As stated in the AEPD's “Guide to the use of cookies” updated in November 2019 (and revised in 2020), depending on the entity that manages the cookies, we can distinguish between:
First-party cookies: these are sent to the user's terminal equipment from a computer or domain managed by the publisher itself and from which the service requested by the user is provided.
Third-party cookies: these are sent to the user's terminal equipment from a computer or domain that is not managed by the publisher, but by another entity that processes the data obtained through cookies.
Also, as stated in the AEPD's “Guide to the use of cookies,” depending on the purpose for which the data obtained through cookies is processed, we can distinguish between:
Technical cookies: These are cookies that allow the user to browse a website, platform, or application and use the various options or services that exist therein, such as, for example, controlling traffic and data communication, identifying the session, accessing restricted areas, remembering the items included in an order, carrying out the purchase process for an order, requesting registration or participation in an event, using security elements during navigation, storing content for the dissemination of videos or sound, or sharing content through social networks.
Personalization cookies: These allow the user to access the service with some general characteristics predefined according to a series of criteria in the user's terminal, such as the language, the type of browser through which the service is accessed, the regional configuration from which the service is accessed, etc.
Analysis cookies: These allow the person responsible for them to monitor and analyze the behavior of users of the websites to which they are linked. The information collected through this type of cookie is used to measure the activity of the websites, application, or platform and to create navigation profiles of the users of these sites, applications, and platforms, in order to introduce improvements based on the analysis of the usage data made by the users of the service.
Advertising cookies: These cookies enable the most effective management of the advertising spaces that, where applicable, the publisher has included on a website, application, or platform from which it provides the requested service, based on criteria such as the content edited or the frequency with which the ads are displayed.
Behavioral advertising cookies: These cookies enable the most effective management of the advertising spaces that, where applicable, the publisher has included on a website, application, or platform from which it provides the requested service. These cookies store information on user behavior obtained through continuous observation of their browsing habits, which enables a specific profile to be developed in order to display advertising based on that profile.
Finally, as stated in the AEPD's “Guide to the use of cookies,” depending on how long they remain active, we can distinguish between:
Session cookies: these are 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 (for example, 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 terminal and can be accessed and processed for a period defined by the cookie manager, which can range from a few minutes to several years.