What is a cookie?

A cookie is a harmless text file that is stored in your browser when you visit almost any webpage. The cookie utility is that the web be able to remember your visit when you browse that page again. Although many people do not know the cookies have been using it for 20 years, when the first browsers for the World Wide Web.

What is NOT a cookie?

It is not a virus, nor a Trojan, nor a worm, nor spam, nor spyware, nor opens pop-up windows.

What information stores a cookie?

The cookies do not usually store sensitive information about you, such as credit cards or bank details, photographs, your ID or personal information, etc. The data that are technical, personal preferences, personalization of content, etc.

The web server does not associate you as a person if not to your web browser. In fact, if you regularly surf with Internet Explorer and try browsing the same web with Firefox or Chrome will see that the web does not realize that you are the same person because you are actually associating the browser, not the person.

What kind of cookies exist?

  • Technical Cookies: These are the most elementary and allow, among other things, to know when a human or an automated application is navigating, when navigating Anonymous user and a registered one, basic tasks for the operation of any dynamic web.
  • Analysis Cookies: RCollect information about the type of navigation you are making, the sections you use most, products consulted, time zoneOf use, language, etc.
  • Advertising Cookies: Display advertising based on your browsing, country of origin, language, etc.

What are the cookies and third-party cookies?

The own cookies are those generated by the page you are visiting and the third are those generated by external services or providers such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc.

What happens if I turn off cookies?

To understand the scope that can have to disable the cookies we show some examples:

  • You will not be able to share content from that site 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 in online stores.
  • You will not be able to access the personal area of ??that website, such as My Account, or My profile or My orders.
  • Online stores: You will not be able to shop online, they will have to be telephone or visit the physical store if you have it.
  • 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 about visitors and traffic on the web, which will make it difficult for the web to be competitive.
  • You will not be able to write in the blog, you will not be able to upload photos, post comments, rate or rate content. The web will also not know if you are a human or an applicationAutomated publishing spam.
  • You will not be able to show sectorized advertising, which will reduce the advertising revenues of the web.
  • All social networks use cookies, if you disable them you will not be able to use any social network.

Can cookies be deleted?

Yes. Do not just delete, also block, in a general or particular way for a specific domain.

To remove cookies from a website you must go to the configuration of your browser and there you can search for those associated with the domain in question and proceed to its removal.

Here’s how to access a particular cookie from the Chrome browser. Note: These steps may vary depending on your browser version:

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

To access the cookies settings of the Internet Explorer browser follow these steps (they may vary depending on your browser version):

  1. Go to Tools, Internet Options
  2. click Privacy.
  3. Move the slider to adjust the level of privacy you want.

To access the cookies configuration of the Firefox browser follow these steps (may vary depending on your browser version):

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

To access the cookies settings of the Safari browser for OSX follow these steps (they may vary depending on your browser version):

  1. Go to Preferences, then Privacy.
  2. In this place you will see Block cookies option to adjust the block type you want to perform.

To access the cookies settings of Safari iOS browser follow these steps (may vary depending on your browser version):

  1. Go to Settings, then Safari.
  2. Go to Privacy and Security, you will see the Block cookies option to adjust the type of block you want to perform

To access the cookies settings of the browser for Android devices follow these steps (may vary depending on browser version):

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

To access the cookies settings of the browser for Windows Phone devices follow these steps (may vary depending on browser version):

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