Cookie policy
We send you this Information Notice at the beginning of our interaction through our Websites.
1. What is a cookie and what is it used for?
Our websites use cookie technology to provide you with a better and more personalized web service. The data stored by the cookies used on our websites never shows personal details that can be used to establish an individual identity.
A cookie is a small text file that is stored and/or read by your web browser on the hard drive of your end device ( e.g. computer, laptop or smartphone) depending on the websites you visit. Cookies also make your interaction with websites safer and faster, as they can remember your preferences ( e.g. authentication, language), sending the information they contain back to the originating website ( first-party cookie ) or to another website to which they belong ( third-party cookie ), when you visit that website again using the same end device.
2. How you can control cookies
You can withdraw your consent to cookies at any time. To do this, you can block or remove cookies either through your web browser settings or by using third-party software, or by following the specific instructions for the cookie categories in the following sections. In any case, you may experience problems using certain parts of the website if you disable cookies.
If you wish to remove cookies stored on your devices and configure your web browser to refuse cookies, you can use the preferences settings in your web browser. You can usually find your cookie-related browsing settings in the “Options”, “Tools” or “Preferences” menus of the web browser you use to access our Websites. Depending on the web browsers in use, different means can be used to disable cookies. For more information, please visit your browsers’ website:
- Cookie settings in Internet Explorer – Internet Explorer ;
- Cookie settings in Firefox – Firefox ;
- Cookie settings in Chrome – Chrome ;
- Cookie settings in Safari – Safari ;
- Cookie settings in Edge – Edge ;
- Cookie settings in Opera – Opera .
To learn more about cookies, please visit www.allaboutcookies.org or see www.youronlinechoices.eu , which contains additional information on behavioral advertising and online privacy.
3. Cookies used
Based on the function and purpose for which cookies are used, they are usually classified into the following categories:
- Strictly necessary cookies allow you to navigate the Website and use its basic functions. They are usually installed only in response to actions taken by you that amount to a request for services. These cookies are indispensable for the use of the Websites.
- Functionality cookies are used to recognize you when you return to our Website and allow us to provide you with enhanced and more personalized features, such as remembering your preferences. These cookies collect anonymous information and cannot track your browsing across other websites. The expiration period of these cookies is a maximum of 2 years.
- Analytical and performance cookies allow us to recognize and count users and collect information about how the Website is used (for example, the pages a user opens most often and whether the user receives error messages from certain pages). This helps us to improve the way our Website works, for example, by ensuring that you can easily find what you are looking for. The expiration period of these cookies is a maximum of 2 years. For third-party cookies, the expiration period may vary and in some cases may exceed 2 years. For more details on this category of cookies, please see Section 4 below.
- Marketing and targeting cookies record your visit to our Website, the pages you have visited and the links you have clicked on. We will use this information to provide you with more relevant advertisements to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the frequency with which you may see an advertisement and to help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. We may also share this information with third parties (such as advertisers) for this purpose. The expiry period of these cookies is a maximum of 2 years. For third-party cookies, the expiry period may vary and in some cases may exceed 2 years. For more details on this category of cookies, please see Section 5 below.
- Social media cookies allow you to share your activity on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter on the website. These cookies are not controlled by us. For more details on this category of cookies, please see Section 6 below.
- Other types of cookies that may be used later. We will inform you through our updated policies if any other types of cookies are used.
Please note that we use third-party services to obtain information about your use of our Websites in order to optimize your user experience and to serve you advertising outside of our Websites. These third parties (including, for example, advertisers and external service providers such as web traffic analysis services) may also use cookies, over which we have no control.
4. Cookies used for statistical purposes and for monitoring web traffic
Google Analytics
Our websites use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google. Google Analytics uses cookies to help a website analyze how you use the website. The information generated by the cookies about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers located in the EU, the EEA and/or the United States. Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the website, compile reports on website activity for website operators and provide other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties if required to do so by law or if such third parties process the information on Google's behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with other data held by Google.
You can opt out of Google Analytics without affecting how you can visit our website.
Detailed information regarding Google Analytics and personal data protection (including how you can control the information sent to Google) can be found at: https://policies.google.com/privacy/partners .
To prevent tracking by this type of cookie, you can install an add-in on your web browser ( http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout ).
5. Cookies used for direct marketing purposes
Google Analytics
To receive advertising and marketing content personalized according to your preferences, our Website uses DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP) and Google Ad Exchange technology, provided by Google. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the Website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers that may be located in the EU, EEA and/or the United States. Google may also transfer this information to third parties if required to do so by law or if such third parties process the information on Google's behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with other data held by Google.
Detailed information regarding Google Analytics and personal data protection (including how you can control the information sent to Google) can be found at: https://policies.google.com/privacy/partners .
6. Social media cookies
On some of our Websites, third parties that provide applications through these Websites may place their own cookies in order to monitor the performance of their applications or to personalize these applications for you. For example, when you share an article using a social media sharing button (e.g., Facebook or Twitter) available on a Website, the social media platform associated with that button will record this. Some Websites may also contain embedded content, such as video content from third parties such as YouTube, and in such cases, these third parties may also place their own cookies.
Such cookies cannot be accessed by us.
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Last updated: May 19, 2018.
We may update this Policy from time to time and will notify you of any changes by posting the new version on our Websites. If you have provided us with your contact information and authorized us to contact you, we will notify you if we materially change this Policy. Please review this Policy periodically for any changes.