What is a cookie?
A cookie is a harmless text file stored in your browser when you visit almost any website. The purpose of the cookie is for the website to remember your visit when you return to browse that page. Although many people are unaware of this, cookies have been used for more than 20 years, since the first browsers for the World Wide Web appeared.
What is not a cookie?
A cookie is not a virus, trojan, worm, spam, spyware, or pop-up window.
What information does a cookie store?
Cookies do not usually store sensitive information about you, such as credit card or bank details, photographs, your ID card, or personal information, etc. The data they store are of a technical nature, personal preferences, content customization, etc.
The web server does not associate you as a person but rather with your web browser. In fact, if you usually browse with Internet Explorer and try browsing the same website with Firefox or Chrome, you will see that the site does not realize you are the same person, because it associates the browser, not the person.
What types of cookies exist?
- Technical cookies: The most basic cookies that allow, among other things, knowing when a human or an automated application is browsing, when an anonymous or registered user is browsing—basic tasks for the functioning of any dynamic website.
- Analytics cookies: Collect information about your browsing behavior, the sections you use most, products consulted, time slots, language, etc.
- Advertising cookies: Display advertising based on your browsing, country of origin, language, etc.
- Customization cookies: Allow the user to access the service with certain general predefined features, depending on criteria in the user’s terminal, such as language or the type of browser through which the service is accessed.
What are first-party and third-party cookies?
- First-party cookies are generated by the website you are visiting.
- Third-party cookies are generated by external services or providers such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc.
What happens if I disable cookies?
To help you understand the scope of disabling cookies, here are some examples:
- You will not be able to share content from this website on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social network.
- The website will not be able to adapt content to your personal preferences, as usually happens with online stores.
- You will not be able to access the personal area of the website, such as My Account, My Profile, or My Orders.
- For online stores: it will be impossible to make online purchases, and they would have to be made by phone or in person at a physical store (if available).
- It will not be possible to customize your geographic preferences such as time zone, currency, or language.
- The website will not be able to perform web analytics on visitors and website traffic, which will make it difficult for the website to remain competitive.
- You will not be able to post on the blog, upload photos, publish comments, rate or review content. The website will also not be able to tell whether you are a human or an automated application posting spam.
- Targeted advertising cannot be displayed, which will reduce the site’s advertising revenue.
- All social networks use cookies; if you disable them, you will not be able to use any social network.
Can cookies be deleted?
Yes. Not only can they be deleted, but also blocked, either generally or specifically for a particular domain.
Below you can access the settings of the most common web browsers to accept, install, or disable cookies: