What are cookies and what are they used for?

A cookie is a file that is downloaded to the user’s device when they access certain websites which stores and retrieves information about the browsing activity on their computer.º

Cookies allow this website, among other things, to store and retrieve information about the user’s decisions and habits. Some of the cookies used on this website are necessary for it to function.

It is important to highlight that the use of cookies does not provide access to the user’s personal data.

What kind of cookies exist?

Depending on the time they remain active, Cookies can be divided into session or persistent cookies.

  • Session cookies are designed to collect and store data while the user accesses a website and are removed as soon the explorer is closed. They are normally used to store information which only needs to be kept in order to provide the service requested by the user on just one occasion.
  • Persistent cookies remain stored on the device and can be accessed and handled during a period specified by the user of the cookie, which may be from a few minutes to several years.

Additionally, depending on the organisation managing them, cookies may be classified as first-party or third-party cookies.

  • First-party cookies are sent to the user’s device from a computer or domain managed by the website publisher and are used to provide the service requested by the user.
  • Third-party cookies are sent to the user’s device from a computer or domain that is not managed by the website publisher, but by another organisation that handles data obtained from the cookies.

In terms of their purpose, the types of cookies are:

  • Technical cookies: Technical cookies allow the user to browse a website, platform or application and use the different service options found there.
  • Profiling cookies: Profiling cookies allow the user to access the service with some predefined general features based on a series of criteria on the user’s device such as language, settings, etc.
  • Analytical cookies: Analytical cookies allow the website owner to track and analyse user behaviour on the websites to which they are linked. The information collected is used to measure activity on the websites and to create users’ browsing profiles, with the aim of introducing improvements.
  • Advertising cookies: Advertising cookies allow the advertising spaces which the publisher puts on the website to be managed as efficiently as possible.

3. What kind of cookies does the website use?

Name Domain Type Expiration Description
MoodleSession campusvirtual.eurecatacademy.org Session Session This cookie is set by the Moodle. This cookie is used for providing continuity and maintaining the visitor login from page to page.
_ga_* .eurecatacademy.org Third party 1 year 1 month Google Analytics sets this cookie to store and count page views.
_ga .eurecatacademy.org Third party 1 year 1 month The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site’s analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_gid .eurecatacademy.org Third party 1 day Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website’s performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
_gat_gtag_UA_* .eurecatacademy.org Third party 1 year 1 month Google Analytics sets this cookie to store a unique user ID.

 

4. How to disable browser cookies?

The user can allow, block or delete cookies installed on their computer by configuring the browser options installed on their computer. Please read the help section of your browser carefully to learn more about how to activate the “private mode” or unblock certain cookies.