaviour, such as the number of clicks made and the most visited pages.
What types of cookies are there?
There are session cookies (of temporary duration) and persistent cookies (of long duration).
The former are used only for the period during which you browse a particular site, after which they are deleted, and allow you to continue browsing that site without having to log in again, even if you change pages; the latter are stored on your device even after you have finished browsing the site, and are intended to allow you to return to that site without the settings you initially defined, such as the language, changing in this new navigation.
Cookies can also be categorized according to the various purposes associated with them, regardless of whether they are own cookies (cookies installed by the website you are visiting) or third-party cookies (cookies installed by websites other than the one you are browsing).
Thus, we may have, for example:
- Necessary Cookies: These cookies are always used, regardless of your consent, as they are strictly necessary for the website to function properly. Necessary cookies aim to ensure operability, optimization, and security issues and are usually persistent cookies.
- Preference Cookies: This type of cookie stores user preference settings, such as language, so that you don't have to configure them every time you browse the site; identifies the user through a unique identification number (ID), associated with the login time, allowing you to browse the site or other Internet pages opened in the browser without having to log in constantly; and makes it possible to count the number of visits to the site, by collecting the users' IP address, thus making it possible to carry out statistical studies on the quality of the service provided on that site. By their nature, these cookies may be temporary, although they tend to be persistent.
- Analytical/Statistical Cookies: These are cookies that make it possible to quantify the number of users of a website and analyse their behaviour in order to define strategies for improving the service provided. As a general rule, these are third-party cookies.
- Advertising/Marketing Cookies: This type of cookie is designed to collect information on the use made of the site (e.g. clicks made and most viewed adverts), making it possible to identify the user's preferences so that advertising aimed at them matches their interests. These are mostly persistent cookies.
