On their own, cookies do not require personal information in order to be used and most often, they do not identify internet Users. The personal data, collected during the usage of cookies can only be gathered in order to ease the use of the services by the User. This data is encrypted in such a way that it does not allow unauthorized persons to gain access it.

In general, applications for access to web pages (web- or mobile browsers) allow the storage of cookies by default. These settings may be changed in such a way that the automatic administration of cookies is blocked by the web browser or that the User would be informed each time when cookies are sent to his/her device. Detailed information about the options and management of cookies may be found in the settings of the Web Browser. Limiting the usage of cookies may affect some of the features of the Website.

Cookies are NOT viruses. They take the form of simple text. They are not made out of code and cannot therefore be executed or execute themselves alone. Consequently, they may not be duplicated or copied into other networks in order to get started and copied once more. Since cookies cannot perform those functions, they cannot be regarded as viruses.
Most often, browsers have built-in privacy settings, which provide different levels for the acceptance of cookies, the period of their validity and their automatic deletion after a User has visited a given website.

Thanks to their flexibility and the fact that many of the most visited and biggest websites use cookies, their use is almost inevitable. Deactivating cookies will not allow the access of a given user to many of the most commonly used websites, including YouTube, Yahoo, Gmail and others.

Here is some advice, which can ensure safe surfing, but with the help of cookies:
· Personalize your cookie browser settings, in order to create an adequate level of protection from the use of cookies.
· If you are the only person, who uses the computer, you may set longer terms for expiration of the storage of the browsing history and access to personal data.
· If you share your computer access with somebody, you may set your browser settings to delete the surfing data every time you close your web browser.
· Ensure that your browser is always up to date. Many of the attacks, based on cookies, are realized when exploiting the weak spots of old and non-updated versions of the web browsers. Cookies are everywhere and they may not be circumvented if you would like to enjoy your access to the best and biggest websites on the Internet.

It is possible that you set your browser in a way that does not allow for cookies to be accepted anymore or you can set your browser to accept cookies only from certain websites. All modern browsers offer the option to change cookie settings. This includes computer browsers, as well as mobile device browsers. These settings can be found in the “options” menu or the “preferences” menu of your browser. In order to find those settings, you can also use the links below or use the “help” menu of your browser for more information.

Cookie settings in Internet Explorer
Cookie settings in Firefox
Cookie settings in Chrome
Cookie settings in Safari

For setting third party cookies, you may use the following website:
http://www.youronlinechoices.com

If you want to find more about cookies and what are they used for, we recommend you the following links:
Microsoft Cookies guide
All About Cookies