Cookies
Which
cookies are used and what function do they perform?
The website
uses so-called cookies to guarantee the provision of the functions and/or
services of the website itself, as well as to improve the way it functions.
What are
cookies?
Cookies are
small text fragments, normally made up of letters and/or numbers, which are
sent by the visited website and stored by the internet browsing software
(browser) installed on the device (personal computer, smartphone, tablet, etc.)
used by the User for navigation. The cookies are then transmitted back to the
website the next time the User visits the website.
The
information encoded in cookies may include personal data, such as an IP
address, username or e-mail address, but may also contain non-personal data,
such as language settings or information about the type of device a person is
using to navigate the website.
Cookies can
therefore perform important and different kinds of actions, including
monitoring sessions, storing information on specific configurations related to
users accessing the server or facilitating the use of online content. They can,
for example, be used to track items in an online shopping cart or information
used to fill out a computer form. If, on the one hand, cookies can be used to
make web pages load faster, as well as route information on a network
(therefore in line with obligations strictly connected to the operation of the
websites themselves), it is also through cookies that behavioural advertising
can be delivered and the effectiveness of the advertising message can be
measured. Cookies can also be used to adapt, to the user’s behaviour, the type
and methods of services provided.
The same
result can also be achieved through the use of other tracking tools, which
allow for processing similar to that performed through cookies. These tracking
tools include fingerprinting, which allows the device the User is browsing on
to be identified (through the collection of all or some of the information
relating to the specific configuration of the device adopted by the user). This
technique can be used to achieve the same profiling purposes also aimed at
displaying personalised behavioural advertising and analysing and monitoring
the behaviour of website visitors, or to adjust the type and methods of
rendered services to user behaviour. From now on, these tracking tools will
also be included in the definition of cookies.
How are
cookies classified?
Cookies can
be classified according to:
• purpose (technical, analytical or
profiling cookies);
• provenance (first-party cookies or third-party
cookies);
• duration (session cookies or
persistent cookies).
Based on
their purpose, cookies are divided into technical cookies, analytical cookies
and profiling cookies.
Technical
cookies are used for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a
communication over an electronic communications network, or as strictly
necessary for the provider of an information society service explicitly
requested by the user to provide this service. Technical cookies are essential
for a website to function correctly and are used to manage various services
related to the website itself (e.g. logging in or access to reserved functions
on the sites). The duration of cookies is strictly limited to the work session
or they can remain for longer in order to remember the user’s choices.
Disabling strictly necessary cookies can compromise the user experience and
navigation of the website. The prior acquisition of the user’s consent is not
required for the use of technical cookies.
Analytical
cookies are cookies used to collect information on the use of the website. In
particular, they are useful for statistically analysing accesses or visits to
the site itself and for improving its structure, navigation logics and
contents. The information collected is used to carry out statistical analyses
in order to improve the use of the website and possibly to make the contents
more interesting and relevant to the User’s wishes. Since they are not
necessary for the website to function, analytical cookies can be used only
after acquiring the user’s consent. However, analytical cookies that adopt
minimisation measures that reduce the identifying power of data (e.g.
anonymised by masking portions of the IP address of the User browsing the
website) can be compared to technical cookies, so the prior acquisition of the
user’s consent is not required for their use.
Profiling
cookies are used to trace the User’s navigation, analyse his/her behaviour and
create profiles regarding user tastes, habits or choices, etc. In this way it
is possible, for example, to transmit targeted advertising messages in relation
to the user’s interests and in line with the preferences expressed by the user
when browsing online. The prior acquisition of the user’s consent is required
for the use of profiling cookies.
Based on
their origin, cookies are divided into first-party cookies and third-party
cookies.
First party
cookies are installed directly by the website that the user is visiting, while
third-party cookies are installed by a domain that is not the one the user is
visiting. This may occur if the visited website incorporates elements from
other sites, such as images, plug-ins from social media and social networks or
advertisements, or if there are widgets and other tools for interconnection with
external sites and features.
In the case
of third-party cookies installed through the website, the obligations regarding
the protection of personal data (e.g. providing the privacy policy and
acquiring consent for the use of cookies) involve the third parties and it is
possible to object to cookie use directly on the third-party website.
Based on
the duration, cookies are divided into session cookies and persistent cookies.
Cookies
that expire at the end of a browser session (normally when a user closes their
browser) are defined session cookies and are used, for example, to memorise a
user’s purchase order, or for security purposes, such as when logging into
personal internet banking or webmail account.
Cookies
which, on the other hand, are stored for a longer period of time (between one
session and another, even after closing the browser) are called persistent
cookies and are useful, for example, to remember user preferences or to offer
targeted advertising.
What are
the cookies used by the Data Controller’s website?
The cookies
used by the Data Controller’s website are only technical cookies or analytical
cookies with minimisation measures that reduce the identifying power of the
data (equivalent to technical cookies), to guarantee the provision of the
functions and/or services of the website as well as to improve the way it
functions. The prior consent of the User is not required for the installation
of these cookies.
The website
uses “Google Analytics”, a Google web analysis service, which allows the collection
of information useful for analysing how visitors use the website, with the aim
of improving the way the website functions. When using Google Analytics, parts
of the IP address are masked, so it is not possible to directly identify the
User browsing the website.
For more
information on the Google Analytics privacy policy, click here.
To
deactivate Google Analytics, click here.
The user
can express his/her preferences on cookies also through the settings of the
browser used. By default, almost all browsers are set to automatically accept
cookies, but users can change the default configuration through the settings of
the browser they use, which allow users to cancel/remove all or some cookies,
block the sending of cookies or limit them to certain sites. Disabling /
blocking cookies or deleting them could cause some areas of the website to not
function optimally or prevent some features from working. The configuration of
cookie management depends on the browser used. Below are the main browsers’
instructions and links to the guides for managing cookies:
Google
Chrome: click on the icon with the three dots at the top right and then on
“Settings”. Select “Advanced” and in the “Privacy and security” section click
on “Site Settings”. Adjust the cookie settings by selecting “Cookies and site
data”. Click here for more information.
Mozilla
Firefox: click on the icon with the three horizontal bars at the top right and
select “Options”. In the window, select “Privacy and security” to adjust cookie
settings. Click here for more information.
Microsoft
Edge: click on the icon with the three horizontal dots at the top right and
select “Settings”. In the window, select “Privacy and security” to adjust
cookie settings. Click here for more information.
Microsoft
Internet Explorer: click on the gear icon at the top right and select “Internet
Options”. In the window, select “Privacy”, “Advanced” and adjust the cookie
settings. Click here for more information.
Apple
Safari: select “Preferences” and then “Privacy” to adjust cookie settings.
Click here for more information.
Opera:
select the icon with the three horizontal bars at the top right and then select
“Advanced”. Select “Privacy & Security” and then “Site Settings”. From the
“Cookies and site data” section, adjust the cookie settings. Click here for
more information.
For browsers other than those listed above, read
the relevant guide to identify how to manage cookies.