Please read the following information carefully:

In order to comply with the requirements set forth 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 give their consent before cookies are sent 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 person’s needs and interests.

Cookies play an important role in facilitating access and delivering the various 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 through the “forward” and “back” buttons.
• Providing site owners with valuable feedback on how their sites are used by users, so they can make them even more efficient and accessible.
• Allowing multimedia or other types of 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,” “HTTP cookie,” or simply a “cookie”) is a small file made up of letters and numbers that will be stored on a user’s computer, mobile device, or other equipment used to access the Internet.

The cookie is installed by 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 information on the user’s hard drive).

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

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

There are 2 main categories of cookies:

• Session cookies: These are stored temporarily in the browser’s cookie folder so that it remembers them until the user leaves the 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 a computer’s hard drive or device (and generally depend on the preset 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 to deliver relevant advertising.

What are the advantages of cookies?

A cookie contains information that links a web browser (user) to a specific web server (website). If a browser accesses that web server again, it can read the already-stored information and react accordingly. Cookies ensure users have a pleasant browsing experience and support many websites’ efforts to provide comfortable services: e.g., online privacy preferences, site 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 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 each time the user returns to that website (persistent 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 sites may be provided through third parties/providers (e.g., news boxes, a video, or an advertisement). These third parties may also place cookies through the site and are called “third party cookies” because they are not placed by the owner of the website. Third-party providers must also comply with the law and the privacy policies of the site owner.

How are cookies used by a site?

A visit to a website may place cookies for:

• Enhancing the website’s performance;
• Visitor analysis;
• Geotargeting;
• User registration.

Performance cookies

This type of cookie retains the user’s preferences on the site, so they do not need to be set again on each visit.

Examples: volume settings for video players, 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 an analysis cookie. This cookie tells if you have visited the 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; it is used only for statistical purposes. If registered, details such as email address and username can also be known—these are subject to privacy regulations according to the applicable data protection laws.

Geotargeting cookies

These cookies are used by software to determine which country you come from. It is completely anonymous and is used only to target content—whether 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 display the account with which you are registered and if you have permission for a specific service. It also allows associating any comments posted on the site with your username. If you did not select “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 a social media button on a site, that social network will record your activity.

What type 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 improves the browsing experience on the Internet (e.g., the language settings in which a site is desired to be accessed; keeping a user logged into 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 functioning of the Internet, helping to generate a friendly browsing experience tailored to each user’s preferences and interests. Refusing or disabling cookies may make some sites unusable.

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 government services, entertainment sites, and travel services.
• Offers tailored to user interests—remembering passwords, language preferences (e.g., displaying search results in Romanian).
• Retaining child protection filters regarding online 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., via search engines, directly, from other websites). Websites conduct these usage analyses to improve their sites for users.

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-execute. Consequently, they cannot duplicate or replicate across other networks to run or replicate again. Since they cannot perform these functions, they cannot be considered viruses.

However, cookies can be used for negative purposes. Since they store information about user preferences and browsing history both on a specific site and across multiple other sites, cookies can be used as a form of spyware. Many anti-spyware products are aware of this fact and constantly mark cookies to be deleted during anti-virus/anti-spyware cleaning procedures.

In general, browsers have integrated privacy settings that provide different 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 cookie usage security.
• If you share access to your computer, consider setting your browser to delete individual browsing data every time you close the browser. This is an option to access sites that place cookies and delete any visiting information upon session closure.
• Install and constantly update anti-spyware applications. Many spyware detection and prevention applications include site attack detection. Thus, they prevent the browser from accessing sites that might exploit browser vulnerabilities or download harmful software.

How can I stop cookies?

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

It is possible to set the browser so that these cookies are no longer accepted or to 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 possibility to change cookie settings. These settings are usually found in the Options/Settings menu or in the Preferences/Favorites menu of the browser.