What is a cookie?

A cookie is a harmless text file stored in your browser when you visit almost any website. Cookies allow a website to remember your visit when you return. Although many people are not aware of it, cookies have been in use for over 20 years, since the first browsers for the World Wide Web appeared.

What is a cookie NOT?

It is not a virus, a trojan, a worm, spam or spyware, and it does not open pop-up windows.

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 number or personal information. The data they store is of a technical nature: personal preferences, content customisation, etc.

The web server does not associate you as a person but rather 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 website does not recognise you as the same person, because it is actually linked to the browser, not the individual.

What types of cookies are there?

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

What are first-party and third-party cookies?

First-party cookies are generated by the website you are visiting, while 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 impact of disabling cookies, here are some examples:

  • You will not be able to share content from the website on Facebook, Twitter or any other social network.
  • The website will not be able to adapt content to your personal preferences, as is common in online shops.
  • You will not be able to access the personal area of the website, such as My Account, My Profile or My Orders.
  • Online shops: you will not be able to make purchases online; they would need to be placed by phone or by visiting the physical shop, if one exists.
  • It will not be possible to customise your geographical 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 remain competitive.
  • You will not be able to write on the blog, upload photos, post comments, or rate content. The website will also be unable to tell whether you are a human or an automated application posting spam.
  • Targeted advertising will not be displayed, which will reduce the website’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. You can not only delete them but also block them, either generally or for a specific domain.

To delete cookies from a website, go to your browser settings, where you can search for those associated with the domain in question and proceed to delete them.

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 via the File menu or by clicking the customisation icon at the top right.
  2. You will see different sections; click on Show advanced settings.
  3. Go to Privacy, Content settings.
  4. Select All cookies and site data.
  5. A list of all cookies sorted by domain will appear. To make it easier to find cookies from a specific domain, enter the address partially or fully in the Search cookies field.
  6. After applying this filter, one or more lines will appear showing the cookies from the requested website. Simply select it and press the X to delete it.

To access 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 set the level of privacy you require.

To access 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. Under History, select Use custom settings for history.
  4. You will now see the Accept cookies option, which you can enable or disable according to your preferences.

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

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

To access 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 & Security; you will see the Block Cookies option, where you can set the type of blocking you wish to apply.

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

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

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

  1. Open Internet Explorer, then More, then Settings.
  2. You can now enable or disable the Allow cookies option.