Cookie Policy
Please read the following information carefully:
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 private life in electronic communications, all website visitors are required to provide their consent before cookies are placed on their computers.
This website uses its own cookies and third-party cookies to provide visitors with a much better browsing experience and services tailored to the needs and interests of each individual.
Cookies play a crucial role in facilitating access and delivering multiple services that users enjoy on the internet, such as:
- Personalizing certain settings, such as the language in which a site is viewed, accessing old preferences by using the "back" and "forward" buttons.
- Cookies provide site owners with valuable feedback on how their sites are used by users, enabling them to make them even more effective and accessible to users.
- They allow multimedia or other types of applications from other sites to be included 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," "HTTP cookie," or simply a "cookie") is a small file composed of letters and numbers that will be stored on a user's computer, mobile device, or other equipment when accessing the Internet.
The cookie is installed through a request issued by a web server to a browser (e.g., Internet Explorer, Chrome) and is entirely "passive" (it does not contain software programs, viruses, or spyware and cannot access information from the user's hard drive). A cookie consists of two parts: the name and the content or value of the cookie. Furthermore, the lifespan of a cookie is technically determined; 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 request personal information to be used and, in most cases, do not personally identify internet users.
There are two main categories of cookies:
1. Session cookies – these are temporarily stored in the browser's cookie folder for the browser to remember them until the user exits the respective website or closes the browser window (e.g., when logging in or out of a webmail account or social networks).
2. Persistent cookies – these are stored on a computer's hard drive (and generally depend on the cookie's predefined lifespan). 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, delivering more relevant advertising to users.
What are the benefits of cookies?
A cookie contains information that connects a web browser (the user) with a specific web server (the website). If a browser accesses that web server again, it can read the information already stored and respond accordingly. Cookies provide users with a pleasant browsing experience and support the efforts of many websites to offer convenient services to users, such as privacy preferences online, language options for the site, 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 its intended purpose. Some cookies are used exclusively for a single session (session cookies) and are not retained once the user leaves 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 browser settings.
What are third-party cookies?
Certain sections of content on some websites may be provided by third parties/providers (e.g., news feeds, videos, or advertisements). 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 current laws and the privacy policies of the website owner.
How are cookies used by a website?
A visit to a website can place cookies for various purposes, including:
- Improving website performance.
- Visitor analysis.
- Geotargeting.
- User registration.
Performance cookies
This type of cookie stores user preferences on the website so that they do not need to be set each time they visit the site. Examples include volume settings for video players, browser-compatible video streaming speed.
Visitor analysis cookies
Every time a user visits a site, third-party analytics software generates a user analysis cookie. This cookie indicates whether you have visited the site before. The browser will indicate whether you have this cookie, and if not, it will be generated. This allows for tracking 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; it is used for statistical purposes. If a visitor is registered, their provided details, such as email addresses and usernames, are confidential, following current legislation regarding personal data protection.
Geotargeting cookies
These cookies are used by software to determine the country from which a visitor originates. This information is entirely anonymous and is used only to target content. Even when a visitor is on a page in Romanian or another language, the same advertisement will be received.
Registration cookies
When you register on a website, a cookie is generated to inform whether you are registered or not. Servers use these cookies to show the account with which you are registered and whether you have permission for a particular service. Additionally, it allows you to associate any comments 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 to track the success of an application or to customize an application. For example, when you share an article using the social media button on a site, that social network records your activity.
What type 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 web server will recognize the browser until the cookie expires or is deleted. Cookies store essential information that enhances the browsing experience on the Internet, such as language settings for site access, keeping a user logged into their webmail account, online banking security, and maintaining items in the shopping cart.
Why are cookies essential for the Internet?
Cookies are central to the effective functioning of the Internet, helping to generate a user-friendly browsing experience tailored to each user's preferences and interests. Refusing or disabling cookies can make some websites impossible to use.
Examples of important uses of cookies (that do not require user authentication through an account):
- Content and services tailored to user preferences – news categories, weather, sports, maps, public and governmental services, entertainment sites, and travel services.
- Offers tailored to user interests – password retention, language preferences (e.g., displaying search results in Romanian).
- Retaining child protection filters for internet content (family mode options, safe search features).
- Measurement, optimization, and analytics features, such as confirming a specific level of traffic to a website, the type of content viewed, and how a user reaches a website (e.g., through search engines, directly, or from other websites). Websites conduct these usage analyses to improve their sites for the benefit of users.
Security and privacy issues
Cookies are NOT viruses! They use plain text formats and are not composed of pieces of code, so they cannot be executed