Complete Guide To Website Cookies

If you have ever browsed the internet, you would have seen that many websites that have a pop-up that asks you to accept cookies. While your parents may have told you never to accept sweets from strangers, these little nuggets can be helpful to your browsing experience when used properly. Just be careful when it comes to accepting cookies; only accept all cookies if you trust the website.

What Are Cookies?

It’s a small piece of code that picks up when you visit a website. This code is created by websites to track, compare and store information about your web session. When you return to the site later, it remembers who you are and what you searched for, and can even show you personalized ads for products that are relevant to you.

Cookies can be used to remember the items you have in your online shopping cart, what videos you want to watch and your language preferences, and to automatically log you into sites you’ve previously logged in to. Although it’s scary that websites store this information, your data is usually kept private.

First And Third-Party Cookies

The codes described above are called first-party cookies. This type of cookie improves your internet experience and allows brands to provide location-specific time information and allows quick and easy access to websites that require login information.

From a brand’s perspective, first-party cookies can optimize its offers for each individual who visits its website. This includes personalized product ads that are more relevant to each user. However, cookies can be annoying if they seem to know too much about you. Google recently announced that it will say goodbye to third-party cookies in 2022, but has delayed this now until 2024.

These are pieces of code that store information about your Google search history. Maybe you’ve noticed an ad on Facebook or Instagram for something you’re looking for. These are third-party cookies at work, and they can be a little scary. These cookies, or bits of information, are usually sold to advertisers. This has massive privacy concerns and far-reaching implications if used incorrectly or if hacked by cybercriminals.

Banning Third-Party Cookies

Quite a few internet browsers have already taken to banning the use of third-party cookies. This change was initiated by international legislation on the protection of personal data.

What To Do With Cookies On Websites

These privacy changes and increased awareness of cookies and their purpose have led many websites to update their small pop-ups. You will often find that you have a choice of what specific information (cookies) you want to store on a website, whether you’re looking for the latest news, shopping for shoes, or playing at a live casino online. These boxes give you a choice between only basic information, some data for personalized advertising, or all cookies.

The choice is yours. If you want a more relevant browsing experience, some cookies are required. If you are paranoid about your private data and personal information, select only necessary cookies.

The truth is that most websites are not willing to sell your information to third parties. If web browsers start blocking cookies, your privacy will be better protected.