Cookies and other similar technologies such as local shared objects, flash cookies or pixels are tools used by web servers to store and retrieve information about their visitors, as well as to enable the proper functioning of the site. The use of these devices allows the web server to remember certain data concerning users, such as their preferences for viewing pages on that server, their name and password, the products they are most interested in, etc.

Legal framework

In accordance with the Spanish Law 34/2002, of 11 July, on Information Society Services and Electronic Commerce (LSSICE), pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 27 April 2016, on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation, RGDP), and Organic Law 3/2018, of 5 December, on Data Protection and Guarantee of Digital Rights (LOPDGDD), the express consent of the user must be obtained for all websites that use dispensable cookies, before the user browses them.

Cookies affected by the regulation and exempted cookies

According to EU regulations, the cookies requiring the user’s informed consent are analytical, advertising and affiliate cookies, while technical cookies and those that are necessary for the operation of the website or the provision of services expressly requested by the user are exempt.

A) Based on their purpose

Technical and functional cookies

They allow the user to browse through a website, platform or application and use the different options or services that available on it.

Analytical cookies

They allow the monitoring and analysis of the behaviour of the users of the websites to which they are linked. The information collected through this type of cookie is used to measure the activity of the website, application or platform and to carry out browsing profiling in order to make improvements.

Advertising cookies

They allow the management, in the most efficient way possible, of advertising spaces that, where appropriate, the publisher has included on a website, application or platform from which the requested service is provided, according to criteria such as the edited content or the frequency with which the advertisements are shown.

Behavioural advertising cookies

They collect information about the user’s preferences and personal choices (retargeting) to enable effective management of the advertising spaces that, where appropriate, the publisher has included on a website, application or platform from which it provides the requested service.

Social cookies

Social cookies are set on social media platform services to enable the user to share content with their friends and networks. Social media platforms have the ability to track user online activity outside the services. This may affect the content and messages seen in other services used.

Affiliate cookies

Affiliate cookies make it possible to track visits from other websites with which the website has an affiliation contract (affiliate companies).

Security cookies

These cookies collect encrypted information to prevent the data stored in them from being vulnerable to malicious attacks by third parties.

B) Based on their ownership

Own cookies

These cookies are sent to the user’s terminal equipment from a computer or domain managed by the publisher and from which the service requested by the user is provided.

Third party cookies

Third-party cookies are sent to the user’s terminal equipment from a computer or domain that is not managed by the publisher, but by another entity that processes the data obtained through the cookies.

C) Based on their storage period

Session cookies

These are cookies designed to collect and store data while the user accesses a website.

Permanent cookies

These are cookies that allow data to be stored in the terminal and to be accessed and processed for a period of time established by the cookie controller, ranging from a few minutes to several years.

Deleting cookies from your device

Cookies that are already on a device can be deleted by clearing the browser history, which deletes cookies from all websites visited. However, the stored information (e.g. login data or website preferences) may also be lost.

Managing site-specific cookies

For more precise control over site-specific cookies, users can adjust their privacy and cookie settings in their browser.

Blocking cookies

Although most modern browsers can be set to prevent cookies from being installed on your device, this may require you to manually adjust certain preferences each time you visit a website or web page. In addition, some services and features may not work properly (e.g. profile logins).