What are cookies (cookies)?
This is small information, called cookies, sent by a website that we visit and saved on the end device (computer, laptop, smartphone) that we use when browsing websites.
In „cookies”, consisting of a series of letters and numbers, there are various information necessary for the proper functioning of websites, e.g. those requiring authorization – incl. when logging into your e-mail account or online store.
All websites operating on the Internet – search engines, information and news websites, online stores, websites of state offices and other public institutions, can work properly thanks to the use of „cookies”.
Cookies also allow, among others remembering our preferences and personalizing websites in terms of displayed content and matching advertisements. Thanks to „cookies” it is also possible to register products and services or vote in internet polls.
Personal data collected using „cookies” may be collected only for the purpose of performing specific functions for the user, such as, for example, remembering logging in to the website or remembering goods added to the basket in the online store. Such data is encrypted in a way that prevents access by unauthorized persons.
What do cookies give us?
Thanks to the cookie, the use of websites is easier and more enjoyable, and their content – texts, photos, polls, polls, but also advertisements – is better suited to the expectations and preferences of every Internet user.
„Cookies”:
make it possible to remember our visits to the website and our preferences regarding this website (e.g. language of the website, its color, layout, content arrangement);
allow online stores to recommend us products related to those we usually choose that may potentially be of interest to us;
help to store goods that we put into the shopping cart in online stores;
enable the use of accounts on websites;
they allow you to be logged in to the website on each of the subpages available on the website;
prevent us from seeing the same advertisement or survey to be completed over and over again;
allow us to present advertisements in a way that takes into account our interests or place of residence – in this way, advertisements, thanks to which the use of many websites may be free, can inform us about products and services that are potentially interesting for us;
allow you to create anonymous statistics of website visits.
Thanks to „cookies”, owners and publishers of websites are able to assess the real interest in their websites, they can better understand the expectations and preferences of users, understand how users use their websites and, using the latest technological solutions, can constantly improve their websites by making make them even friendlier and better suited to our needs.
What should we know about cookies?
They are not used to identify users and on their basis no identity is determined in any way;
„Cookies” identify computer and browser data used to browse websites – they allow, for example, to find out whether a given computer has already visited the website;
data obtained from „cookies” are in no way combined with personal data of users obtained, for example, during registration on websites;
they are not harmful to us, our computers or smartphones – they do not affect the way they work;
do not cause any configuration changes in end devices or in the software installed on these devices;
the default parameters of „cookies” allow the information contained in them to be read only by the server that created them;
based on our behavior on visited websites, they provide information to servers, thanks to which the displayed page is better suited to individual preferences.
Basic types of cookies
Session cookies – these are temporary information stored in the browser’s memory until the end of the browser session, i.e. until it is closed. These cookies are mandatory for certain applications or functionalities to function properly.
Permanent cookies – thanks to them, the use of frequently visited websites is easier (eg they ensure optimal navigation, remember the selected resolution, content layout, etc.). This information remains in the browser’s memory for a longer period. This time depends on the choice that can be made in the browser settings. This type of cookie allows information to be transferred to the server each time a given page is visited. Persistent cookies are also known as so-called. tracking cookies.
Third party cookies are information from, for example, advertising servers, company servers and service providers (e.g. searches or maps placed on the website) cooperating with the owner of a given website. This type of cookie allows you to customize advertisements – thanks to which the use of websites may be free – to the preferences and habits of their users. They also allow you to evaluate the effectiveness of advertising activities (e.g. by counting how many people clicked on a given ad and went to the advertiser’s website). Based on the information obtained from these cookies, you can create so-called general user profiles, thanks to which men interested in finances and cars (visiting websites on this subject) will see advertisements tailored to their potential interests, and not, for example, an advertisement for women’s cosmetics.
Cookies management
Remember that you can manage cookies yourself. This is made possible, for example, by the web browsers you use. In the most popular browsers you can:
accepting „cookies”, which will allow you to take full advantage of the options offered by websites;
cookie management at the level of individual websites selected by you;
defining settings for various types of „cookies”, for example, accepting persistent files as session, etc .;
blocking or deleting cookies.
The effect of changing the settings in the browser, depending on the selected option, may be the loss of the ability to use some websites and services or some of the functions available in them.