What is a cookie?
A cookie is a harmless text file that is stored on your browser when you visit almost any website. The usefulness of the cookie is that the web is able to remember your visit next time you browse that page. Although many people do not know the cookies have been in use for 20 years, when the first browser for the World Wide Web appears.
What is NOT a cookie?
It is not a virus or a Trojan, not a worm, or spam or spyware, or open pop-up windows.
What information stores a cookie?
Cookies do not often store sensitive information about you, such as credit card or bank account information, photographs, your identity card or personal information, etc. The data stored are technical, personal preferences, personalization of content, etc. The web server does not associate you as a person but your web browser. In fact, if you usually browse with Internet Explorer and try to browse the same web with Firefox or Chrome you 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 basic and allow, among other things, to know when is browsing a human or an automated application, when an anonymous user navigates and one registered, basic tasks for the operation of any dynamic web.
- Cookies of analysis: collect information on the type of navigation is performing, most used sections, reference numbers, time period of use, language, etc.
- Advertising Cookies: display advertising based on your navigation, your country of origin, language, etc.
What are own and third-party cookies?
Own cookies are those generated by the page you are visiting and third-party are generated by internal or external providers such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc.
What happens if I turn off the cookies?
To understand the scope may have to disable cookies we show some examples:
- You cannot share content from that page to Facebook, Twitter or any other social network.
- You cannot access the personal area of the web, such as my account, or my profile or orders.
- You cannot customize your geographic preferences as time zone, currency or language.
- The web site will not perform analytical web visitors and traffic on the web, making it difficult for the website to be competitive.
- You cannot write on the blog, you cannot upload photos, post comments, evaluate or rate content. The web may not know whether you are a human or an automated application that publishes spam.
- The web site will not adapt content to your personal preferences, as often happens in the online stores.
- Online Stores: It will be impossible to make purchases online, will have to be telephone or by visiting the physical store if you have one.
- It cannot display sectioned advertising, which will reduce income for the web.
- All social networks use cookies, if you disabled it you cannot use any social network.
Can I delete cookies?
Yes. Not only eliminate also block, general or particular to a specific domain. To remove cookies from a website you should go to your browser settings and there you can find the associated domain in question and proceed to its elimination.
Cookies settings for the most popular browsers
Here is how to access a particular cookie in Chrome browser. Note: These steps may vary depending on the browser version:
- Go to Settings or Preferences using the File menu or by clicking the personalization icon that appears on the top right.
- You will see different sections; click the Show Advanced Options.
- Go to Privacy, Settings content.
- Select All cookies and site data.
- A list appears with all cookies ordered by domain. To make it easier to find a specific cookie domain, partially or completely, enter the address in the search field cookies.
- After this filter on the screen, one or more lines with the requested Web cookies will appear. Now just select it and press X to proceed to its elimination.
To access the cookie settings in Internet Explorer follow these steps (may vary depending on the version of the browser):
- Go to Tools, Internet Options
- Click on Privacy.
- Move the slider to adjust the level of privacy you want.
To access cookie settings Firefox browser follow these steps (may vary depending on the version of the browser):
- Go to Options or Preferences for your operating system.
- Click on Privacy.
- In History choose Use custom settings for history.
- You will now see the Accept Cookies option, can turn on or off as desired.
To access the cookie settings of the Safari browser for OSX follow these steps (may vary depending on the version of the browser):
- Scroll to Settings, then Privacy.
- Here you will see the Block cookies to fit the type of lock to perform.
To access the cookie settings of the Safari browser for iOS follow these steps (may vary depending on the version of the browser):
- Go to Settings, then Safari.
- Go to Privacy and Security, see the Block cookies to fit the type of lock to perform.
To access the browser cookie settings for Android devices follow these steps (may vary depending on the version of the browser):
- Run the browser and press the Menu button, then Settings.
- Go to security and privacy, see the Accept cookies option to check or uncheck the box.
To access the browser cookie settings for Windows Phone devices follow these steps (may vary depending on the version of the browser):
- Open Internet Explorer, then More, then Settings
- You can now enable or disable the Allow cookies.
