Cookies
Our website uses HTTP cookies to store user-specific data.
In the following we explain what cookies are and why they are used so that you can better understand the following data protection declaration.
What exactly are cookies?
Whenever you surf the Internet, use a browser. Well-known browsers include Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge. Most websites save small text files in your browser. These files are called cookies.
One thing cannot be denied: Cookies are really useful helpers. Almost all websites use cookies. More specifically, they are HTTP cookies because there are also other cookies for other areas of application. HTTP cookies are small files that our website stores on your computer. These cookie files are automatically placed in the cookie folder, the "brain" of your browser. A cookie consists of a name and a value. When defining a cookie, one or more attributes must also be specified.
Cookies store certain user data about you, such as language or personal page settings. When you visit our site again, your browser transmits the "user-related" information back to our site. Thanks to cookies, our website knows who you are and offers you your usual standard setting. In some browsers, each cookie has its own file; in others, such as Firefox, all cookies are stored in a single file.
There are both first-party cookies and third-party cookies. First-party cookies are created directly by our website, third-party cookies are created by partner websites (e.g. Google Analytics). Each cookie is to be assessed individually, since each cookie stores different data. The expiration time of a cookie also varies from a few minutes to a few years. Cookies are not software programs and do not contain viruses, Trojans or other “pests”. Cookies also cannot access information from your PC.
For example, cookie data can look like this:
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Name: _ga
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Expiry time: 2 years
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Use: Differentiation of website visitors
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Example value: GA1.2.1326744211.152221094700
A browser should support the following minimum sizes:
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A cookie should contain at least 4096 bytes
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At least 50 cookies should be saved per domain
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A total of at least 3000 cookies should be saved
What types of cookies are there?
The question of which cookies we use in particular depends on the services used and is clarified in the following sections of the data protection declaration. At this point we would like to briefly discuss the different types of HTTP cookies.
There are 4 types of cookies:
Strictly necessary cookies
These cookies are necessary to ensure basic functions of the website. For example, these cookies are needed if a user places a product in the shopping cart, then surfs on other pages and only later checks out. These cookies do not delete the shopping cart, even if the user closes his browser window.
Functional cookies
These cookies collect information about user behavior and whether the user receives any error messages. In addition, these cookies are used to measure the loading time and behavior of the website in different browsers.
Targeted cookies
These cookies improve user-friendliness. For example, entered locations, font sizes or form data are saved.
Advertising cookies
These cookies are also called targeting cookies. They serve to deliver customized advertising to the user. This can be very practical, but it can also be very annoying.
When you visit a website for the first time, you are usually asked which of these types of cookies you want to allow. And of course this decision is also saved in a cookie.
How can I delete cookies?
You decide how and whether you want to use cookies. Regardless of which service or website the cookies come from, you always have the option of deleting cookies, only partially allowing or deactivating them. For example, you can block third-party cookies but allow all other cookies.
If you want to determine which cookies have been saved in your browser, if you want to change or delete cookie settings, you can find this in your browser settings:
Chrome: delete, activate and manage cookies in Chrome
Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari
Firefox: delete cookies to remove data that websites have stored on your computer
Internet Explorer: delete and manage cookies
Microsoft Edge: delete and manage cookies
If you basically do not want to have cookies, you can set up your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie should be set. With each individual cookie you can decide whether you want to allow the cookie or not. The procedure differs depending on the browser. It is best to search for the instructions in Google with the search term "Delete cookies Chrome" or "Deactivate cookies Chrome" in the case of a Chrome browser or replace the word "Chrome" with the name of your browser, eg Edge, Firefox, Safari.
What about my data protection?
The so-called "Cookie Policy" has been in existence since 2009. This states that the storage of cookies requires the consent of the website visitor (i.e. you). However, there are still very different reactions to these guidelines within the EU countries. In Austria, however, this directive was implemented in Section 96 (3) of the Telecommunications Act (TKG).
If you want to know more about cookies and do not shy away from technical documentation, we recommend https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6265 , the Request for Comments by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) called "HTTP State Management Mechanism".
