CONTENTS
- Purpose and scope
- Identity and contact details of the Data Controller
- Definitions
- Classification criteria adopted by the Journal
- Cookies used by the Journal
- Absence of analytics, profiling and advertising tools
- Legal basis for the use of cookies
- Absence of a consent banner and conditions for its introduction
- Managing cookies through browser settings
- Recipients of personal data and absence of international transfers
- Retention of information collected through cookies
- Rights of data subjects
- Absence of cookie walls and unconditional access to content
- Accessibility
- Changes to this Policy
- Relationship to other editorial policies of the Journal
- Normative references
- PURPOSE AND SCOPE
1.1 This Cookie Policy describes the cookies and other tracking tools used on the website of European Gynecology and Obstetrics (EGO), published by Edikta S.r.l. on behalf of the European Society of Gynecology (ESG). It explains the purposes for which they are used, the legal basis on which they are relied upon, and the choices available to users.
1.2 This Policy applies to: (a) the public pages of the Journal website; and (b) the manuscript management platform operated by the Journal, including the authenticated areas reserved for authors, reviewers, editors and editorial staff.
1.3 This Policy constitutes the extended information notice referred to in the guidelines of the Italian Data Protection Authority on cookies and other tracking tools of 10 June 2021. It is accessible via a permanent link in the footer of every page on the domain.
1.4 This Policy supplements, and does not replace, the Privacy Policy of the Journal, which governs the processing of personal data by Edikta S.r.l. in its capacity as Data Controller more generally. In respect of cookies and other tracking tools, the more specific provisions of this Policy prevail.
1.5 This Policy does not apply to third-party websites reachable from the Journal website by means of hyperlinks, including repositories, funder platforms, indexing services and the website of the European Society of Gynecology (ESG). Users are advised to consult the cookie information published by those websites.
1.6 This Policy is reviewed at least every 12 months, and in any event whenever a change occurs in the cookies or other tracking tools used, in the third parties involved, or in applicable legislation or regulatory guidance.
- IDENTITY AND CONTACT DETAILS OF THE DATA CONTROLLER
2.1 The Data Controller for the personal data processed by means of the cookies described in this Policy is:
Edikta S.r.l.
Via della Balduina 311, 00136 Roma, Italy
VAT No.: IT 17666401009
Email: edikta@edikta.it
Certified email (PEC): ediktasrl@pecimprese.it
Website: https://egojournal.eu
2.2 Edikta S.r.l. publishes the Journal on behalf of the European Society of Gynecology (ESG). The Society does not act as Data Controller in respect of the cookies used on the Journal website.
2.3 Edikta S.r.l. has assessed that the designation of a Data Protection Officer is not mandatory under Article 37 GDPR for its current processing activities. Questions and requests relating to this Policy should be addressed to: edikta@edikta.it.
- DEFINITIONS
3.1 Cookies are small text files that a website places and stores on the terminal equipment of a user. They may be placed directly by the operator of the website visited (first-party cookies) or, through that operator, by a different website or server (third-party cookies).
3.2 Other tracking tools means any technique, other than cookies, by which information is stored on, or accessed from, the terminal equipment of a user. These include, without limitation, tracking pixels and tracked URLs, web beacons, browser local storage and session storage, software development kits, device fingerprinting techniques, and certain forms of IP-based tracking. In accordance with the European Data Protection Board's Guidelines 2/2023 on the technical scope of Article 5.3 of Directive 2002/58/EC, such tools are subject to the same requirements as cookies.
3.3 Session cookies are deleted when the browser is closed or when the user session ends. Persistent cookies remain stored on the terminal equipment until they reach their expiry date or are deleted by the user.
3.4 Terminal equipment means any device by means of which the user accesses the Journal website, including desktop computers, laptops, tablets and mobile telephones.
3.5 Consent means a freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous indication of the wishes of the user, expressed by a clear affirmative action, as defined in Article 4.11 GDPR.
- CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA ADOPTED BY THE JOURNAL
4.1 Paragraph 8.2 of the guidelines of the Italian Data Protection Authority of 10 June 2021 requires data controllers to make explicit the criteria by which they classify cookies and other tracking tools, in the absence of a universally accepted semantic coding system. The criteria adopted by the Journal are set out in this Section and govern the classification of any cookie or tracking tool that may be introduced in the future.
4.2 Technical cookies and tools. Cookies and other tracking tools are classified as technical where they are used for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network, or where they are strictly necessary to provide a service explicitly requested by the user, within the meaning of Article 122.1 of the Italian Privacy Code and Article 5.3 of Directive 2002/58/EC. This category comprises tools that manage authenticated sessions, protect reserved areas, balance server load, and record any cookie preferences the user expresses. Technical cookies do not require consent.
4.3 Analytics cookies and tools. Cookies and other tracking tools are classified as analytics when used to collect aggregate information on the number of users and how the Journal website is used. Analytics tools operated by a third party are treated as equivalent to technical cookies, and therefore exempt from consent, only where all the minimisation conditions set out in paragraph 7.2 of the guidelines of 10 June 2021 are satisfied, in particular the masking of at least the fourth component of the IPv4 address, or of the corresponding portion of an IPv6 address, before the information is made available to the third party, together with the absence of any cross-referencing of that information with other processing operations and of any transmission to further third parties. Where those conditions are not fully satisfied, analytics cookies require prior consent. The Journal applies that stricter treatment by default.
4.4 Profiling cookies and tools. Cookies and other tracking tools are classified as profiling when they are used to construct user profiles, deliver advertising messages aligned with the user's preferences expressed during navigation, or personalize the provision of the service beyond what is strictly necessary for its delivery.
4.5 The classification adopted for each cookie actually in use is stated in the table in Section 5. That table is kept up to date and forms an integral part of this Policy.
- COOKIES USED BY THE JOURNAL
5.1 The Journal uses technical cookies only. The following table lists every cookie placed on the terminal equipment of the user, both on the public pages of the Journal website and on the manuscript management platform:
|
Name |
Category |
Provider and party |
Purpose |
Duration |
Consent |
|
OJSSID |
Technical |
Edikta S.r.l. - first party |
Stores the identifier of the user session and enables navigation, authentication and access to the reserved areas of the manuscript management platform. It is set with the HttpOnly and Secure attributes and is therefore not readable by scripts running in the browser. It stores no personal data other than the session identifier |
Session, extended to a maximum of 30 days where the user selects the option to remain signed in |
Not required |
5.2 The Journal does not use browser local storage, session storage, software development kits, tracking pixels, tracked URLs, web beacons, device fingerprinting techniques, or any other tracking tool within the meaning of Section 3.2.
5.3 No script supplied by a third party is loaded by the public pages of the Journal website or by the manuscript management platform. All resources are served from the domain of the Journal.
5.4 The cookie listed in Section 5.1 is strictly necessary for the provision of a service explicitly requested by the user, namely access to the Journal website and the submission and management of manuscripts. It is therefore exempt from the consent requirement under Article 122.1 of the Italian Privacy Code.
5.5 Where a user disables technical cookies through the settings of the browser, authentication to the manuscript management platform is not possible, and the submission, review and editorial functions of the platform cannot be used. Reading of the published content of the Journal remains unaffected.
5.6 The table in Section 5.1 is verified at every change of configuration of the Journal website or of the manuscript management platform, and is updated accordingly.
- ABSENCE OF ANALYTICS, PROFILING AND ADVERTISING TOOLS
6.1 The Journal does not use analytics cookies or analytics tools operated by third parties. No information about user navigation is transmitted to any analytics provider.
6.2 The Journal does not use profiling cookies or other profiling tracking tools. It does not construct user profiles, does not engage in behavioral advertising, and does not perform cross-device analysis of user behavior.
6.3 The Journal does not host advertising on its website. The conditions under which advertising and sponsorship could be accepted, and the requirement that any programmatic advertising be configured on a contextual and non-profiling basis, are set out in the Advertising and Sponsorship Policy of the Journal.
6.4 The Journal does not use social media plug-ins, embedded social sharing widgets, or content supplied by advertising or social media operators.
6.5 Usage statistics relating to the published content of the Journal are generated from records held on the servers of the Journal and from the statistical functions native to the manuscript management platform. Those functions operate without placing any cookies on the user’s terminal equipment or transmitting information to third parties. The resulting statistics are aggregate and are reported in accordance with the COUNTER Code of Practice.
- LEGAL BASIS FOR THE USE OF COOKIES
7.1 The legal basis for the use of the cookie listed in Section 5.1 is Article 122.1 of the Italian Privacy Code, which exempts from the consent requirement any cookie used for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network or strictly necessary to provide a service explicitly requested by the user, read together with Article 6.1.f GDPR, namely the legitimate interest of the Data Controller in ensuring the technical operation and the security of the Journal website and of the manuscript management platform.
7.2 That legitimate interest has been balanced against the rights and freedoms of users. The cookie in question stores only a session identifier, is not persistent beyond the period stated in Section 5.1, is not disclosed to third parties, and is not used for any purpose other than the operation of the service. No processing based on consent is currently carried out using cookies or other tracking tools.
- ABSENCE OF A CONSENT BANNER AND CONDITIONS FOR ITS INTRODUCTION
8.1 Because the Journal uses technical cookies only, no consent banner is displayed. This is consistent with paragraph 7.1 of the Italian Data Protection Authority's guidelines of 10 June 2021, according to which, where only technical cookies or analogous tools are used, information about them may be provided in the general information notice without the need to display a banner that the user must dismiss.
8.2 The absence of a banner is a consequence of the configuration described in Sections 5 and 6, and not a derogation from the consent requirement. Should the Journal introduce any cookie or tracking tool other than a technical one, that tool will not be placed on the terminal equipment of any user before a consent mechanism satisfying all of the following requirements has been implemented, and this Policy has been updated:
- no cookie or tracking tool other than a technical one is placed by default, and no active or passive tracking technique is applied, until the user has expressed a choice;
- a banner is displayed on first access, of dimensions sufficient to constitute a perceptible discontinuity in the use of the page but not such as to induce unintended selections, calibrated for desktop and mobile devices alike;
- the banner contains a command marked with an "X" at the top right, the selection of which maintains the default settings and allows navigation to continue without any non-technical tool, together with a statement to that effect; a short notice on the tools used; a link to this Policy reachable with a single click; a command by which consent may be given to all such tools; and a link to a dedicated area allowing granular selection by category and by third party;
- in the granular area, all options other than technical cookies are pre-set to refusal, so that the user may only add consent; the list of third parties is kept constantly updated;
- the commands by which consent may be refused and those by which it may be given are of equal size, emphasis and color, and are equally easy to see and to use;
- scrolling the page, continuing to navigate, and any other passive conduct do not constitute consent and are not recorded as such;
- the choices expressed, including refusal, are recorded to be documented by the Data Controller in accordance with Article 7.1 GDPR;
- where consent has been refused, the banner is not displayed again for a period of not less than 6 months, except where the conditions of the processing change significantly, in particular where the third parties involved change, or where the Data Controller cannot know that the banner has already been displayed;
- consent given is recorded for a period of 6 months, upon the expiry of which the choice is requested afresh; choices expressed on a later occasion override those expressed previously;
- consent may be modified or withdrawn at any time, as simply, immediately and intuitively as it was given, through a dedicated area reachable from a link permanently positioned in the footer of every page and identified by the wording "Review your cookie choices" or equivalent wording, accompanied by a graphic sign indicating the state of the choices expressed;
- any script supplied by a third party is prevented from loading until the corresponding consent has been given.
8.3 The requirements listed in Section 8.2 apply cumulatively. Any future change of this kind constitutes a material change within the meaning of Section 15.
- MANAGING COOKIES THROUGH BROWSER SETTINGS
9.1 The user may configure the browser to block or delete cookies, in whole or by category. Instructions are published by the suppliers of the most widely used browsers:
- Google Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647
- Mozilla Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/kb/clear-cookies-and-site-data-firefox
- Apple Safari: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/safari/sfri11471/mac
- Microsoft Edge: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/manage-cookies-in-microsoft-edge-view-allow- block-delete-and-use
9.2 Blocking or deleting cookies through the browser settings prevents authentication to the manuscript management platform and may impair the operation of certain functions of the Journal website, as stated in Section 5.5.
9.3 Because the Journal places no cookie requiring consent, no action by the user is necessary to prevent tracking.
- RECIPIENTS OF PERSONAL DATA AND ABSENCE OF INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS
10.1 The information collected by means of the cookie listed in Section 5.1 is processed by Edikta S.r.l. and by the supplier of the hosting and platform services of the Journal, appointed as data processor pursuant to Article 28 GDPR by written agreement.
10.2 The hosting infrastructure of the Journal is located within the European Economic Area. No transfer of personal data outside the European Economic Area takes place in connection with the cookies described in this Policy.
10.3 The information collected by means of cookies is not disclosed to any recipient other than those indicated in Section 10.1, is not sold, and is not used for purposes other than those stated in Sections 4 and 5.
10.4 International transfers of personal data carried out in connection with editorial and publishing activities other than the use of cookies, such as the registration of article metadata with Crossref, are described in the Privacy and Data Protection Policy of the Journal.
- RETENTION OF INFORMATION COLLECTED THROUGH COOKIES
11.1 Information collected by means of the cookie listed in Section 5.1 is retained for the duration of the user session, extended to a maximum of 30 days where the user selects the option to remain signed in. Upon expiry of that period, the cookie ceases to be valid, and the associated session record is deleted.
11.2 Server records generated in connection with access to the Journal website are retained for the period necessary to ensure the security and the technical operation of the service. They are not cross-referenced with the cookie listed in Section 5.1 to identify individual users.
11.3 Retention periods applicable to categories of personal data other than those collected by means of cookies are set out in the Privacy and Data Protection Policy of the Journal.
- RIGHTS OF DATA SUBJECTS
12.1 In relation to personal data processed by means of cookies, users have the rights laid down in Articles 15 to 22 GDPR, namely the rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability and objection, and the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing. Those rights are described in full in the Privacy and Data Protection Policy of the Journal.
12.2 Because the cookie listed in Section 5.1 is used based on the legitimate interest of the Data Controller, the user has in particular the right to object to that processing under Article 21 GDPR. The user may also achieve the same result directly, by configuring the browser as described in Section 9.
12.3 Requests for the exercise of these rights should be submitted in writing to: edikta@edikta.it. A response is provided without undue delay and in any event within 1 month of receipt of the request, extendable by a further 2 months where the request is complex or numerous, in accordance with Article 12.3 GDPR.
12.4 Users have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority:
Garante per la protezione dei dati personali
Piazza Venezia 11, 00187 Roma, Italy
Tel.: +39 06 696771
Email: garante@gpdp.it
Website: https://www.garanteprivacy.it
- ABSENCE OF COOKIE WALLS AND UNCONDITIONAL ACCESS TO CONTENT
13.1 The Journal does not employ cookie walls. Access to all content published by the Journal, including the full text of every article, is unconditional and is not made dependent on the giving of consent to cookies or other tracking tools.
13.2 The Journal does not offer, and does not intend to offer, any paid alternative to the giving of consent.
13.3 Unconditional access to content is consistent with the diamond open access model described in the Open Access Policy of the Journal, under which no charge is levied on authors, and no charge or condition is imposed on readers.
- ACCESSIBILITY
14.1 This Policy is published in a format designed so that the information it contains is usable without discrimination by users who, by reason of disability, rely on assistive technologies or particular configurations, in accordance with Italian Law No. 4 of 9 January 2004 and with paragraph 8.1 of the guidelines of the Italian Data Protection Authority of 10 June 2021.
14.2 Any consent mechanism introduced under Section 8.2 shall conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 at level AA, and shall in particular provide for full keyboard operability, a logical focus order, text alternatives for non-textual elements, and a contrast ratio compliant with success criterion 1.4.3.
14.3 Accessibility commitments applicable to the Journal website as a whole are set out in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Policy of the Journal.
- CHANGES TO THIS POLICY
15.1 Edikta S.r.l. may update this Policy to reflect changes in the cookies or other tracking tools used, in the third parties involved, in applicable legislation, or in regulatory guidance.
15.2 The introduction of any cookie or tracking tool other than a technical one constitutes a material change. Such a change is implemented only in accordance with Section 8.2, and this Policy is updated before the relevant tool is installed on the terminal equipment of any user.
15.3 The date of the most recent update is stated beneath the title of this Policy.
15.4 The current version of this Policy is always available at: https://egojournal.eu/legal/cookie
- RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER EDITORIAL POLICIES OF THE JOURNAL
16.1 This Policy forms part of the editorial policy framework of the Journal and is to be read together with:
- the Privacy and Data Protection Policy, which governs the processing of personal data by Edikta S.r.l. as Data Controller, including data collected through the Journal website and the manuscript management platform;
- the Terms of Use, which govern access to and use of the Journal website;
- the Advertising and Sponsorship Policy, in respect of digital advertising and direct marketing;
- the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Policy, in respect of accessibility.
16.2 Where a conflict arises between this Policy and the Privacy and Data Protection Policy in respect of cookies and other tracking tools, this Policy prevails.
16.3 This Policy does not govern the processing of personal data of research participants contained within manuscripts submitted to the Journal. That processing is the responsibility of the authors and is addressed in the Journal's Research Ethics Policy and Data Availability and Sharing Policy.
- NORMATIVE REFERENCES
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (General Data Protection Regulation - GDPR), in particular Articles 4.11, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 21, 25 and 77
- Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 (ePrivacy Directive), as amended by Directive 2009/136/EC, in particular Article 5.3
- Italian Legislative Decree No. 196 of 30 June 2003 (Privacy Code), as amended by Legislative Decree No. 101 of 10 August 2018, in particular Article 122
- Italian Garante per la protezione dei dati personali, Linee guida cookie e altri strumenti di tracciamento, Provvedimento No. 231 of 10 June 2021, published in Gazzetta Ufficiale No. 163 of 9 July 2021
- European Data Protection Board, Guidelines 05/2020 on consent under Regulation 2016/679 (adopted 4 May 2020)
- European Data Protection Board, Guidelines 2/2023 on the technical scope of Article 5.3 of the ePrivacy Directive (adopted 7 October 2024)
- Italian Law No. 4 of 9 January 2004 on access by persons with disabilities to information technology resources
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, level AA
- COUNTER Code of Practice, Release 5
- DOAJ Transparency and Best Practice Checklist (2024)