What are internet cookies and how to control them
Cookies can help provide a unique user experience. But what are the different types of cookies? What are they used for? Can they be deleted or blocked? Read this article to find out more about cookies and how they affect you.
What are cookies?
An internet cookie (HTTP cookie or browser cookie or web cookie) is a small piece of data that a website stores on a user's browser. A cookie consists of a small text file with a unique ID which is an anonymous number (randomly generated). There are two copies of it, one is stored on your device and one is stored on the website.
Cookies are set on the user's device while the user is browsing a website and are stored for a range of purposes such as uniquely identifying users, managing their browsing sessions, facilitating personalized user experiences, ad targeting, and much more.
Are cookies good or bad?
The use of cookies on websites can have both positive and negative aspects. On one hand, cookies can enhance the user's browsing experience by allowing for faster loading times, personalized content, and convenient features such as remembering language preferences. On the other hand, cookies can also be used to track user behavior and collect personal information without consent, potentially leading to privacy concerns. Ultimately, whether cookies are "good" or "bad" depends on how they are used and whether appropriate measures are taken to protect user privacy.
Types of internet cookies
Session Cookies - Session cookies are temporary packets of information that a user's browser stores. These cookies remain in your history as long as you have your browser open. Right after you end the session and close your browser, the browser deletes the session cookies. Because these cookies don't remain stored anywhere, experts regard them to be the safest.
Persistent Cookies - Persistent cookies are the opposite of session cookies. As the name suggests, this type of cookie remains in a user's web history for a considerable amount of time. Persistent cookies are stored on a user's device to help the browser remember information like settings, preferences, or sign-on credentials that they've previously saved. This cookie is used to create a convenient and faster website experience for the user. The website that created them assigns the cookie an expiry date; after this expiry limit passes, the browser deletes these cookies itself.
First-Party Cookies - First-party cookies are small amounts of text stored in a user's computer that are created by the website the user is visiting. By default, first-party cookies are permitted in every web browser. First-party cookies store a variety of data for the website on that specific user (including preferred language) and can only be used by the site that created them. First-party cookies also store a user's password and login details for sites like Gmail and Facebook. However, these cookies are only safe on a private, personal device.
Third-Party Cookies - Third-party cookies are created by domains other than the one the user is visiting. For example, when a person visits website.com and browses their pages, website.com creates a first-party cookie. Like most publishers, website.com uses online ads to monetize its content - the third-party advertising provider also creates a cookie (ads.example.net). As these cookies are not created by website.com, but by the advertising provider, they are classified as third-party cookies. Unlike first-party cookies, these can track a particular person beyond the originating site, giving advertisers a better understanding of them and how to best market to them.
Second-Party Cookies - Second-party cookies, a different form of first-party cookie, are relatively new to the internet world. They are created when a website copies the contents of another website's first-party cookies. These cookies are often created when different companies decide to share their data. You are often informed of such data-sharing policies by respected websites. Accepting these policies means you are fine with a second party storing your information from the original site. These cookies aren't always threatening. However, users should know what companies are sharing their cookies before accepting anything.
To protect yourself as an internet user, it is important to be aware of the risks associated with cookies and take appropriate action.
Privacy concerns are a major issue for many users when it comes to cookies. Search engines and advertising platforms often use cookies to track user behavior and deliver targeted ads, which can feel like an invasion of privacy. To mitigate this risk, users can adjust their browser settings to limit the use of cookies, or use private browsing modes to avoid the storage of cookies altogether.
Another risk associated with cookies is fraud, which can involve the falsification of user identities or the use of legitimate identities for malicious purposes. Keeping your browser up to date and avoiding questionable sites can help reduce the risk of cookie fraud. If you are concerned about cookies, it's important to stay vigilant and take steps to protect your online privacy.How to control your cookies.
To prevent cookies from being placed on your device in the first place, you can sometimes opt out of third-party cookies within your browser settings or decide what cookies you want to allow on a particular website by interacting with the cookie banner on the site. Certain cookies that are necessary to the site's performance will not allow you to opt out, but other types such as those used for advertising will allow you to opt out.
Conclusion
Cookies can be a useful tool for website publishers, particularly when it comes to website monetization. However, it's important for publishers to use cookies responsibly and with a clear understanding of the associated risks.
One key consideration for publishers is compliance with applicable privacy laws, such as the GDPR and CCPA. These laws are designed to protect users' privacy rights and ensure that their personal data is being collected and used appropriately. Publishers who use cookies as part of their website monetization strategy should be aware of these laws and take steps to ensure that they are in compliance.
In addition to legal compliance, publishers should also be mindful of the potential impact of cookies on user experience. While cookies can be helpful in delivering personalized content and improving site performance, they can also be perceived as intrusive or even threatening by some users. To ensure that cookies are being used effectively, publishers should strive to balance their business needs with their users' privacy and security concerns.
