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About cookies, what they are and how they work:
The information presented below is intended to inform the user about the placement, use and administration of the “cookies” used by the mpire.ro website.
Please read the following information carefully:
This website uses its own cookies as well as cookies added by third parties, in order to provide visitors with a much better browsing experience and services adapted to the needs and interests of each.
In what we call “modern web” or “web 2.0”, cookies play an important role in facilitating the access and delivery of the multiple services that the user enjoys on the Internet, such as:
• Customizing certain settings such as: language in which the site is viewed, date and time, keeping options/settings (including memorizing them) and keeping older preferences by accessing different buttons/functions.
• Cookies provide site owners with valuable feedback on how their sites are used by users, so that they can make them even more efficient or more accessible to users.
• Allow multimedia or other applications from other sites to be included (inserted/embed) in certain pages to create a more valuable, useful and pleasant browsing experience.
What is a “cookie”?
An “Internet Cookie” (term also known as “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 from which the Internet is accessed.
The cookie is sent through a request issued by the web server on which the site is hosted, to the user’s browser (Ex: Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, etc.) and is completely “passive”, in the sense that it does not contain software, viruses or spyware, nor can it access information on the user’s hard drive.
A cookie consists of 2 parts: the name and the content or value of the cookie that is uniquely associated with the domain on which the site that sent it to the user’s browser is hosted (eg: mpire.ro). Moreover, the duration of existence of a cookie is determined and only the webserver that sent the cookie can access it again, and only when the user returns to the site associated with that webserver.
Cookies do not require personal information to be used, nor can they personally identify Internet users.
There are two main categories of cookies:
• Session cookies – these are temporarily stored in the cookie folder of the web browser until the user leaves the respective site or closes the browser window.
• Persistent cookies – these are stored in the computer or the equipment used on the hard drive for a longer period and remain stored even after leaving the site or after closing the web browser (and generally depend on the preset lifetime for the cookie).
Persistent cookies also include those placed by a website other than the one the user is visiting at the time – known as “third party cookies” – which can be used anonymously to remember a user’s interests so that advertising is delivered as relevant to the user as possible.
Cookies advantages
A cookie contains information that connects a browser (the user) and 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 websites to offer comfortable services to users. Examples – online privacy preferences, website language options or relevant advertising, etc.
Lifetime of a cookie
Cookies are managed by web servers. The lifetime 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 after the user leaves the site, and some cookies are retained and reused every time the user returns to that site (” permanent cookies”).
However, cookies can be deleted by the user at any time through the browser settings.
Cookies placed by third parties
Certain sections of content on some websites may be provided through third parties/providers (Ex: news box, a YouTube video or an advertisement). These third parties can also place cookies through the website and they are called “third party cookies”, because they are not placed by the respective website. Third party providers must also comply with applicable law and the privacy policies of the website owner.
Use of cookies by mpire.ro
Visiting this website may place cookies for the purposes of:
Session cookies
They are temporarily stored in the cookie file of the web browser until the user leaves the respective site or closes the browser window. These cookies fall into the category of technical cookies and do not store personal details of users.
Performance cookies
This type of cookie remembers the user’s preferences on this website, so that it is no longer necessary to set them each time the website is visited. Ex: volume settings for video player.
Visitor analysis cookies
Each time a user visits this site, the analytics software provided by a third party generates a cookie to count the user. This cookie tells us if you have visited this website before. The browser communicates if this cookie exists, and if not, one is generated. This allows monitoring of unique users who visit the website and how often they do so.
This cookie cannot be used to identify individuals, they are used only for statistical purposes.
Cookies for registration or authentication
When you register or log in on this website, a cookie is generated that tells us whether you are registered or not. Our server uses these cookies to identify the account with which you are registered and if you have the necessary permissions for a certain service or for access to certain sections of the website. It also allows the comments you post on the site to be associated with your account username. If you have not selected the “keep me logged in” option, this cookie will be automatically deleted when you close your browser or computer.
Third party cookies
On some pages, third parties can set their own anonymous cookies, in order to track the success of an advertisement/application or to customize an application. Due to the way of use, this site cannot access these cookies, just as third parties cannot access the cookies owned by this site. Ex: when you share an article using the social network buttons on this site, the social network will record your action.
Online advertising belonging to third parties. Some of these use their own anonymous cookies to analyze how many people have viewed an advertising message, or to see how many people have viewed the same advertisement several times. The companies that generate these cookies have their own privacy policies, and this website does not have access to these cookies. Third-party cookies are used to show you targeted advertising on other sites as well, based on your browsing on this site.
The type of information 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 improves the Internet browsing experience. Ex: the settings regarding the language in which you want to access a site, keeping an authenticated user in the member account or email account, online security, keeping and memorizing some settings, etc.
The importance of cookies for the Internet
Cookies are the central point of the efficient functioning of the Internet, helping to generate a friendly browsing experience, adapted to the preferences and interests of each user. Rejecting or disabling cookies may make some websites impossible to use.
Rejecting or deactivating cookies does not mean that you will no longer receive online advertising, but only that it will no longer be able to take into account your preferences and interests highlighted by your browsing behavior.
Examples of important uses of cookies (which do not require the authentication of a user through an account):
• Content and services adapted to user preferences – categories of news, weather, sports, maps, public and government services, entertainment sites and travel services.
• Offers tailored to user interests – password retention, language preferences (Ex: display of search results in Romanian).
• Retention of child protection filters regarding Internet content (family mode options, safe search functions).
• Limiting the frequency of broadcasting of advertisements – limiting the number of times an advertisement is displayed for a certain user on a site.
• Providing relevant advertising to the user.
• Measurement, optimization and analytics features – such as confirmation of a certain level of traffic on a site, what type of content is viewed more and how a user arrives at the site (eg: through search engines, directly, from other websites etc.). The websites carry out these analyzes of their use in order to improve them for the benefit of the user.
Security and privacy issues
Cookies are NOT viruses! They use a plain text format. They are not made up of pieces of code, so they cannot be executed or auto-run. Consequently, they cannot be duplicated or replicated on other networks to run or replicate again. Since they cannot perform these functions, they cannot be considered viruses.
Cookies can still be used for negative purposes. Because they store information about users’ preferences and browsing history, both on a specific website and across multiple websites, cookies can be used as a form of spyware. Many anti-spyware products are aware of this fact and constantly mark cookies for deletion during anti-virus/anti-spyware deletion/scanning procedures.
In general, browsers have integrated privacy settings that provide different levels of cookie acceptance, validity period and automatic deletion after the user has visited a certain site.
Other security aspects related to cookies
Considering that identity protection is very important and represents the right of every internet user, it is advisable to know what are the possible problems that may arise in connection with cookies. Since through them information is constantly transmitted in both directions between the browser and the website, if an attacker or unauthorized person intervenes during data transmission, the information contained in the cookie can be intercepted. Although very rare, this can happen if the browser connects to the server using an unencrypted network (Ex: an unsecured Wi-Fi network). Other cookie-based attacks involve missetting cookies on servers.
If a website does not require the browser to use encrypted channels, attackers can use this vulnerability to trick browsers into sending information over unsecured channels. The attackers then use the information to gain unauthorized access to certain websites. It is very important to be careful in choosing the most suitable method of personal information protection.
Tips for safe and responsible browsing, based on cookies
Due to their flexibility and the fact that most of the most visited and largest sites use cookies, they are almost unavoidable. Deactivating cookies will not allow the user access to the most widespread and used websites, including: YouTube, Gmail, Yahoo, Google and many others.
Some tips that can ensure you browse without worries with the help of cookies:
• Customize your browser settings regarding cookies to establish a comfortable level of security.
• If you don’t mind cookies and you are the only person using the computer, you can set long expiration periods for storing browsing history and personal access data.
• If you share access to the computer, you can consider setting your browser to delete individual browsing data each time you close the browser, is the option to access sites that place cookies and delete any visit information when closing browsing session.
• Always install and update your antispyware applications. Many of the applications for detecting and preventing spyware include detection of attacks from websites. Thus, it prevents the browser from accessing sites that could exploit browser vulnerabilities or download dangerous software.
• Make sure your browser is always up-to-date. Most of the attacks based on cookies are carried out by exploiting the weak points of some old versions of browsers.
Cookies are everywhere and cannot be avoided if you want to enjoy access to the best and biggest websites on the Internet, local or international. With a clear understanding of how they work and the benefits they bring, you can take the necessary security measures so that you can surf the Internet with confidence.
Deactivation of cookies
Disabling and refusing to receive cookies may make certain websites impractical or difficult to visit and use. Likewise, refusing to accept cookies does not mean that you will no longer receive or see online advertising.
It is possible to set the browser so that these cookies are no longer accepted or you can set the browser to accept cookies only from a specific website. But, for example, if you are not registered using cookies, you will not be able to leave comments.
All modern browsers offer the possibility to change cookie settings. These settings are usually found in your browser’s “Options” or “Preferences” menu, or you can use your browser’s “Help” option for more details.
