The purpose of this Cookie Policy is to provide clear and accurate information about the cookies used on our website. HIC’s website, like most websites, uses small text files called cookies. This note provides information on what cookies are, which cookies HIC uses, and how they can be controlled.

HIC uses cookies for the following purposes:

• to compile statistical data on the use of our website and its functioning, so that we can monitor and improve it;
• to facilitate users’ ability to navigate through our website, including to allow registered users to access secure parts of our website; and
• to allow us to share our web pages via social media platforms.

• What are cookies?

Cookies are text files containing small amounts of information which are downloaded to your device when you visit a website. Cookies are then sent back to the originating website on each subsequent visit, or to another website that recognises that cookie. Cookies are widely used because they allow a website to recognise a user’s device and therefore allow enhanced functionality.

You can find out more information about cookies at: www.allaboutcookies.org

2. Types of cookies

Types of cookies according to the entity that manages them:

HIC’s own cookies: These are cookies that are sent to the user’s terminal device from a computer or domain managed by the owner of the website, and from which the service requested by the user is provided.

Third-party cookies: These are cookies that are sent to the user’s terminal device from a computer or domain that is not managed by the owner of the website from which the service requested by the user is provided, but by another entity that processes the data obtained through the cookies. Additionally, in the event that the cookies are installed from a computer or domain managed by the owner of the website but the information collected through them is managed by a third party, these will also be considered third-party cookies.

Types of cookies according to their purpose:

Technical cookies: These are cookies that allow the user to navigate through a website, platform or application, and to use the different options or services that exist within it, including those that the publisher uses to allow the management and operation of the website, and to enable its functions and services. These may include: traffic control and data communication; identifying the session; accessing restricted access areas; remembering the elements that make up an order; carrying out the purchase process of an order; managing payment; fraud control linked to the security of the service; applying for registration or participation in an event; counting visits for billing purposes of software licenses with which the service (website, platform or application) operates; using security features during browsing; storing content for the broadcasting of videos or sound; enabling dynamic content (e.g., loading of animated text or images); or sharing content through social networks.

Also belonging to this category, due to their technical nature, are those cookies that allow the management, in the most efficient way possible, of the advertising spaces that, as another element of the design or “layout” of the service offered to the user, the publisher has included on a website, application or platform, based on criteria such as the content published, without collecting information from users for other purposes, such as personalising this advertising or other content.

Preference or personalization cookies: These are cookies that allow information to be remembered so that the user can access the service with certain characteristics that can differentiate their experience from that of other users. These may include: the language; the number of results to be displayed when the user performs a search; the appearance or content of the service depending on the type of browser through which the user accesses the service; or the region from which the service is accessed, etc.

Analytical or measurement cookies: These are cookies that allow the party responsible for them to monitor and analyze users’ behaviour with relation to the websites to which they are linked, including the quantification of the impact of advertisements. The information collected through this type of cookie is used to measure the activity of the website, application or platform, with the aim of introducing improvements based on the analysis of the usage data generated by users of the service.

Behavioural advertising cookies: These are cookies that enable the management, in the most effective way possible, of the advertising spaces on the website. These cookies store information on user behaviour obtained through continuous observation of their browsing habits, which allows a specific profile to be developed in order to display advertising based on this data.

Geolocation cookies: These are used to find out where a user is located when they request a service. This cookie is anonymous and is used, for example, to provide you with the most appropriate information depending on the country you are in.

Types of cookies according to the length of time they remain active:

Session cookies: These are cookies designed to collect and store data while the user accesses a website. They are usually used to store information that is only relevant for the provision of the service requested by the user on a single occasion (e.g. a list of products purchased), and disappear at the end of the session.

Persistent cookies: These are cookies in which the data remains stored on the user’s device, and can be accessed and processed for a period defined by the party responsible for the cookie, which can range from a few minutes to several years.

3. Which cookies does HIC use?

• Personalisation cookies: These are cookies that allow the user to access the service with some general characteristics predefined in their device or defined by the user themselves. For example, the language, the type of browser through which the user accesses the service, the selected content design… Among them, Google Analytics (More information on the privacy policy of this tool in Google Analytics), Addthis, etc…
• Management cookies: On some websites, third-party cookies can be installed to manage and improve the services offered.