Please read the following information carefully:

In order to comply with the requirements established 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 visitors to the website are asked for consent before cookies are sent to their computers.

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

Cookies play an important role in facilitating access to and delivering multiple services that the user enjoys on the Internet, such as:

Personalizing certain settings such as: the language in which a site is viewed, accessing old preferences by clicking the “forward” and “back” buttons.
Cookies provide site owners with valuable feedback on how their sites are used by users so that they can make them even more efficient and accessible for users.
They allow multimedia or other applications from other sites to be included in a particular site to create a more valuable, useful, and pleasant 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, that will be stored on the computer, mobile terminal, or other equipment of a user from which the Internet is accessed.

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

A cookie is made up 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 require personal information in order to be used and, in most cases, do not personally identify Internet users.

There are two major categories of cookies:

Session cookies – these are temporarily stored in the cookie folder of the web browser so that it remembers them until the user leaves the respective website or closes the browser window (e.g., when logging in/out of a webmail account or social networks).
Persistent cookies – these are stored on the hard drive of a computer or device (and generally depend on the pre-set lifetime of the cookie). Persistent cookies include those placed by a different website 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 advertising is delivered as relevant as possible for users.

What are the advantages of cookies?

A cookie contains information that links a web browser (the user) and a specific web server (the website). If a browser accesses that web server again, it can read the already stored information and respond accordingly. Cookies ensure users a pleasant browsing experience and support the efforts of many websites to offer comfortable services to users: e.g., online privacy preferences, language options, 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 was placed. Some cookies are used exclusively for a single session (session cookies) and are not retained once the user has left the website, and some cookies are retained and reused each time the user returns to that website (persistent cookies). However, cookies can be deleted by a user at any time via browser settings.

What are third-party cookies?

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

How cookies are used by a site.

A visit to a website can place cookies for:

• improving the website’s performance;

• an analysis of visitors;

• geotargeting;

• user registration.

Performance cookies

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

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

Visitor analysis cookies

Each time a user visits a site, analytics software provided by a third party generates a user analysis cookie. This cookie tells whether you have visited this site before. The browser will indicate if you have this cookie, and if not, one will be generated. This allows monitoring of unique users who visit 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 used only for statistical purposes. If registered, the details provided, such as email address and username, may also be known – these being subject to confidentiality according to the legal provisions 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 used only to target the content – even when the visitor is on the 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 announces whether you are registered or not. Servers use these cookies to show the account you are registered with and whether you have permission for a particular service. It also allows any comment posted on the site to be associated with your username. If you have not selected “keep me registered,” this cookie will be deleted automatically when you close your browser or computer.

Other third-party cookies

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

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

What kind of information is stored and accessed via 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 Internet browsing experience (e.g.: the language settings in which a site is accessed; 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 the central point of efficient Internet functioning, helping to generate a friendly browsing experience tailored to each user’s preferences and interests. Refusing or disabling cookies can make some websites unusable.

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

• Content and services tailored to the user’s preferences – news categories, weather, sports, maps, public and government services, entertainment and travel services.

• Offers tailored to user interests – remembering passwords, language preferences (e.g., displaying search results in Romanian).

• Retaining 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, what type of content is viewed, and how a user arrives at a website (e.g., through search engines, directly, from other websites). Websites run 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 made of code fragments, so they cannot be executed nor can they auto-execute. Therefore, they cannot duplicate or replicate on other networks to run or replicate 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 specific site and across several other sites, cookies can be used as a form of spyware. Many anti-spyware products are aware of this and constantly mark cookies for deletion during antivirus/antispyware scanning procedures.

In general, browsers have built-in privacy settings that provide different levels of cookie acceptance, expiration period, and automatic deletion after a user has visited a particular site.

Tips for safe and responsible cookie-based browsing:

• Customize your browser settings regarding cookies to reflect a comfortable level of cookie security for you.

• If you share computer access, you may consider setting the browser to delete individual browsing data every time you close the browser. This is a way to access sites that place cookies and delete any visitation information at the end of the browsing session.

• Install and constantly update antispyware applications.

• Many spyware detection and prevention applications include detection of site attacks. Thus, they prevent the browser from accessing websites that could exploit browser vulnerabilities or download dangerous software.

How can I stop cookies?

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

It is possible to set your browser to no longer accept cookies or to accept cookies from a particular site. But, for example, if a visitor is not registered using cookies, they will not be able to leave comments.

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