Cookies

WE USE COOKIES TO IMPROVE YOUR EXPERIENCE.

 

The information below is intended to inform you about the placement, use and management of cookies used by our website. In this way your privacy will be protected.

 

If you would like more information and it is not provided below, please contact us at contact@almaia.eu.

 

Please read the following information carefully.

 

This website uses our own and third-party cookies to provide visitors with a much better browsing experience and services tailored to their needs and interests.

 

In what we call „web 2.0”, „cookies” play an important role in facilitating access to and delivery of the many services users enjoy on the Internet, such as:

 

Personalising certain settings such as: the language in which a site is viewed, the currency in which certain prices or tariffs are expressed, keeping options for various products (measurements, other details, etc.) in the shopping cart (and remembering these options) – thus generating „shopping cart” flexibility

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

They allow multimedia or other applications from other sites to be embedded on a particular site to create a more valuable, useful and enjoyable browsing experience;

 

 

An „Internet cookie” (also known as a „browser cookie” or „HTTP cookie” or simply „cookie” ) is a small file of letters and numbers that will be stored on a user’s computer, mobile device or other equipment from which the Internet is accessed. The cookie is installed by a request issued by a web-server to a browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Chrome) and is completely „passive” (contains no software, viruses or spyware and cannot access 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 lifetime of a cookie is determined; technically, only the webserver that sent the cookie can access it again when a user returns to the website associated with that webserver. Cookies themselves do not require personal information in order to be used and, in most cases, do not personally identify web users.

 

THERE ARE 2 BROAD CATEGORIES OF COOKIES:

 

Session cookies – these are temporarily stored in the web browser’s cookie folder for the browser to remember until the user exits the website or closes the browser window (e.g. when logging in/out of a webmail account or social media).

Persistent cookies – These are stored on the hard drive of a computer or device (and generally depend on the default lifetime of the cookie). Persistent cookies also include those placed by a website other than the one the user is currently visiting – known as ‘third party cookies’ – which can be used anonymously to remember a user’s interests so that the most relevant advertising can be delivered to users.

 

 

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 provide convenient services to users: e.g. online privacy preferences, site language choices, shopping carts or relevant advertising.

 

 

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 no longer retained once the user has left the website and some cookies are retained and reused each time the user returns to that website (‘permanent cookies’). However, cookies can be deleted by a user at any time via browser settings.

 

 

Certain sections of content on some websites may be provided through third parties/suppliers (e.g. a news box, a video or an advertisement). These third parties may also place cookies through the site and they are called „third party cookies” because they are not placed by the owner.

WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION IS STORED AND ACCESSED THROUGH COOKIES?

Cookies store information in a small text file that allows a website to recognise a browser. The web server recognises your browser until the cookie expires or is deleted. The cookie stores important information that enhances your web browsing experience (e.g. language settings for a website; keeping a user logged into a webmail account; online banking security; keeping products in your shopping cart).

WHY ARE COOKIES IMPORTANT FOR THE INTERNET?

Cookies are at the heart of the efficient functioning of the Internet, helping to generate a user-friendly browsing experience tailored to each user’s preferences and interests. Refusing or disabling cookies may make some sites unusable. Refusing or disabling cookies does not mean that you will no longer receive online advertising – it just means that it will no longer be able to take into account your preferences and interests as evidenced by your browsing behaviour.

WHY DO WE USE COOKIES?

Cookies do not contain personally identifiable information about you, but they can be linked to personal information we hold about you. Cookies used on the site include cookies strictly necessary for access and navigation, cookies that track your use of the website, cookies that remember your choices, and cookies that deliver targeted content or advertisements to you.

We use information obtained from cookies for the following purposes:

To recognise your computer when you visit our website.
To track you as you browse the website and to enable the use of any e-commerce facilities.
To enhance your experience on the website.
To analyse the use of the website.
To administer the website.
To personalise the website for you, according to your interests and needs.

SECURITY AND PRIVACY ISSUES

Cookies are NOT viruses! They use plain text formats. 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 themselves again. Since they cannot perform these functions, they cannot be considered viruses.

Cookies can however be used for negative purposes. Because they store information about users’ preferences and browsing history, both on a particular site and on several other sites, cookies can be used as a form of Spyware. Many anti-spyware products are aware of this fact and consistently flag cookies for deletion as part of anti-virus/anti-spyware deletion/scanning procedures. Browsers generally have built-in privacy settings that provide different levels of cookie acceptance, validity period and automatic deletion after the user has visited a particular site.

OTHER SECURITY ISSUES RELATED TO COOKIES

As identity protection is very valuable and is every internet user’s right, it is advisable to be aware of the potential problems that cookies can create. Because cookies constantly transmit information back and forth between the browser and the website, if an attacker or unauthorised person intervenes in the data transmission path, 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 (e.g. an unsecured WiFi network). Other cookie-based attacks involve wrong cookie settings on servers. If a website does not require the browser to use only encrypted channels, attackers can use this vulnerability to trick browsers into sending information through unsecured channels. Attackers then use the information to gain unauthorised access to certain websites.

It is very important to be careful in choosing the most appropriate method of protecting personal information. 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. Disabling cookies does not allow your user access to the most popular and used sites including Youtube, Gmail, Yahoo and others.

BLOCKING COOKIES

We will soon launch a special technical module to allow you to be unmonitored by cookies with just one click. However, you can also block cookies from your browser settings.

Internet Explorer: Tools – Internet Options – Privacy – Block all cookies
Firefox: Tools – Options – Privacy – Unblock Accept cookies from sites
Google Chrome: Options – Under the Hoor – Privacy – Content Settings – Cookies
Safari: Preferences – Privacy – Block cookies

Blocking all cookies will still have a negative impact on the usability of many websites. If you block cookies you may not be able to use certain website features.

DELETING COOKIES

You can delete cookies already stored on your computer.

Internet Explorer: cookies must be deleted manually
Firefox: you can delete cookies in Clear Private Data by ticking Cookie
Google Chrome: Options – Under the Hoor – Privacy – Content Settings – Cookies
Safari: Preferences – Privacy – Remove all website data

Obviously, this will have a negative impact on the usability of many websites.

If you have any questions, please contact us.