In order to comply with the requirements set out in the EU Directive of May 26, 2012 and the provisions of Law no. 506 of November 17, 2004 on the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector, all visitors to the website are asked for their consent before cookies are sent to their computers.
This website uses its own and third party cookies to provide visitors with a much better browsing experience and services tailored to their needs and interests.
Cookies play an important role in facilitating the access and delivery of the many services that the user enjoys on the Internet, such as:
Personalization of certain settings such as: the language in which a site is viewed, accessing old preferences by clicking on the ‘’forward’’ and ‘’back’’ buttons.
Cookies provide site owners with valuable feedback on how their sites are being used by users, so they can make them even more efficient and user-friendly.
They allow multimedia or other applications from other sites to be embedded on a particular site to create a more valuable, useful and enjoyable browsing experience.
What is a “cookie”?
An “Internet Cookie” (also known as a “browser cookie” or “HTTP cookie” or simply “cookie”) is a small file made up of letters and numbers that will be stored on a user’s computer, mobile device or other equipment from which the Internet is accessed.
The cookie is installed by a web-server’s request to a browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Chrome) and is completely ‘passive’ (it contains no software programs, viruses or spyware and cannot access information on the user’s hard drive).
A cookie consists of 2 parts: the name and the content or value of the cookie. Furthermore, the lifetime of a cookie is determined; technically, only the webserver that sent the cookie can access it again when a user returns to the website associated with that webserver.
Cookies themselves do not require personal information in order to be used and, in most cases, do not personally identify Internet users.
There are two main categories of cookies:
Session cookies – these are temporarily stored in the web browser’s cookie folder for the web browser to remember them until the user exits the website or closes the browser window (e.g. when logging in/out of a webmail or social networking account).
Persistent cookies – these are stored on the hard drive of a computer or device (and generally depend on the pre-set lifetime of the cookie). Persistent cookies also include those placed by a website other than the one the user is currently visiting – known as ‘third party cookies’ – which can be used anonymously to remember a user’s interests so that advertising can be delivered that is as relevant as possible to the user.
What are the benefits of cookies?
A cookie contains information that links a web-browser (the user) to 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 ensure a pleasant browsing experience for users and support the efforts of many websites to provide convenient services to users: e.g. online privacy preferences, site language options, shopping carts or relevant advertising.
How long is the lifetime of a cookie?
Cookies are managed by webservers. 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 not retained once the user has left the website, and some cookies 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 via browser settings.
Why we use cookies
A visit to our website may place cookies for:
– increasing website performance;
– visitor analytics;
– geotargeting;
– user registration.
In Google Analytics the automatic data retention period associated with cookies is 26 months.
Performance cookies
This type of cookie retains the user’s 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 the browser supports.
Visitor analytics cookies
Each time a user visits a site, analytics software provided by a third party generates a user analytics cookie. This cookie tells whether you have visited this site before. Your browser will signal if you have this cookie, and if not, one will be generated. It allows you to track unique users who visit the site and how often.
As long as the visitor is not registered on the site, this cookie cannot be used to identify individuals, they are used for statistical purposes only. If registered it may also know the details provided, such as e-mail address and username – these are subject to confidentiality, as required by current legislation on the protection of personal data.
Geotargeting cookies
These cookies are used by 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 English or another language, they will receive the same advertisement.
Registration cookies
When you register on a site, a cookie is generated that tells whether you are registered or not. The servers use these cookies to show which account you are registered with and whether you have permission for a particular service. It is also allowed to associate any comments posted on the site with your username. If you have not selected “keep me logged in”, this cookie will be automatically deleted when you close your browser or computer.
Other third-party cookies
On some pages, third parties may 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 social networking button on a site, that social network will record your activity.
What kind of information is stored and accessed through cookies?
Cookies store information in a small text file that allows a website to recognize a browser. The webserver will recognize the browser until the cookie expires or is deleted.
The cookie stores important information that enhances the web browsing experience (e.g. language settings to access a site; keeping a user logged into a webmail account; online banking security; keeping products in the shopping cart).
Why cookies are important for the internet?
Cookies are central to the efficient functioning of the Internet, helping to create a user-friendly browsing experience tailored to each user’s preferences and interests. Refusing or disabling cookies may make some websites unusable.
Examples of important uses of cookies (which do not require a user to log in via an account):
Content and services tailored to user preferences – news categories, weather, sports, maps, public and government services, entertainment sites and travel services.
Offers tailored to users’ interests – password retention, language preferences (e.g. display search results in English).
Child protection filters on Internet content (family mode options, safe search functions).
Measurement, optimization and analytics features – such as confirming a certain level of traffic to a website, what type of content is being viewed and how a user gets to a website (e.g. through search engines, directly, from other websites). Websites run these analytics on their usage to improve their websites for the benefit of users.
Security and privacy 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 themselves again. Since they cannot perform these functions, they cannot be considered viruses.
Cookies can however be used for negative purposes. Because they store information about users’ preferences and browsing history, both on a particular site and on many other sites, cookies can be used as a form of Spyware. Many anti-spyware products are aware of this fact and routinely flag cookies for deletion as part of their anti-virus/anti-spyware deletion/scanning procedures.
Browsers generally 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.
Tips for safe and responsible cookie-based browsing.
- Customize your browser’s cookie settings to reflect a level of cookie security that is comfortable for you.
If you share access to your computer, you may consider setting your browser to delete individual browsing data each time you close your browser. This is an alternative to accessing sites that place cookies and deleting any visiting information when you close your browsing session.
- Install and constantly update your anti-spyware applications.
Many spyware detection and prevention applications include website attack detection. This prevents your browser from accessing websites that could exploit browser vulnerabilities or download dangerous software.
How can I stop cookies?
Disabling and refusing to receive cookies can make certain websites impracticable or difficult to visit and use.
It is possible to set the browser to stop accepting cookies, or to set the browser to accept cookies from a particular site. But, for example, if a visitor 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/Settings menu or the Preferences/Favorites menu of the browser.
To understand these settings, the following links may be useful:
Cookie settings in Internet Explorer
For more information on cookies you can visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org