LEGAL REGULATIONS
On May 8th, 2014, the Italian Privacy Authority introduced the regulation relevant to identifying the simplified procedures for disclaimers and acquiring consent for the use of cookies. This document has been converted into a State Law: Cookie Law, dated June 3rd, 2014 (also see Privacy Authority – no Cookies for profiling without consent).
Through this law, the owner/manager of the website has the obligation to previously acquire the informed consent from users for installing cookies used for purposes other than purely technical ones.
WHAT ARE COOKIE
Cookies are text files containing a minimum amount of information sent to your browser and stored on your computer, mobile phone, or other device, each time you visit a website. At every connection, cookies refer back to the information of the website.
Cookies can be permanent (persistent cookies) if they remain on the computer until the user deletes them, or temporary (session cookies) that are deactivated once the browser is closed. Cookies can also be set by first-parties if set by the website visited, or third-party cookies if entered by a website other than the one visited.
For legal purposes , the Privacy Authority identifies two types of cookies: “Technical cookies” and “Profiling cookies”.
Technical Cookies
Technical cookies are those used for the sole purpose of “carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network, or as strictly necessary for the provider of a service of the company of the information explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, in order to provide said service” (cfr. Section 122, paragraph 1, of the Privacy Code).
They are not used for other purposes and are normally installed by the owner or manager of the website. They can be divided into browsing cookies or session cookies, which guarantee for normal browsing and the use of the website (allowing, for example, to make a purchase or authenticate oneself, in order to access restricted areas); analytics cookies, similar to technical cookies when used directly by the site manager to collect information, in an aggregate form, on the number of users and how they visit the site; functionality cookies, which allow the user to browse in relation to a series of selected criteria (for example, language, products selected for purchase), in order to improve the service rendered. To install these cookies, prior consent by the user is not required.
Profiling Cookies
Profiling cookies are designed to create profiles relevant to the user and are utilized to send advertising messages that are in line with the preferences expressed by the user when browsing through the internet. Given the considerable invasiveness that these may have within the private sphere of the users, European and Italian legislation requires the user to be properly informed on the use of these cookies and express their valid consent. Section 122 of the Privacy Code refers to these cookies, wherein “the storage of information in the end device of a contracting party or a user or the access to already stored information, are only allowed on condition that the contracting or the user has given express consent after having been informed through the simplified procedures provided for in Section 13, paragraph 3 of the Privacy Code.”
COOKIES USED AND THEIR PURPOSE
The cookies used on our site can be categorized as follows:
Essential Cookies
These cookies are essential, in order to enable the user to browse through the site and use the requested services, such as accessing protected areas of the site.
Essential cookies are first-party cookies and can be permanent or temporary. Without these cookies, the user may not access the required services, and our site will not function properly.
Performance Cookies
Performance cookies collect information on the use of a site by users, for example, which pages are frequently visited. These cookies do not store the identifying data of the individual visitor, but only aggregate and anonymous data.
We use these cookies for statistical purposes, to understand how our site is used.
These cookies can be permanent or temporary, of first or third parties. In essence, these cookies collect anonymous information regarding pages visited.
Functionality Cookies
These cookies allow the site to memorize the choices of visitors (for example, user name, language, or country of access) and provide more personalized features. Functionality cookies can also be used to provide services requested by the user, such as access to a video or adding a comment to a blog. The information used by these cookies is anonymous and cannot track the browsing activities of users on other sites.
We use these cookies to:
- remembering whether a particular service has already been provided to the user
- improve the overall experience on the site, remembering the user’s preferences.
These cookies can be permanent or temporary, of first or third parties. In essence, these cookies remember the individual choices made by users to improve their browsing experience.
Google Analytics
Our site includes several components transmitted by Google Analytics, a web traffic analysis service provided by Google. These are third party cookies anonymously collected and managed to track and improve the performance of the host site (performance cookies).
Google Analytics uses “cookies” to anonymously collect and analyze information regarding the usage behavior on our website. This information is collected by Google Analytics, which processes information, in order to prepare reports for our operators relevant to the activities on the websites themselves. This site does not use (and does not allow third parties to use) the Google Analytics tool to track or collect personally identifiable information.
The Privacy Authority has specified that Google Analytics cookies may be treated as technical cookies, only if used for the purpose of site optimization, directly by the owner of the site itself, which may collect aggregate information on the number of users and how they visit the site. Under these conditions, the same rules apply to analytics cookies, with regard to disclosure and consent, which are provided for by technical cookies.
We would, therefore, like to specify that on our website, Google Analytics management components have been opportunely modified so that the IP addresses of users are anonymous.
For more information, please refer to the link given below:
How to use data from Google
The user can selectively disable Google Analytics actions by installing on your browser the opt-out component provided for by Google. To disable Google Analytics actions, please refer to the link given below:
Browser Add-on for Google Analytics Opt-Out
Other Third-Party Cookies
By visiting a website, you may receive cookies from both the site visited (“proprietary”), as well as from websites managed by other organizations (“third parties”). An example is the presence of “social plug-ins” for Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, etc. These are parts of a page visited that are directly generated by the above stated sites and integrated into the host site. The most common use of social plug-ins is aimed at sharing of contents on social networks.
The presence of these plug-ins involves the transmission of cookies to and from all sites managed by third parties. The management of information collected by third parties shall be governed by the relevant disclaimers to which we ask you refer.
HOW TO MANAGE AND DISABLE COOKIES
The user can decide whether to accept cookies or not by using the browser settings.
Warning: totally or partially disabling technical cookies can compromise the use of the site functions reserved for registered users. On the contrary, the usability of public content is possible even if cookies are entirely disabled.
Disabling “third party” cookies does not affect browsing features in any way.
The setting can be specifically defined for various sites and web applications.
Each browser has different procedures for managing settings. The user may obtain specific instructions through the links below.
In the event of services provided for by third parties, the user may also exercise his/her right to oppose tracking through the privacy policy of the third party involved, using the opt-out link, if explicitly provided, or by contacting the third party.
To delete cookies from the browser of your own smartphone /tablet, you may need to refer to the user manual of your device.
By using the site without refusing the use of cookies through the procedures indicated, the user consents to the use of these technologies on our part for collecting and processing information.
