When the User visits www.versalis.eni.com (‘Site’) or uses the services, tools or online systems provided by it (‘Services’), Versalis S.p.A. (the ‘Company’) and the suppliers authorised by it may use cookies, web beacons and other similar technologies to ensure the operation of the Website and the Services, to improve their performance, to offer additional functions and to direct targeted advertising or advertising in line with the User’s interests, in compliance with the conditions laid down by the relevant regulations.
The objective of this cookie policy is to provide the User with a guide to understanding what cookies, including web beacons and similar technologies, are, how and why they are used, what rights the User has and what choices the User can make with respect to the use of cookies.
1. What are cookies, web beacons and similar technologies?
Cookies: small strings of text (usually made up of letters and numbers) that Websites (so-called 'first party') visited by the User or different Websites or web servers (so-called 'third party') place and store on a terminal device ('Device') used by the User while browsing (e.g. PC, tablet, smartphone or any other device capable of storing information).
Web beacons: small images, also known as 'pixel tags' or ‘clear GIFs', which may be included in websites, services, apps, messages and tools. In general, they work in the same way as cookies to identify Users and their activities.
Similar technologies: technologies that store data in the browser or device using locally shared objects or local storage, such as flash cookies, HTML 5 cookies and other web application software methods. These technologies work on all browsers. In some cases, the use of local storage cannot be fully managed by browsers, but requires management by specific tools. The Company also uses these technologies to store information useful for creating targeted advertising on its own or on other websites.
The terms ‘cookies’ and ‘similar technologies’ will be used indiscriminately in this cookie policy to refer to all technologies used to store data in the User’s browser or Device or technologies that collect data or can identify the User while browsing.
2. What are the different categories of cookies?
Cookies categorised according to their duration
Cookies can remain on a Device for the duration of a session (i.e. until the User closes the browser used to access the Website or stops using a Service) and are called session cookies; or they may remain for long periods and may contain a unique identifier and are called persistent cookies.
Cookies categorised according to the cookie Owner
Cookies may be owned by the operator of the Website and the Service (which is the Company) and, therefore, installed by the latter on the User's Device. In these cases, these are known as first-party cookies; or it may happen that a website contains cookies from other sites, owned by third party subjects, such as suppliers, and contained in various elements hosted on the Website itself (e.g. advertising banners, images, videos, etc.). In these cases, these involve third-party cookies.
Cookies categorised according to purpose
Cookies can be installed on the User's Device to:
- ensure operation of the Website and Services, and to ensure the User is able to take advantage of their functionalities, known as technical cookies;
- allow us to improve the performance of the Website and our Services and to evaluate the effectiveness of a service offered through the Website, known as analytical cookies; and
- allow the Company or our partners to direct advertising targeted at, or in line with, the User's interests, with prior consent, known as profiling cookies.
3. What types of cookies are used and what is their purpose?
Technical cookies that allow the Website and Services to function correctly
The Company uses technical cookies to allow Users to navigate around the Website, use the Services and to take advantage of the various functionalities (such as accessing reserved areas of the Website and Services, remembering User choices, etc.). Without these cookies, the Services requested, such as the use of the media player, cannot be provided. For this reason, technical cookies do not require User consent to be installed on Devices.
First-party analytical cookies that analyse performance and improve the Website and Services
Subject to the User's consent, the Company uses its own, i.e. first-party analytical cookies to analyse performance and to improve the performance of the Website and Services. These cookies collect information about how the User navigates the Website and uses the Services (e.g. pages visited, online contractual process interrupted), and allow us to recognise the User and record the User's behaviour by identifying, for example, which aspects of the Website and Services are of most interest to the User or whether the User can easily find the information he or she wants.
In addition, the Company may use so-called tracking scripts with functionalities similar to those of analytical cookies in order to carry out random analyses of User behaviour on the Website (e.g. mouse movements and positioning on the Website and its contents). The information gathered is solely for the purpose of aggregate analysis not based on the User’s personal data (e.g. IP, MAC address etc.).
Third-party analytical cookies for analysis and improvement of the Website and Services
The Company also uses analytical cookies from third parties (i.e. suppliers) to process analyses of how Users navigate the Website, the number of pages visited or the number of clicks made on a page while browsing a website. These analyses are based solely on aggregate information and do not concern any individual User. The reason for using this type of cookie is the need for the Company and Company partners to pursue each of the purposes described in the cookie centre (such as, for example, evaluating the performance of ads, content, selecting customised content, or developing and refining products). The Company has conducted the appropriate assessments concerning the non-prevalence of the User’s interests and rights over the Company's interest in pursuing these purposes, which are available upon request. Each User may, in any case, object to the Company’s use of this type of cookie directly from the cookie centre or in the other ways set out in the dedicated section of this policy.
Third-party profiling cookies
The Company makes use of suppliers in order to show, on third-party websites, advertising communications concerning the Website and the Services and to allow these suppliers to show advertising content related to the preferences of the User who has visited the Website or used a Service. To enable this activity, third-party profiling cookies are installed with the express consent of the User via the cookie centre.
For example, these cookies are used by suppliers to show the User, when visiting other websites, banners advertising the Company’s products or services and of interest to the User or similar to those displayed, including on the basis of the User’s browsing history.
Detailed information on cookies
The User may access the cookie centre at any time in order to access detailed information relating to each cookie used by the Website (e.g. details of third parties, retention of information acquired), to manage consents relating to each type of cookie (in particular, to provide or revoke them) and/or to object to the use of cookies on the basis of the legitimate interest of the Company.
To better understand the descriptions contained therein:
- the term ‘advertising partners' (or vendors) means third-party advertisers with whom the publisher has chosen to collaborate. Vendors display third-party content on the Website. For instance, they place marketing cookies on the browsers of Users in order to display the most relevant advertising to potential customers;
- the term publisher refers to digital media that publish content on the Internet (e.g. the Company). In general, publishers represent the first party: the Website that the User is trying to access, i.e.