Cookies: what they are and how they work

In the following we present information to inform the user about the placement, use and management of cookies used by the website www.vwatch.ro.

Please read the following information carefully:

This website uses both its own cookies and cookies added by third parties to provide visitors with a much better browsing experience and services tailored to their needs and interests.

The "modern web" or "web 2.0″ uses cookies which play an important role in facilitating access to and delivery of the many services the user enjoys on the Internet, such as:

• Customize certain settings such as the language in which the site is viewed, the date and time, keeping options/settings (including saving them) and keeping older preferences by accessing different buttons/functions.
• Cookies provide site owners with valuable feedback on how they are their sites are used by users, so they can make them more more effective or more accessible to users.
• Allow multimedia or other applications from other sites to be included (inserted/embedded) into certain pages to create a more valuable browsing experience, more useful and enjoyable.

What is a cookie?

An "Internet Cookie" (also known as a "browser cookie" or "HTTP cookie" or simply cookie") is a small file containing letters and numbers that will be stored on a user's computer, mobile device or other equipment on the who has accessed a website.

The cookie is sent by a request issued by the web-server on which it is hosted site to the user's browser (e.g. Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, etc.) and is completely "passive", i.e. it does not contain any software, viruses or spyware and does not can 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 and is uniquely associated with the domain on which the site that sent it to the browser is hosted. user's browser (ex: www.vwatch.ro). Moreover, the duration of existence of a cookie is determined and only the web server that sent the cookie can determine its can access it again, and only when the user returns to the site associated web server.

Cookies will not require personal information to be used nor will they personally identify Internet users.

There are two main categories of cookies:

Session cookies – they are temporarily stored in the browser's cookie folder until the user leaves the site or closes the browser window.

Persistent cookies – they are stored in the computer or equipment used on the hard drive for a longer period of time and remain stored even after leaving site or after closing the web browser (and generally depend on the lifetime of the cookie).

Persistent cookies also include those placed by a website other than the one you are using. the user is currently visiting - known as "third party cookies". (cookies - which can be used anonymously to remember a user's interests so that the most relevant advertising can be delivered to that user. user.

Advantages of cookies

A cookie contains information that links a browser (the user) to a specific web-server (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 efforts of many websites to provide convenient services to users. Example - preferences in online privacy preferences, site language or advertising options relevant advertising, etc.

The 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 session cookies) and are not retained after the session has ended. the user leaves the site, while other cookies are retained and reused by each time the user returns to that site ("permanent cookies").

However, cookies can be deleted by the user at any time via browser settings.

Cookies placed by third parties

Certain sections of content on some sites may be provided through third parties/providers (e.g. a news box, a video or an advertisement). These third parties may place also place cookies through the site and they are called "third party cookies", because they are not placed by the website. Third party providers must comply with applicable law and the privacy policies of the site owner.

Use of cookies by this site

Visiting this site may place cookies for the following purposes:

• Site performance cookies
• Visitor analytics cookies
• Third party cookies

Performance cookies

This type of cookie will remember the user's preferences on this site so that no more need to set them each time you visit the site.

Visitor analytics cookies

Every time a user visits this site, the analytics software provided by a third party generates a user analytics cookie. This cookie will tell us whether you have visited this site before. The browser checks for this cookie and if not, one is generated. This allows tracking of unique users who visit site and how often they do so.

This cookie cannot be used to identify individuals, they are used for statistical purposes only.

Third party cookies

On some pages, third parties may set their own anonymous cookies in order to track the success of an advertisement/application or to customize an application. Due to the way use, this site cannot access these cookies, just as third parties cannot access these cookies. access cookies held by this site.

The importance of cookies 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 your preferences and interests of each user. Refusing or disabling cookies may make some sites unusable.

Refusing or disabling cookies does not mean you will no longer receive advertising online advertising, only that it will no longer be able to take into account your preferences and interests. highlighted by previous browsing behaviour.

Examples of important uses of cookies (which do not require authentication of a to a specific account):

• Content and services tailored to user preferences - news categories, weather, sports, maps, public and government services, entertainment sites and services travel services.
• Offers tailored to users' interests - password retention, preferences on language preferences (e.g. displaying search results in Romanian).
• Retain child protection filters on Internet content (options family mode, safe search functions).
• Limiting the frequency of broadcasting advertisements - limiting the number of times an advertisement is ads for a given user on a site.
• Providing relevant advertising to the user.
• Measurement, optimization and analytics features - such as confirmation of a traffic to a site, what type of content is viewed more and how it is viewed. how a user gets to the site (e.g. via search engines, directly, from other sites etc). Sites perform these analyses of their usage to improve sites for the benefit of the user.

Security and privacy issues

Cookies should NOT be confused with viruses! They use a plain text format. They are not made up of pieces of code, so they cannot be executed and nor can they auto-run. Consequently, they cannot be duplicated or replicated on other networks to run or replicate again. As they cannot perform these functions, they cannot be considered as viruses.

Cookies can still be used for negative purposes. Because they store information about users' preferences and browsing history, both on a particular site and across multiple sites, cookies can be used as a form of spyware. Many products anti-spyware products are aware of this fact and constantly flag cookies for to be deleted as part of anti-virus/anti-spyware deletion/scanning procedures.

Browsers generally have built-in privacy settings that provide different cookie acceptance levels, validity period and automatic deletion after the user has visited a particular site.

Other security issues related to cookies

Given that the protection of identity is very important and represents the right of every Internet user, it is advisable to be aware of possible problems that may arise in relation to cookies. As cookies transmit information between the browser and the website, if an attacker or person unauthorised person interferes with the data transmission path, the information contained in the cookie may be intercepted. Although very rare, this can happen if the browser is connects to the server using an unencrypted network (e.g. an unsecured Wi-Fi network).

Other cookie-based attacks involve wrong cookie settings on servers.

If a site does not require the browser to use only encrypted channels, attackers can use this vulnerability to trick browsers into sending information via through unsecured channels. Attackers then use the information in order to unauthorised access to certain websites. It is very important to be careful in choosing the most appropriate method of protecting your personal information.

Tips for safe and responsible browsing based on cookies.

Thanks to their flexibility and the fact that most of the most visited and most sites use cookies, they are almost unavoidable. Disabling cookies will not allow the user access to the most popular and used sites including YouTube, Gmail, Yahoo, Google and many others.

A few tips to make sure you can browse worry-free with cookies:

• Customize your browser's cookie settings to set a comfortable level of security.
• If you don't mind cookies and you are the only person using your computer, you can set long timeouts for storing your computer history. browsing history and personal access data.
• If you share access to your computer, you may consider setting your browser to delete individual browsing data each time you close the browser, is the option of accessing sites that place cookies and deleting any visit data when you close your browsing session.
• Install and constantly update your anti-spyware applications.

Many spyware detection and prevention applications include detection of attacks from websites. This prevents the browser from accessing sites that might exploit browser vulnerabilities or download dangerous software.

Make sure your browser is always up to date.

Many cookie-based attacks are carried out by exploiting weaknesses in older versions of browsers.

Cookies are everywhere and cannot be avoided if you want to enjoy access to the best and biggest sites on the Internet, local or international. With a clear understanding of how they work and the benefits they bring, you can take necessary security measures so that you can surf the Internet with confidence.

Disabling cookies

Disabling and refusing to receive cookies may make certain sites unusable or difficult to visit and use. Also, refusing to accept cookies does not mean that you will no longer receive or see online advertising.

You can make settings in your browser so that these cookies are no longer accepted or you can set your browser to accept cookies only from a specific site. But, for example, if you are not registered using cookies, you won't be able to leave comments.

All modern browsers offer the possibility to change cookie settings. These settings are usually found in the "Options" or "Preferences" menu of your browser. or you can use your browser's "Help" option for more details.

To understand these settings, the following links may be useful, otherwise you can use your browser's "help" option for more details.

• Cookie settings in Internet Explorer
• Cookie settings in Firefox
• Cookie settings in Chrome
• Cookie settings in Safari

Useful links

IAB provides you with the following website to find out more information about online advertising privacy: https://www.youronlinechoices.com/

If you want to know more about cookies and their use, you can visit the European Union's official website on cookies at https://ec.europa.eu/cookies/index_en.htm