Informing Users About the Presence of Cookies
Site-ul www.beautydistrict.ro uses its own and third-party cookies to provide visitors with a much better browsing experience and services tailored to each user's needs and interests. Cookies play an important role in facilitating access and delivery of the multiple services that the user enjoys on the internet.
The information presented below aims to inform the user of more details about the placement, use and management of "cookies" used by the www.beautydistrict.ro website. www.beautydistrict.ro.
What is a "cookie"?
An "Internet Cookie" (also known as a "browser cookie" or "HTTP cookie" or simply "cookie") is a small file, made up of letters and numbers, which will be stored on a user's computer, mobile terminal or other equipment from which the Internet is accessed.
The cookie is installed by a request issued by a webserver to a browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Chrome) and is completely "passive" (it does not contain 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 duration of a cookie's existence 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 main categories of cookies: ·
· Session cookies – these are temporarily stored in the web browser's cookie folder so that it remembers them until the user leaves the respective website or closes the browser window (e.g. when logging in/out on the website or on social networks).
· · Persistent cookies – These are stored on the hard drive of a computer or device (and generally depend on the preset lifespan for the cookie). Persistent cookies also include those placed by a website other than the one the user is visiting at that time – known as 'third party cookies' – which can be used anonymously to remember the interests of a user, so that advertising is delivered as relevant as possible to users.
What are the advantages of cookies?
A cookie contains information that connects 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 ensure a pleasant browsing experience for users and support the efforts of many websites to provide convenient services to users: for example – 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 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 the browser settings.
What are third-party cookies?
Certain content sections on some sites may be provided through third parties / providers (e.g. social networks 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 the respective website. Third party providers must also comply with applicable law and the privacy policies of the site owner.
When browsing the Beauty District site, these cookies may come from the following third parties: Google, Facebook, Instagram.
How are cookies used by the Beauty District site?
A visit to this site may place cookies for the purposes of:
· Site performance cookies;
· Visitor analysis cookies;
· Geotargetting cookies;
· Advertising cookies;
Visitor Analysis Cookies
Every time a user visits this site, analytics software, provided by a third party, generates a user analysis cookie. This cookie tells us whether you have visited this site before. Your browser will tell us if you have this cookie, and if not, we will generate one. This allows us to monitor unique users who visit us and how often they do so.
Geo-targeting cookies
These cookies are used by software that determines which country or area you are from. It is completely anonymous and is only used to target content.
Advertising cookies
These cookies allow us to find out whether or not you have viewed an online advertisement, what type it is and how long it has been since you saw the advertisement. These cookies are also used to target online advertising. We may also use third-party cookies to better target advertising, for example to show holiday ads if the user has recently visited an article on the site about holidays. These cookies are anonymous, they store information about the content viewed, not about users. We also set anonymous cookies through other sites on which we advertise. By receiving them, we can use them to recognize you as a visitor to that site if you subsequently visit our site, we will be able to deliver advertising based on this information.
Why are cookies important for the Internet?
Cookies are central to the efficient functioning of the Internet, helping to generate a friendly browsing experience adapted to the preferences and interests of each user. Refusing or disabling cookies may make some sites impossible to use. Refusing or disabling cookies does not mean that you will no longer receive online advertising – it just means that it will no longer be able to take into account your preferences and interests, as evidenced by your browsing behavior.
Examples of important uses of cookies:
· Offers tailored to users' interests
· Retention of child protection filters regarding Internet content (family mode options, safe search functions).
· Limiting the frequency of advertising – limiting the number of times an advertisement is displayed to a particular user on a site.
· Providing more relevant advertising to the user.
· 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. via search engines, directly, from other websites, etc.). Websites perform these analyses of their use in order to improve the 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 or self-run. Consequently, they cannot duplicate or replicate on other networks to run or replicate themselves 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 the preferences and browsing history of users, 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 fact and constantly mark cookies for deletion as part of their anti-virus / anti-spyware deletion / scanning procedures.
Generally, 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. Other security issues related to cookies Because identity protection is very valuable and represents the right of every internet user, it is advisable to know what possible problems cookies can create. Because through them information is constantly transmitted in both directions between the browser and the website, if an attacker or unauthorized person intervenes in the data transmission process, the information contained in the cookie can be intercepted. Although very rare, this can happen if the browser connects to the server using an unencrypted network (e.g. an unsecured Wi-Fi network).
Other cookie-based attacks involve misconfiguring cookies 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 over unsecured channels. Attackers can then use the information to gain unauthorized access to certain sites. It is very important to be careful in choosing the most appropriate method to protect your 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, they are almost inevitable. Disabling cookies will not allow the user to access the most widespread and used sites including Youtube, Gmail, Yahoo and others.
Here are some tips that can help you browse safely with cookies::
· Customize your browser's cookie settings to reflect a comfortable level of cookie security for you.
· If you don't mind cookies and are the only person using the computer, you can set long expiration dates for storing your browsing history and personal access data.
· If you share access to the computer, you can consider setting your browser to delete individual browsing data each time you close the browser. This is one way to access sites that place cookies and delete any browsing information when you close your browsing session.
· Install and update your antispyware applications regularly. Many spyware detection and prevention applications include detection of attacks on websites. Thus, it prevents the browser from accessing websites that could exploit browser vulnerabilities or download dangerous software. Make sure you always have your browser updated. Many of the attacks based on cookies are carried out by exploiting the weaknesses of old versions of browsers.
· Cookies are everywhere and cannot be avoided if you want to enjoy access to the best and biggest sites on the Internet – local or international. With a clear understanding of how they operate and the benefits they bring, you can take the necessary security measures so that you can browse the Internet with confidence.
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 or see online advertising.
It is possible to set your browser to no longer accept these cookies, or you can set your browser to accept cookies from a specific site. But, for example, if you are not registered using cookies, you will not be able to leave comments.
All modern browsers offer the possibility to change your cookie settings. These settings are usually found in the "options" or "preferences" menu of your browser.