Please read the following information carefully:

In order to comply with the requirements set out in the EU Directive of 26 May 2012 and the provisions of Law No 506 of 17 November 2004 on the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector, all visitors to the website are asked for their 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 their needs and interests.

Cookies play an important role in facilitating access to and delivery of the many services the user enjoys on the internet, such as:

• Customise certain settings such as: the language in which a site is viewed, accessing old preferences by clicking the ”forward” and ”back” button.
• Cookies provide site owners with valuable feedback on how their sites are being used by users, so they can make them even more effective and accessible to users.
• Allow multimedia or other applications from other sites to be embedded on a particular site to create a more valuable, useful 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 of letters and numbers that will be stored on a user’s computer, mobile device 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“(contains no software, 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. Furthermore, the lifetime of a cookie is determined; technically, only the webserver that sent the cookie can access it again when a user returns to the website associated with that webserver.

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 broad categories of cookies:

1. Session cookies –these are temporarily stored in the web browser’s cookie folder for the browser to remember until the user exits the website or closes the browser window (e.g. when logging in/out of a webmail or social media account).
2. Persistent cookies –these are stored on a computer’s or device’s hard drive (and generally depend on the default 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‘ (cookies placed by third parties) – which can be used anonymously to remember a user’s interests so that the most relevant advertising can be delivered to users.

What are the advantages of cookies?

A cookie contains information that links a web-browser (the user) to 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 ensure a pleasant browsing experience for users and support the efforts of many websites to provide convenient services to users: e.g. online privacy preferences, site language choices, shopping carts or relevant advertising.

What is the lifetime of a cookie?

Cookies are managed by web servers. The lifetime 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 no longer 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 sections of content on some sites may be provided through third parties/suppliers (e.g. a news box, a video or an advertisement). These third parties may also place cookies through the site and they 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 site owner’s privacy policies.

How cookies are used by a site.

A visit to a website can place cookies for:

• increase website performance;
• a visitor analysis;
• 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 each time you visit the site.

Examples: volume settings for the video player, video streaming speed supported by the browser.

Cookies for visitor analytics

Each time a user visits a site, analytics software provided by a third party generates a user analytics cookie. This cookie tells whether you have visited this site before. The browser will signal if you have this cookie, and if not, one will be generated. It allows you to track unique users who visit the site and how often they visit.

As long as the visitor is not registered on the site, this cookie cannot be used to identify individuals, they are only used for statistical purposes. If registered, it is also possible to know the details provided, such as e-mail address and username – these are subject to confidentiality, as provided for by the legislation in force on the protection of personal data.

Cookies for geotargeting

These cookies are used by software that determines which country you are from. It is completely anonymous and is only used to target content – even when the visitor is on the page in English or another language, they will receive the same ad.

Cookies for registration

When you register on a site, a cookie is generated to let you know whether you are registered or not. The servers use these cookies to show which account you are registered with and whether you have permission for a particular service. It also allows you to associate any comment posted on the site with your username. If you have not selected “keep me logged in”, 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 youshare an article using the social media button on a website, that social network will record your activity.

What kind of information is stored and accessed through cookies?

Cookies store information in a small text file that allows a website to recognise a browser. The Webserver will recognise the browser until the cookie expires or is deleted.

The cookie stores important information that enhances the web browsing experience (e.g.: language settings for a website; 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 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 a user to log in via 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 users’ interests – password retention, language preferences (e.g.displaying search results in English).
• Retain child protection filters on Internet content(family mode options, safe search functions).
• Measurement, optimization and analytics features – such as confirming a certain level of traffic to a website, what type of content is being viewed and how a user gets to a website (e.g. via search engines, directly, from other websites). Websites perform these usage analyses to improve their sites for the benefit of 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, nor can they self-execute. Consequently, they cannot be duplicated or replicated on other networks to run or replicate again. Since they cannot perform these functions, they cannot be considered viruses.

Cookies can still be used for negative purposes. Because they store information about users’ preferences and browsing 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 constantly mark cookies for deletion as part of anti-virus/anti-spyware deletion/scanning procedures.

Browsers generally have built-in privacy settings that provide different levels of cookie acceptance, validity period and automatic deletion after the user has visited a particular site.

Tips for safe and responsible browsing based on cookies.

• Customise your browser’s cookie settings to reflect a level of cookie security that is comfortable for you.
• If you share access to your computer, you may consider setting your browser to delete individual browsing data each time you close the browser. This is an option to access sites that place cookies and delete any visitor information when you close your browsing session.
• Install and constantly update anti-spyware applications.
• Many spyware detection and prevention applications include detection of attacks on websites. This prevents 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 unusable or difficult to visit and use.

It is possible to set your browser to stop accepting these cookies, or you can set your browser to accept cookies from a specific 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 your browser.