COOKIE USE POLICY
The website www.granur-technology.com uses cookies

This section gives you more information about what cookies are, how we use them and how you can manage them both on our website and on other websites.

About cookies - what are they and how do they work?

The information presented below is intended to inform the user about the placement, use and management of cookies used by the website www.Granur-Technology.ro.

Please read the following information carefully:

This website uses its own cookies as well as cookies added by third parties, in order to provide visitors with a much better browsing experience and services adapted to the needs and interests of each.

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

• Customizing certain settings such as: language in which the website is viewed, date and time, keeping options/settings (including memorizing them) and keeping older preferences by accessing different buttons/functions.
• Cookies provide website owners with valuable feedback on how their websites are used by users, so that they can make them even more effective or more accessible for users.
• Allow multimedia or other applications from other websites to be included (inserted/embed) in certain pages to create a more valuable, useful and pleasant browsing experience.

2. 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 the computer, mobile terminal or other equipment of a user from which the Internet is accessed.

The cookie is sent through a request issued by the web server on which the website is hosted, to the user's browser (Ex: Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, etc.) and is completely "passive", in the sense that it does not contain software, viruses or spyware, nor can it access information on the user's hard drive.

A cookie consists of 2 parts: the name and the content or value of the cookie and is uniquely associated with the domain on which the website that sent it to the user's browser is hosted (eg: www.Granur-Technology.ro). Moreover, the duration of existence of a cookie is determined and only the web server that sent the cookie can access it again, and only when the user returns to the website associated with that web server.

Cookies do not require personal information to be used, nor can they personally identify Internet users.

There are two main categories of cookies:
• Session cookies – these are temporarily stored in the cookie folder of the web browser until the user leaves the respective website or closes the browser window.
• Persistent cookies – they are stored in the computer or the equipment used on the hard drive for a longer period and remain stored even after leaving the website or after closing the web browser (and generally depend on the lifetime of the cookie). Persistent cookies also include those placed by a website other than the one the user is visiting at the time - known as "third party cookies" - which can be used anonymously to remember a user's interests so that advertising is delivered as relevant to the user as possible.

3. The advantages of cookies

A cookie contains information that connects a 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 provide users with a pleasant browsing experience and support the efforts of many websites to provide comfortable services to users.

Examples – online privacy preferences, website language options or relevant advertising, etc.

4. 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 not retained after the user leaves the website, and some cookies are retained and reused every time the user returns to that website ("cookie permanent ones").

However, cookies can be deleted by the user at any time through the browser settings.

5. Cookies placed by third parties

Certain sections of content on some websites may be provided through third parties/providers (Ex: news box, a video or an advertisement). These third parties can also place cookies through the website and they are called "third party cookies", because they are not placed by the respective website. Third party providers must also comply with applicable law and the website owner's privacy policies.

6. Use of cookies by this website

Visiting this website may place cookies for the purposes of:
• Website performance cookies;
• Visitor analysis cookies;
• Registration or authentication cookies;
• Third-party cookies.

6.1. Performance cookies

This type of cookie remembers the user's preferences on this website, so that it is no longer necessary to set them each time the website is visited.

6.2. Visitor analysis cookies

Each time a user visits this website, the analytics software provided by a third party generates a user analysis cookie. This cookie tells us if you have visited this website before. The browser communicates if this cookie exists, and if not, one is generated. This allows monitoring of unique users who visit the website and how often they do so. This cookie cannot be used to identify individuals, they are used only for statistical purposes.

6.3. Third party cookies

On some pages, third parties can set their own anonymous cookies, in order to track the success of an advertisement/application or to customize an application. Due to the way of use, this website cannot access these cookies, just as third parties cannot access the cookies owned by this website.

Online advertising belonging to third parties

Some of these use their own anonymous cookies to analyze how many people have viewed an advertising message, or to see how many people have viewed the same advertisement several times. The companies that generate these cookies have their own privacy policies, and this website does not have access to these cookies. Third-party cookies are used to show you targeted advertising on other websites as well, based on your browsing on this website.

7. The type of information stored and accessed through cookies

Cookies store 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. Ex: the settings regarding the language in which you want to access a website, keeping a user logged in to the member account or email account, online security, keeping and memorizing some settings, etc.

Although cookies are stored in the memory of the Internet user's computer, they cannot access/read other information on that computer.

Cookies are not viruses. They are just small text files; they are not compiled into code and cannot be executed. Thus, they cannot self-copy, cannot spread to other networks to generate actions, and cannot be used to spread viruses.

8. The importance of cookies for the Internet

Cookies are the central point of the efficient functioning of the Internet, helping to generate a friendly browsing experience, adapted to the preferences and interests of each user.

Cookies can ensure a faster and easier interaction between users and websites. For example, when a user authenticates on a certain website, the authentication data is stored in a cookie; afterwards, the user can access that website without having to log in again.

Similarly, cookies can store information about products ordered by the user on an e-commerce website, thus making the concept of a "shopping cart" possible.

Cookies can also enable websites to monitor users' online activities and establish user profiles, which can then be used for marketing purposes.

Rejecting or deactivating cookies does not mean that you will no longer receive online advertising, but 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 the authentication of a user through an account):
• Content and services adapted to user preferences – categories of news, weather, sports, maps, public and government services, entertainment websites and travel services.
• Offers tailored to user interests – password retention, language preferences (Ex: display of search results in Romanian).
• Retention of child protection filters regarding Internet content (family mode options, safe search functions).
• Limiting the frequency of broadcasting of advertisements – limiting the number of times an advertisement is displayed for a certain user on a website.
• Providing relevant advertising to the user.
• Measurement, optimization and analytics features – such as confirmation of a certain level of traffic on a website, what type of content is viewed more and how a user reaches the website (eg: through search engines, directly, from other websites etc.). Webites run these analyzes of their usage in order to improve the websites for the benefit of the user.

9. Security and Privacy Issues

Cookies are NOT viruses! They use a plain text format. They are not made up of pieces of code, so they cannot be executed or auto-run. 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 specific website and across multiple websites, cookies can be used as a form of spyware. Many anti-spyware products are aware of this fact and constantly mark cookies for deletion during anti-virus/anti-spyware deletion/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 certain website.

10. Other security aspects related to cookies

Considering that identity protection is very important and represents the right of every internet user, it is advisable to know what are the possible problems that may arise in connection with cookies. Since through them information is constantly transmitted in both directions between the browser and the website, if an attacker or unauthorized person intervenes during data transmission, 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 (Ex: an unsecured Wi-Fi network).

Other cookie-based attacks involve missetting 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.

The attackers then use the information to gain unauthorized access to certain websites. It is very important to be careful in choosing the most suitable method of personal information protection.

11. Managing, deactivating and deleting cookies

Detailed information on how to manage, disable and delete cookies by using the settings of the browser used to browse the Internet is available at the following addresses:

Internet Explorer – Deleting and managing cookies (IE 8, 9 and 10):

• Internet Explorer 8
• Internet Explorer 9
• Internet Explorer 10

Mozilla Firefox – Cookie settings and cookie troubleshooting (enabling and disabling cookies, deleting cookies, blocking certain websites from placing cookies, unblocking the placing of cookies, etc.)

• Delete cookies to remove information stored on your computer by other web pages

Google Chrome – Cookie management (delete, block, allow, set exceptions, etc.)

• Management of cookies and site data

Safari – Manage cookies – Manage cookies (only in English)

• Safari 6 (OS X Mountain Lion): Manage cookies

Remove cookies – Delete cookies (only in English)

• Safari 6 (OS X Mountain Lion): Remove cookies and other data

Opera – Managing and deleting cookies (only in English)

• Management of cookies and site data

13. Sources and additional information:

• All About Cookies
• About Cookies
• UK Information Commissioner’s Office – “Guidance on the rule of use of cookies and similar technologies”, May 2012
• Directive 2002/58/EC on the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (PDF)
• Directive 2009/136/EC amending Directive 2002/22/EC on universal service and user rights regarding electronic communications networks and services, Directive 2002/58/EC on the processing of personal data and the protection of confidentiality in the public communications sector and Regulation (EC) no. 2006/2004 on the cooperation between the national authorities responsible for ensuring the application of consumer protection legislation (PDF)
• Law no. 506/2004 on the processing of personal data and the protection of private life in the electronic communications sector, with subsequent amendments and additions
• Opinion no. 4/2012 of the Article 29 Working Group on cookies exempt from consent, June 2012 (PDF)
• IAB Romania recommendations regarding informing users about the use of cookies on a website
• World Wide Web Consortium, Tracking Preferences Expression (DNT), W3C Working Draft, 2 October 2012
• Secure Cookies
• Wikipedia – HTTP Cookie