Cookie usage policy

Please read the following information carefully:

To comply with the requirements established in the EU Directive of May 26, 2012, and the provisions of Law No. 506 of November 17, 2004, regarding the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector, all visitors to the website are required to give their consent before cookies are transmitted to 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 user.

Cookies play an important role in facilitating access to and delivery of the multiple services that users enjoy on the internet, such as:

Customizing certain settings, such as the language in which a website is viewed, accessing old preferences by using the “forward” and “back” buttons.

Cookies provide website owners with valuable feedback on how their sites are used by users, allowing them to make them even more efficient and accessible.

They allow multimedia or other types of applications from other sites to be embedded in a certain 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 “cookie”) is a small file, composed of letters and numbers, which will be stored on a user’s computer, mobile terminal, or other devices used to access the Internet.

The cookie is installed by a request sent 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 lifespan of a cookie is predetermined; 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 identify individual Internet users.

There are two main categories of cookies:

Session cookies: These are temporarily stored in the browser’s cookie folder to remember them until the user leaves the website or closes the browser window (e.g., during login/logout on a webmail account or social networks).

Persistent cookies: These are stored on the hard drive of a computer or device (and generally depend on the preset lifespan of the cookie). Persistent cookies also include those placed by a different website than the one the user is visiting at that moment—known as ‘third-party cookies’—which can be used anonymously to remember a user’s interests, allowing for the delivery of more relevant advertising.

What are the advantages 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 stored information and respond accordingly. Cookies provide users with a pleasant browsing experience and support many websites’ efforts to provide convenient services to users, such as online privacy preferences, 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 leaves the website, while some cookies are retained and reused each time the user returns to that website (permanent cookies). However, users can delete cookies at any time through their browser settings.

What are third-party cookies?

Certain sections of content on some sites may be provided by third parties/providers (e.g., news boxes, videos, or ads). These third parties may also place cookies through the website, referred to as “third-party cookies,” because they are not placed by the owner of that website. Third-party providers must also comply with current laws and the privacy policies of the website owner.

How are cookies used by a site?

A visit to a website may place cookies for:

Improving the performance of the website;

Analyzing visitors;

Geotargeting;

User registration.

Performance cookies

This type of cookie retains the user’s preferences on this site, so there is no need to set them every time the site is visited.

Examples: volume settings for video players, video streaming speed compatible with the browser.

Visitor analysis cookies

Every time a user visits a site, analytics software provided by a third party generates a user analysis cookie. This cookie indicates whether you have visited the site before. The browser will signal if you have this cookie, and if not, a new one will be generated. This allows for the monitoring of unique users visiting 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 registered, details such as email address and username may also be known—these being subject to confidentiality according to the provisions of current legislation on personal data protection.

Geotargeting cookies

These cookies are used by software to determine which country you are from. It is completely anonymous and is used only to target content—even when the visitor is on a page in Romanian or another language, the same ad will be received.

Registration cookies

When you register on a site, a cookie is generated that indicates whether you are registered or not. Servers use these cookies to display the account with which you are registered and whether you have permission for a specific service. It also allows any comment posted on the site to be associated with your username. If you do not select “keep me logged in,” this cookie will be automatically deleted when you close the browser or computer.

Other third-party cookies

On some pages, third parties may set their own anonymous cookies for the purpose of tracking the success of an application or customizing an application.

For example, when you share an article using the social media button on a site, that social network will record 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.

The cookie stores important information that enhances the browsing experience on the Internet (e.g., the language settings in which a site is desired to be accessed; keeping a user logged into a webmail account; online banking security; retaining products in the shopping cart).

Why are cookies important for the Internet?

Cookies are central to the efficient functioning of the Internet, helping generate a friendly browsing experience tailored to each user’s preferences and interests. Refusing or disabling cookies may make some sites impossible to use.

Examples of important uses of cookies (which do not require user authentication through an account):

Content and services adapted to user preferences—news categories, weather, sports, maps, public and government services, entertainment sites, and travel services.

Offers tailored to user interests—retaining passwords, language preferences (e.g., displaying search results in Romanian).

Retaining child protection filters for online content (family mode options, safe search features).

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 arrives at 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. They are not composed of pieces of code, so they cannot be executed, nor can they self-execute. Consequently, they cannot be duplicated or replicated across networks to run or replicate again. Because they cannot perform these functions, they cannot be considered viruses.

However, cookies can be used for negative purposes. Because they store information about users’ preferences and browsing history, both on a specific site and across multiple other sites, cookies can be used as a form of spyware. Many anti-spyware products are aware of this and constantly flag cookies to be deleted in anti-virus/anti-spyware scanning and deletion procedures.

In general, browsers have built-in privacy settings that provide different levels of acceptance of cookies, their lifespan, and automatic deletion after the user visits a specific site.

Tips for safe and responsible browsing based on cookies

Customize your browser settings regarding cookies to reflect a comfortable level of security for you.

If you share access to the computer, you may consider setting your browser to delete individual browsing data every time you close the browser. This is a way to access sites that place cookies and delete any visiting information upon closing the browsing session.

Install and continuously update anti-spyware applications.

Many spyware detection and prevention applications include detection of attacks on sites. Thus, they prevent the browser from accessing websites that might exploit browser vulnerabilities or download dangerous software.

How can I stop cookies?

Disabling and refusing to receive cookies can make certain sites impractical or difficult to visit and use.

It is possible to set the browser not to accept these cookies or to set the browser to accept cookies from a specific site. However, for example, if a visitor is not registered using cookies, they will not be able to leave comments.

All modern browsers offer the ability to change cookie settings. These settings are generally found in the Options/Settings menu or in the Preferences/Favorites menu of the browser.