Information about cookies

a) What are cookies and web bugs and what are they for?:

According to Wikipedia, the definition of a cookie is:

A cookie (or computer biscuit) is a small information sent by a website and stored in the user's browser, so that the website can consult his/her former activity online.

Wikipedia (http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cookie_(informática))

A cookie is a file that is downloaded to the user's device to access certain websites to store and retrieve information about the browsing that takes place from this equipment.

With the evolution of web pages, cookies have become nearly essential elements to offer all kinds of services to users, such as the possibility to register on the web, customise the web's settings to the user's preferences, manage  carts, etc.

Browsing without cookies is perfectly possible, but many of these new services should no longer be available without them.

This blog also usesweb bugs, which are tiny  and transparent image inserts in some contents. When the user accesses the content, this image is unloaded and allows to know the number of times that the content has been seen, and also the IP address it has downloaded. This information is retrieved anonymously and serves to collect statistical data from certain areas of the internet.

b) What is the use of cookies on this blog?

In any case, the cookies we use provide personal data and the user remains anonymous at all times.

It is possible to change the settings in  the browser so that it does not accept the use of cookies, in which case some of the web services will not work. However, it is possible to access the internet content and browse through the web without further problem.

c) Types, purpose and operation of Cookies on the blog:

Cookies, in general, can be classified in two different ways: by permanence and by purpose.

According to their permanence, there aretwo types of cookies:

SESSION COOKIES

These cookies  are generated once the user accesses the service and expire or are removed when the user closes the browser.

PERMANENT COOKIES

These are cookies that remain in the user's computer even when the browser is closed. They are only removed  when the permanence time expires (which is usually very long), when it fulfils its function or when it is manually delited.

If we classify them according to their purpose, cookies may be classified as follows:

PERFORMANCE COOKIES:

These cookies allow you to customise the browsing experience by storing settings or web presentation options, so you do not need to select these options on each visit. Some examples of such cookies will be used for:

• Volume adjustments, transmission speeds, etc. of video or sound players.
• Products stored in the “shopping cart” in e-commerce services as shops.
• Language selected in which we want to see the web

GEO-LOCATION COOKIES:

Geo-location cookies allow to locate approximately the user who accesses the web (always anonymously) to offer a more personalised browsing experience and offer content related to the area from which the user gets connected (area news, auto language selection according to country, etc.)

LOGIN COOKIES:

Login cookies are generated when a user is logged in to a web service or when he/she has previously accessed the data, he/she is registered in a web or service and allows the access to different sections of the web without having to use his/her credentials on each page.

In short, these cookies allow you to keep the user identified so that he/she can access certain services such as:

• Keeping the User identified so that, if you close a Service, the browser or computer and you re-access at another time or another day, the Service will remain identified, thus facilitating browsing without having to identify yourself again.
• Checking if the user is authorised to access certain services, for example, participating in a forum, to comment or Internet access restricted areas.

This cookie can be excluded by using the “close session” button so that the next time the user accesses from this device he/she will have to enter the credentials again to enjoy the associated privileges.

This type of function can also be used by third party cookies, as social networks like Twitter or Facebook, so that the user can register in these web services through their cookies.

ANALYTICAL COOKIES

These  cookies are usually generated through an external provider (such as Google Analytics, Comscore, Netscope, etc.) and is basically intended to identify the user anonymously in order to be able to analyse behavioural guidelines of users who are browsing the web.

When the user first accesses the link, a cookie is generated that will identify him/her in the next visits, always anonymously and with the purpose of obtaining statistical data such as:

• Accounting for the number of “distinct users” who access the web in a given time period.
• Anonymously identifying the most visited content and therefore the most attractive.
• Knowing if the user who is accessing is new or repeats the visit.
• Knowing the number of pages that the user reads on average.

IMPORTANT: these cookies will never be associated with personal data that can identify the user and will be solely for the purpose of collecting statistical data that will improve the experience of users in place.

More information on the privacy policy of these resources in:

• Google Analytics: http://www.google.com/intl/es/analytics/privacyoverview.html
• Comscore: http://www.comscore.com/esl/About_comScore/Privacy_Policy

ADVERTISING COOKIES:

This type of cookie allows to store information (always anonymously) about user interaction with the website's advertising and also to customise the type of advertisements served to try to offer campaigns of interest to users.

Some examples of the type of data that are kept are:

• Frequency of visualisation of advertising positions.
• Interaction with the campaigns.
• Number of times an ad has been viewed.

d) How to disable cookies and web bugs in major browsers:

All modern browsers allow dissabling cookie usage, denying permissions to store a particular  or overall service for browsing.

Usually the options to carry out this type of adjustments are in the browser's "options" or "preferences" menu, but there are also free programs and add-ons that perform this same function.

The way to access settings from the most popular browsers is as follows:

• Internet Explorer Tools -> Internet options -> Privacy -> Settings.
  For more information, refer to Microsoft Support for Browser Help.
• Firefox: Tools -> Options -> Privacy -> History -> Custom settings.
  For more information, consult Mozilla Support or Browser Help.
• Chrome: Settings -> Show advanced options -> Privacy -> Content settings.
  For more information, please refer to Google Support or Browser help.
• Safari: Preferences -> Security.
  For more information, refer to Apple Support or Browser Help.

e) What happens if cookies are disabled:

Some of the services provided by the websites may no longer work or may do so  partially, such as remaining identifiable, keeping the shopping in the "shopping cart" in an e-commerce service, receiving information aimed at their location or the visualisation of some videos.

UPDATE AND CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY/COOKIES POLICY:

This blog may modify this Cookies Policy based on laws, regulations, or in order to adapt the policy to instructions given by the Spanish Data Protection Agency, which we advice Users to visit regularly.

In case of significant changes in this Cookies Policy, these will be communicated to the Users either through the web or by email to registered Users.