The main purpose of the present statement on cookie policy is to list the existing types of cookies, explain their usage and provide directions for those who wish to refuse or delete website cookies.
WHAT ARE COOKIES?
Cookies are pieces of information that are input onto your browser whenever visiting a website or using a social network with a computer, smartphone or tablet. Each cookie contains different data, such as the source server name, a number identifier, etc. . Cookies may remain stored into the system either for the duration of a single session (i.e. up to the moment when the web-surfing browser is closed) or longer time frames. They might also contain a single id code.
WHAT ARE COOKIES FOR?
Some cookies are used for log-in purposes, session monitoring and for memorizing relevant information on the users who visit specific web pages. Such cookies, known as technical, are oftentimes more useful, as they can speed up the web-surfing process to a large extent, for instance by facilitating online-purchasing procedures, as well as other ones pertaining logging into reserved access areas or detecting the most used language while surfing. A peculiar type of cookies, known as analytics, are used by website owners to retrieve overall information on the number of users and how they surf through websites, thus allowing to draft general statistics on a given service and its usage. Other cookies may be used to monitor and profile users instead, namely while they are surfing, allowing to study their movements, web-surfing or usage-related habits (e.g. what they buy, read, etc.), with the goal of sending specifically-aimed and customized service-related ads (i.e. Behavioural Advertising). This is the case of profiling cookies. This process occurs because those web spaces are designed in order to recognize your pc or another terminal that you use for web-surfing purposes (smartphone, tablet), and to eventually send “profiled” promotional messages according to your researches and web usage. It might happen that a web page contain cookies coming from other websites and contained in various host components of the page itself, such as advertising banners, pictures, videos, etc. . In these cases, we may refer to them as Third-Party Cookies, which are usually intended for profiling purposes. Hence all the cookies downloaded on a pc, smartphone or tablet can be read by third parties who are not necessarily website owners.
HOW TO OPERATE AND DELETE COOKIES
The functioning modes as well as the available options to reduce or block cookies can be changed by editing the settings of your own browser. Furthermore, you can visit the website ww.aboutcookies.org for info on how to handle/delete cookies according to the different browsers used. In order to delete cookies from your smartphone/tablet browser, you will need to consult the instructions manual of your device.
LIST OF COOKIES ON THE WEBSITE
The following bullet-point template reports the non-technical cookies that are present on the website. Third-party cookies are an exclusive and direct liability of the owner and are subdivided into the following major categories:
- Analytics. Such cookies are used to collect and analyse statistical information on accessing/visiting websites. Further information on privacy and their usage can be found directly on the websites of the respective owners.
- Widgets. All the graphic components belonging to a user interface of a program fall under this category, which has the aim of facilitating the user while interacting with the program itself. A relevant instance are widgets, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter cookies. Further information on privacy and their usage can be found directly on the websites of the respective owners.
- Advertsing. Cookies used for advertisements on websites fall under this category. Google, Tradedoubler fall under this category. Further information on privacy and their usage can be found directly on the websites of the respective owners.
Google Analytics: Google Analytics’ privacy policy can be found at the link http://www.google.com/intl/it_ALL/analytics/learn/privacy.html . Regardless, should for any reason be preferable for such cookies to not be activated, Google provides a free opt-out add-on which can be installed on any browser.
(https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout). The non acceptance of such cookies may compromise some of the website’s functions.
USING FLASH COOKIES.
The website may use Adobe Flash Player in order to provide some multimedia content. As far as the vast majority of computers are concerned, this program is installed by default. While viewing such type of content, Google Analytics will store additional data on the computer, also known as Flash Cookies (or Local Share Object), through which the owner can be informed regarding the total number of times that a certain Audio/video file is opened up, the number of people who use it until the end and those who chose to close it beforehand instead. Adobe’s website provides information on how to remove or disable Flash Cookies (see http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/security). This bears reminding that limiting and/or deleting this type of flash cookies may jeopardize the available functions for all those apps relying on Flash technology.