Cookie Policy

COOKIE POLICY

www.altgust.ro uses its own and third-party cookies to provide visitors with an enhanced browsing experience and services tailored to the needs and interests of each individual.

Cookies play an important role in facilitating access and delivering multiple services that users enjoy on the internet, such as:

Customizing certain settings, such as the language in which a website is viewed and accessing previous preferences through the “back” and “forward” buttons.

Providing valuable feedback to website owners on how they are being used, in order to make them more effective and accessible to users.

Allowing multimedia or other types of applications from other websites to be included in a particular site to create a more valuable and enjoyable 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 is stored on a user’s computer, mobile terminal, or other equipment from which the Internet is accessed.

The cookie is installed by a web server’s request 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 from the user’s hard drive). A cookie consists of two parts: the name and the content or value of the cookie. The lifespan of a cookie is determined; technically, only the web server that sent the cookie can access it again when the user returns to the website associated with that web server.

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

There are two main categories of cookies:

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

Persistent cookies – these are stored on a computer’s hard drive or equipment and depend on the predetermined lifespan of the cookie. Persistent cookies also include those placed by a website other than the one the user is visiting at the time – known as “third-party cookies” – which can be anonymously used to remember a user’s interests in order to deliver relevant advertising.

What are the advantages of cookies?

A cookie contains information that establishes a connection between a web browser (the user) and 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 offer convenient services to users, such as 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 others 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 websites may be provided by third parties/providers (e.g., news box, video, or advertisement). These third parties may place cookies through the website and are called “third-party cookies” because they are not placed by the owner of that website. Third-party providers must also comply with applicable law and the privacy policies of the website owner.

How are cookies used by a website?

A visit to a website can place cookies for:

Improving website performance;

Analyzing visitors; Geotargeting;

User registration.

Performance cookies

This type of cookie retains the user’s preferences on this site, so there is no need to set them on each visit to the site. Examples include volume settings for a video player, video streaming speed compatible with the browser.

Visitor analysis cookies

Whenever a user visits a site, analytics software provided by a third party generates a user analysis cookie. This cookie indicates whether you have visited this site before. The browser will indicate whether you have this cookie, and if not, it will be generated. This allows tracking of unique users visiting 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, as it is used only for statistical purposes. If registered, details provided, such as email address and username, are also subject to confidentiality, according to current legislation on the protection of personal data.

Geotargeting cookies

These cookies are used by software that determines which country you are from. It is completely anonymous and is used only to target 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 website, a cookie is generated that indicates whether you are registered or not. Servers use these cookies to show the account you are logged into and whether you have permission for a specific service. It also allows associating any comment posted on the site with your username. If you have not selected “keep me registered”, 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 personalize an application. For example, when you share an article using the 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., language settings for accessing a site; 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 at the heart of the efficient functioning of the Internet, helping to generate a user-friendly browsing experience tailored to the preferences and interests of each user. Refusing or disabling cookies can make some sites impractical to use.

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 services and government, entertainment websites, and travel services.

Offers tailored to user interests – password retention, language preferences (e.g., displaying search results in Romanian).

Retention of child protection filters for 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 reaches a website (e.g., through search engines, direct, from other websites). Websites carry out these analyzes to improve the sites for the benefit of users.

Security and privacy issues

Cookies are NOT viruses! They use plain text formats and are not made up of pieces of code, so they cannot be executed and cannot self-execute. Therefore, they cannot be duplicated or replicated on other networks to run or replicate again. Because they cannot perform these functions, they cannot be considered viruses.

However, cookies can be used for negative purposes. Since they store information about users’ preferences and browsing history, both on a specific site and on 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 virus/spyware removal/scanning procedures.

In general, browsers have integrated privacy settings that provide different levels of cookie acceptance, validity period, 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 security in using cookies.

If you share computer access, you may consider setting the browser to delete individual browsing data each time you close the browser. This is an option for accessing sites that place cookies and deleting any visiting information when closing the browsing session.

Constantly install and update antispyware applications. Many spyware detection and prevention applications include website attack detection. 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 can make certain sites impractical or difficult to visit and use. It is possible to set the browser to no longer accept these cookies or to allow 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. To understand these settings, the following links may be helpful:

Cookie settings for Internet Explorer

Cookie settings for Firefox

Cookie settings for Chrome

Cookie settings for Safari