• Please carefully read the following information:

To comply with the requirements set out in the EU Directive of May 26, 2012, and the provisions of Law no. 506 of November 17, 2004, regarding the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector, all website visitors are required to consent before cookies are transmitted to their computers.

This website uses its own cookies and third-party cookies to provide visitors with a much better browsing experience and services tailored to each individual’s needs and interests.

Cookies play an important role in facilitating access to and delivering multiple services that users enjoy on the internet, such as:

Personalizing certain settings such as the language in which a site is viewed, accessing old preferences by using the ‘back’ and ‘forward’ buttons.

Cookies provide website owners with valuable feedback on how their sites are used by users, so they can make them even more efficient and accessible. 

They allow multimedia or other types of applications from other sites to be included in a specific site to create a more valuable, useful, and enjoyable browsing experience.

What is a “cookie”?

An “Internet Cookie” (also known as a “browser cookie” or “HTTP cookie” or simply “cookie”) is a small file, consisting of letters and numbers, which will be stored on the computer, mobile terminal, or other equipment of a user accessing the Internet.

The cookie is installed through a request issued by a web server to a browser (e.g., Internet Explorer, Chrome) and is completely “passive” (it does not contain software programs, viruses, or spyware and cannot access the information on the user’s hard drive).

A cookie consists of 2 parts: the name and the content or value of the cookie. Furthermore, the lifespan of a cookie is determined; technically, only the web server that sent the cookie can access it again when a user returns to the website associated with that web server.

Cookies themselves do not request personal information to be used and, in most cases, do not personally identify internet users.

There are 2 major categories of cookies:

1. Session cookies – these are temporarily stored in the web browser’s cookie folder so that it remembers them until the user exits that website or closes the browser window (e.g., when logging in/logging out of a webmail account or social networking sites). Persistent cookies – these are stored on the hard drive of a computer or equipment (and generally depend on the predetermined lifespan of the cookie).

2. Persistent cookies also include those placed by a website other than the one the user is visiting at that time – known as ‘third-party cookies’ – which can be used anonymously to remember a user’s interests, thus delivering more relevant advertising to users.

What are the advantages of cookies?

A cookie contains information that links a web browser (the user) to a specific web server (the website). If a browser accesses that web server again, it can read the information already stored and react accordingly. Cookies provide users with a pleasant browsing experience and support the efforts of many websites to offer comfortable services to users: e.g., privacy preferences online, language options for the website, shopping carts, or relevant advertising.

What is the lifespan of a cookie?

Cookies are managed by web servers. The lifespan of a cookie can vary significantly, depending on the purpose for which it is placed. Some cookies are used exclusively for a single session (session cookies) and are not retained once the user leaves the website, while some cookies are retained and reused every time the user returns to that website (permanent cookies). However, cookies can be deleted by a user at any time through browser settings.

What are third-party cookies?

Certain sections of content on some websites may be provided through third parties/providers (e.g., news boxes, videos, or advertisements). These third parties can also place cookies through the website, and they are called “third-party cookies” because they are not placed by the owner of that website. Third-party providers must also comply with applicable law and the privacy policies of the website owner.

How are cookies used by a website?

A visit to a website can place cookies for:

Improving website performance; Visitor analysis; Geotargeting; User registration.

Performance cookies

This type of cookie retains the user’s preferences on this site, so there is no need to set them each time the site is visited.

Examples: volume settings for video player, video streaming speed compatible with the browser.

Cookies for visitor analysis

Every time a user visits a site, third-party analytics software generates a user analysis cookie. This cookie indicates whether you have visited this site before. The browser will indicate if you have this cookie, and if not, it will be generated. This allows monitoring of unique users visiting the site and how often they do so.

As long as the visitor is not registered on the site, this cookie cannot be used to identify individuals; they are only used for statistical purposes. If registered, the provided details, such as email address and username, are also subject to confidentiality, in accordance with current legislation regarding the protection of personal data.

Geotargeting cookies

These cookies are used by software that determines which country you come from. It is completely anonymous and is only used to target content – even when the visitor is on a page in Romanian or another language, the same advertisement will be received.

Registration cookies

When you register on a site, a cookie is generated that indicates whether you are registered or not. Servers use these cookies to show the account you are registered with and if you have permission for a specific service. Also, any comment posted on the site can be associated with your username. If you have not selected “keep me logged in”, this cookie will be automatically deleted when you close the browser or computer.

Other third-party cookies

On some pages, third parties may set their own anonymous cookies to track the success of an application or to customize an application.

For example, when you share an article using the social media button on a site, that social network will record your activity.

What kind of information is stored and accessed through cookies?

Cookies store information in a small text file that allows a website to recognize a browser. The web server will recognize the browser until the cookie expires or is deleted.

The cookie stores important information that enhances the browsing experience on the Internet (e.g., language settings for accessing a site, keeping a user logged in to a webmail account, online banking security, keeping products in the shopping cart).

Why are cookies important for the Internet?

Cookies are central to the efficient operation of the Internet, helping to generate a user-friendly browsing experience tailored to each user’s preferences and interests. Refusing or disabling cookies can make some sites impossible to use.

Examples of important uses of cookies (which do not require user authentication through an account):

Content and services tailored to user preferences – news categories, weather, sports, maps, public and governmental services, entertainment sites, and travel services. Offers tailored to user interests – password retention, language preferences (e.g., displaying search results in Romanian). Retention of child protection filters regarding Internet content (family mode options, safe search functions). Measurement, optimization, and analytics features – such as confirming a certain level of traffic on a website, which type of content is viewed, and how a user reaches a website (e.g., through search engines, directly, from other websites). Websites conduct these usage analyses to improve the sites for the benefit of users.

Security and privacy issues

Cookies are NOT viruses! They use plain text formats. They are not composed of pieces of code, so they cannot be executed.

However, cookies can still be used for negative purposes. Because they store information about users’ preferences and browsing history, both on a specific site and on several other sites, cookies can be used as a form of Spyware. Many anti-spyware products are aware of this and constantly mark cookies to be deleted in anti-virus/anti-spyware scan/removal procedures.

Generally, browsers have integrated privacy settings that provide various levels of cookie acceptance, validity periods, and automatic deletion after the user has visited a specific site.

Tips for safe and responsible browsing based on cookies:

Customize your browser settings regarding cookies to reflect a comfortable level of security for you in using cookies. If you share access to your computer, consider setting your browser to delete individual browsing data each time you close the browser. This is a way to access sites that place cookies and delete any visitation information when closing the browsing session. Constantly install and update antispyware applications. Many antispyware detection and prevention applications include detection of attacks on websites. Thus, they prevent the browser from accessing websites that could exploit browser vulnerabilities or download harmful software.

How can I stop cookies?

Disabling and refusing to receive cookies can make certain sites impractical or difficult to visit and use.

It is possible to set up your browser so that these cookies are no longer accepted, or you can set the browser to accept cookies from a specific site. However, for example, if a visitor is not registered using cookies, they will not be able to leave comments.

All modern browsers offer the ability to change cookie settings. These settings are usually found in the Options/Settings menu or in the Preferences/Favorites menu of the browser.