www.clso.ro website uses cookies.

The information presented below is intended to bring more knowledge to the user about the placement, use and administration of “cookies” used by www.clso.ro. Also, there are some useful links related to this topic.

In case you need more information and you cannot find it below, you can contact us using the contact page on the site.

Please read the following information carefully:

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

In what we call “web 2.0”, “cookies” play an important role in facilitating access and delivery of multiple services that the user enjoys on the Internet, such as:

Customizing certain settings such as: the language in which a site is viewed, the currency in which certain prices or tariffs are expressed, keeping the options for different products (measures, other details, etc.) in the shopping cart (and storage of these options) – thus generating the flexibility of the “shopping cart” (accessing old preferences by accessing the “back” and “forth” button).

Cookies provide site owners with valuable feedback on how their websites are used by users, so that they can make them even more efficient and user-friendly.

Allow multimedia or other applications from other sites to be included in a particular site in order to create a more valuable, useful and enjoyable browsing experience;

Improve the efficiency of online advertising.

What is a “cookie”?

An “Internet Cookie” (term also known as “browser cookie” or “HTTP cookie” or simply “cookie”) is a small file, consisting of letters and numbers, which will be stored on your computer, mobile terminal or other equipment of a user accessing 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 doesn’t contain software, viruses or spyware and cannot access the information on the user’s hard drive).

A cookie consists of 2 parts: the name and content or value of the cookie. Moreover, 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 2 major categories of cookies:

Session cookies – are temporarily stored in the cookie file of the web browser so that it stores them until the user exits the respective website or closes the browser window (e.g. when log in/log in to a webmail account or on social networks).

Persistent Cookies – are stored on the hard drive of a computer or equipment (and generally depends on the default lifespan of the cookie). Persistent cookies include also those placed by a website other than the one the user visits at that time – known as “third-party cookies” (cookies placed by third parties) – which can be used anonymously to memorize the interests of a user, so that more relevant advertising be delivered to users.

What are the benefits of cookies?

A cookie contains information that links a web browser (the user) and a particular 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 provide comfortable services to users: e.g. – preferences regarding online confidentiality, 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 may vary significantly, depending on the purpose for which it is placed. Some cookies are used exclusively for a single session (session cookies) and are no longer withheld 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 through the browser settings.

What are the cookies placed by third parties?

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 may also place cookies through the site that 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 this site

A visit on this site may place cookies for the purposes of:

Site performance cookies

Visitor tracking cookies

Cookies for geo targeting

Registration cookies

Advertising cookies

Advertising providers’ cookies

These cookies may come from the following third parties: google.com, doubleclick.com and others.

Performance cookies

This type of cookies retains the preferences of the user on this site, so there is no need to set them every time you visit the site.

Examples:

– the video player volume settings

– the video streaming speed with which the browser is compatible

Visitor tracking cookies

Each time a user visits this site, the analytics software provided by a third-party generates a user tracking cookie. This cookie tells us if you’ve visited this site before. The browser will tell you if you have this cookie, and if not, we will generate one. It allows monitoring the unique users who visit us and how often they do.

As long as you are not registered on this site, this cookie cannot be used to identify individuals, they are only used for statistical purposes. If you are registered we may also know the details you have provided to us, such as the e-mail address – this being subject to confidentiality and the provisions of the Terms and Conditions, the Privacy Policy as well as the provisions of the legislation in force regarding personal data protection.

Cookies for geo targeting

These cookies are used by software that determines which country you come from. It is completely anonymous and is used only for targeting the content – even when you are on our page in Romanian or in another language you receive the same advertisement.

Registration cookies

When you register on this site, we generate a cookie that notifies us whether you are registered or not. Our servers use these cookies to show us the account you are registered with and if you have permission for a particular service. It also allows us to associate any comments you post on our site with your username. If you have not selected “keep me logged in”, this cookie will be automatically deleted when you close your browser or computer.

Advertising cookies

These cookies allow us to find out if you have viewed or not an online advertisement, which type and how long it has been since you saw the advertising message.

We also use these cookies to target online advertising. We may also use third-party cookies for better targeting of advertising, for example to show holiday advertisements, if the user recently visited an article about vacations on the site. These cookies are anonymous, storing information about the visualized content, not about the users.

We also set anonymous cookies through other sites that we advertise. By receiving them, we can recognize you as a visitor to that site if you later visit our site and we will be able to deliver advertising based on this information.

Advertising providers’ cookies

A lot of the advertisements you find on this site belongs to third parties. Some of these parties use their own anonymous cookies to analyze how many people have been exposed to an advertising message, or to see how many people have been exposed multiple times to the same advertisement.

The companies that generate these cookies have their own privacy policies, and this site doesn’t have access to read or write these cookies. Third-party cookies can be used to show you targeted advertising on other sites, based on your browsing this site.

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. Due to the way of use, this site cannot access these cookies, just as third parties cannot access the cookies owned by this website.

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

What kind of information is stored and accessed through cookies?

Cookies keep 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 Internet browsing experience (e.g. the language settings in which you want to access a site; keeping a user logged in to your webmail account; online banking security; keeping products in the shopping cart).

Why are cookies important for the Internet?

Cookies are the main point of the efficient functioning of the Internet, helping to generate a friendly browsing experience and are being tailored to the preferences and interests of each user. Refusing or disabling cookies can make some sites impossible to use.

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

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

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

Offers tailored to the interests of users – password saving, language preferences (e.g. displaying search results in Romanian).

Retaining child protection filters on Internet content (family mode options, safe search functions).

Limiting ads frequency – limiting the number of times an ad is displayed for a particular user on a site.

Providing more relevant ads to the user.

Measurement, optimization and analytics features – such as confirming a certain level of traffic on a website, what kind of content is viewed and how a user reaches a website (e.g. through direct search engines, from other websites etc.). The websites carry out these analyzes of their use to improve the websites for the benefit of its users.

Security and confidentiality issues

Cookies are NOT viruses! They use plain text formats. They are not made up of pieces of code so they cannot be executed nor can they self-run. As a result, you cannot duplicate or replicate them on other networks in order to run or replicate again. Because they cannot perform these functions, they cannot be considered viruses.

However, cookies can be used for negative purposes. Because it stores information about users’ browsing preferences and history, both on a particular site and on several other sites, cookies can be used as a form of Spyware. Many anti-spyware products are aware of this fact and are constantly flagging cookies for deletion in anti-virus/anti-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 particular site.

Other security aspects related to cookies:

Because identity protection is very valuable and represents the right of every Internet user, it is advisable to know what problems cookies may create. Because through them the information between the browser and the website is constantly conveyed in both directions, if an attacker or unauthorized person intervenes during the data transmission, the information contained in the cookie can be intercepted.

This can happen, although hardly ever, if the browser connects to the server using an unencrypted network (e.g. an unsecured Wi-Fi network).

Other cookie-based attacks involve incorrect cookie settings on servers. If a website does not require the browser to use only encrypted channels, attackers can use this vulnerability to trick browsers into sending information through unsecured channels. The attackers then use the information for the purpose of unauthorized access to certain sites. It is very important to be careful when choosing the most appropriate method of protecting personal information.

Tips for safe and responsible browsing, based on cookies

Due to their flexibility and the fact that most of the most visited and largest sites use cookies, these are almost inevitable. Disabling cookies will not allow user access to the most widespread and used sites including Youtube, Gmail, Yahoo and others.

Here are some tips that can ensure you navigate without worry but with the help of Cookies:

Customize your browser settings concerning cookies in order to mirror a comfortable level of the security of the use of cookies.

If you don’t mind cookies and you are the only person using the computer, you can set long data of expiry for storing your browsing history and personal access data.

If someone else is using your computer, you can consider setting the browser to clear individual browsing data each time you close the browser. This is an option to access websites that place cookies and to delete any visiting information at the end of the browsing session.

Install and update your anti-spyware applications constantly.

Many spyware detection and prevention applications include detecting site attacks. Thus, it prevents the browser from accessing websites that could exploit browser vulnerabilities or download dangerous software.

Make sure your browser is always updated.

Many of the cookie-based attacks are performed by exploiting the weaknesses of older versions of browsers.

Cookies are everywhere and cannot be avoided if you want to enjoy access to the best and largest sites on the Internet – local or international. With a clear understanding of their mode of operation and the benefits they bring, you can take the necessary security measures so that you can safely browse the Internet.

How can I stop cookies?

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

It is possible to set in the browser that these cookies will no longer be accepted or you can set the browser to accept cookies from a particular site. But for example, if you are not registered using cookies, you will not be able to leave comments.

All modern browsers offer the ability to change cookie settings. These settings are usually found in the “options” or in the “preferences” menu of your browser.

To understand these settings, the following links may be useful or you can use the browser “help” option for more details.

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

For the settings of cookies generated by third parties, you can also consult the website:

http://www.youronlinechoices.com/ro/

Useful Links

If you want to know more about cookies and what they are used for, we recommend the following links:

https://www.allaboutcookies.org/

IAB Romania offers the following website to provide more information on confidentiality related to online advertising:

http://www.youronlinechoices.com/ro

For more details on privacy issues, you can access the following links:

http://www.dreptonline.ro/legislatie/oug_13_2012_modificare_prelucrare_date_caracter_personal_protectia_vietii_private_comunicatii_electronice.php

www.youronlinechoices.eu/ro

http://www.guardian.co.uk/info/cookies