More information about Cookies

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a harmless text file that is 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 browse that page again. Although many people are unaware, cookies have been used for over 20 years, dating back to the first browsers for the World Wide Web.

What is not a cookie?

It is not a virus, trojan, worm, spam, spyware, or a pop-up window.

What information does a cookie store?

Cookies generally do not store sensitive information such as credit card data, bank details, photographs, personal ID, or personal information, etc. The data they store is technical, such as personal preferences, content customization, etc. The web server does not associate you as a person but your web browser. In fact, if you regularly browse with Internet Explorer and try browsing the same website with Firefox or Chrome, you will see that the website does not recognize you as the same person because it is associating the browser, not the person.

What types of cookies are there?

  • Technical cookies: These are the most basic and allow, among other things, to know when a human or automated application is browsing, when an anonymous user or a registered one is navigating, performing basic tasks for the operation of any dynamic website.
  • Analysis cookies: These collect information about the type of navigation you are doing, the sections you use most, products viewed, time slots of use, language, etc.
  • Advertising cookies: These display advertising based on your navigation, country of origin, language, etc.

What are first-party and third-party cookies?

First-party cookies are generated by the website you are visiting, and third-party cookies are generated by external services or providers like Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc.

What happens if I disable cookies?

To help you understand the impact of disabling cookies, here are some examples:

  • You will not be able to share content from that website on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social network.
  • The website will not be able to adapt the content to your personal preferences, as is often the case with online stores.
  • You will not be able to access the personal area of that website, such as My account, My profile, or My orders.
  • Online stores: You will not be able to make purchases online, and you will need to do so by phone or by visiting the physical store if available.
  • You will not be able to personalize your geographic preferences such as time zone, currency, or language.
  • The website will not be able to perform web analytics on visitors and traffic, making it harder for the website to be competitive.
  • You will not be able to write on the blog, upload photos, post comments, rate or review content. The website will also not be able to know if you are a human or an automated application posting spam.
  • Sectorized advertising cannot be displayed, reducing the website’s advertising revenue.
  • All social networks use cookies. If you disable them, you will not be able to use any social networks.

Can cookies be deleted?

Yes. Not only can they be deleted, but they can also be blocked, either globally or for a specific domain. To delete cookies from a particular website, you need to go to your browser settings and search for the cookies associated with the domain in question and proceed to delete them.

Cookie settings for popular browsers

Below, we explain how to access a specific cookie in the Chrome browser. Note: these steps may vary depending on the browser version:

  1. Go to Settings or Preferences through the File menu or by clicking the customization icon at the top right.
  2. You will see different sections; click on the Show advanced settings option.
  3. Go to Privacy, Content settings.
  4. Select All cookies and site data.
  5. A list will appear with all the cookies sorted by domain. To make it easier to find the cookies for a specific domain, enter part or all of the address in the Search cookies field.
  6. After applying this filter, one or more lines with the requested website’s cookies will appear. Now, just select it and press the X to proceed with its deletion.

To access the cookie settings in Internet Explorer, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the browser version):

  1. Go to Tools, Internet Options.
  2. Click on Privacy.
  3. Move the slider to adjust the level of privacy you prefer.

To access the cookie settings in Firefox, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the browser version):

  1. Go to Options or Preferences, depending on your operating system.
  2. Click on Privacy.
  3. In History, choose Use custom settings for history.
  4. You will now see the option Accept cookies; you can enable or disable it according to your preferences.

To access the cookie settings in Safari for OSX, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the browser version):

  1. Go to Preferences, then Privacy.
  2. Here, you will see the option Block cookies, where you can adjust the type of blocking you want to apply.

To access the cookie settings in Safari for iOS, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the browser version):

  1. Go to Settings, then Safari.
  2. Go to Privacy and Security, you will see the option Block cookies, where you can adjust the type of blocking you want to apply.

To access the cookie settings in the Android browser, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the browser version):

  1. Run the browser and press the Menu key, then Settings.
  2. Go to Security and Privacy, you will see the option Accept cookies to enable or disable the checkbox.

To access the cookie settings in the Windows Phone browser, follow these steps (they may vary depending on the browser version):

  1. Open Internet Explorer, then More, then Settings.
  2. Now you can enable or disable the checkbox Allow cookies.
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