Today, each time you use the internet, your activities are tracked. Whether you visit a store, a blog, or an online video service, information is gathered about you to improve how you use the website. A typical tool used for this is cookies. What are cookies, anyway? How do they influence the privacy of your information online?
Here, we’ll explain cookies, explain how they function, and discuss how important they are for you, not just to make life easy but also to protect your personal data.
What Are Cookies?
Simply put, a website will create a cookie stored on your device when you access it. They hold your information from your visit, for example, your favorites, login information, or anything you put into a shopping cart.
When it comes to privacy, cookies raise issues even though they are not as harmful as viruses.
Example:
Normally, if I add products to my Amazon cart but don’t make a purchase, the site will record my activity. By the following day, your cart is filled to the edges, just as it was yesterday. This occurs because cookies allow the website to recall what you did.
You Can also visit Google — How Chrome Uses Cookies
Types of Cookies
All types of cookies are designed for a specific purpose according to the website. We need to explore some of the most recent trends:
1. First-party Cookies
They are generated and kept by the site you are accessing. They monitor your settings, like the language you prefer or your saved login information.
If a blog stores your preference for dark or light mode, it can be helpful.
2. Third-party Cookies
Most of these cookies are placed on websites by third parties who want to display ads to you. They primarily track your behavior across different websites to serve targeted advertisements.
If you search for shoes on one website and later notice shoe advertisements appearing on other websites, it’s a clear example of third-party cookies in action.
3. Session Cookies
They are stored in your browser only for the duration of your visit to the website. When you finish using the browser, the cookies are removed.
4. Persistent Cookies
You can store cookies for a given time, unless you decide to remove them. They store your login details and preferences each time you use the application.
Cookies are used to collect different types of data.
Cookies can collect several pieces of information.
- IP address
- Devices and the browsers used
- Pages visited
- Click behavior
- Your login credentials (if they are saved for you after logging in)
- Location (approximate)
Nevertheless, they leave your photos, documents, and personal information untouched.
Can cookies reveal our privacy online?
The key concern lies in how cookies impact your online privacy.
1. Tracking Someone Without Asking
Many sites use third-party cookies to track your actions outside of their website. Your details can be sold to businesses or molded into a digital summary without you knowing or agreeing.
2. Targeted Advertising
Advertisers use cookies to gather insights into your interests, age, gender, location, and browsing behavior.
This is why they present you with advertisements that seem like your phone is paying close attention to do.
3. Problems Associated with Data Sharing
On occasion, cookies play a role in a larger network where multiple companies share information, so a hack or data breach could be major.
4. No Transparency
Most individuals do not bother to read privacy policies or cookie banners. As a result, you could let companies collect your information without, at times, knowing what they intend to do with it.
Are Cookies Legal?
Cookies have not been declared as illegal items. However, in a lot of countries, websites must request permission from users before putting cookies on their devices.
Examples:
- GDPR (Europe): Websites must clearly explain what cookies are being used and must give users the option to accept or reject them.
- CCPA (California): Gives users the right to know what data is collected and request its deletion.
Data protection in India is improving, which could mean that websites need to follow stricter rules about using cookies.
How You Can Avoid Sharing Too Much Information
Gladly, you control whether cookies can be sent to your computer. You can manage them effectively by following a few simple steps:
1. Use Private Browsing Mode
Browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Brave offer incognito/private mode, which doesn’t store cookies after the session ends.
2. Clear Cookies Regularly
Open your browser settings and remove cookies and cache to erase the saved data.
3. Block Third-party Cookies
Modern browsers allow you to block third-party cookies entirely, reducing tracking by advertisers.
- In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Cookies and Other Site Data.
- In Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Enhanced Tracking Protection
- In Brave: Tracking prevention is on by default
4. Install Privacy-focused tools for your web browser.
To secure privacy online, you can use Brave, DuckDuckGo, and Tor. There are also extensions such as uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, and Ghostery, which can prevent trackers and cookies from running.
5. Read Cookie Policies
Before clicking “Accept All,” check what types of cookies are used. Many sites now offer granular options to accept only necessary cookies.
Are All Cookies Bad?
Not at all! Cookies serve useful purposes too:
- Remembering your login sessions
- Keeping items in shopping carts
- Saving your preferences
- Providing personalized content
It’s mainly third-party cookies and a lack of transparency that raise privacy concerns.
The Future of Cookies
Due to rising privacy concerns, the internet is slowly moving towards a cookieless future.
- Google plans to phase out third-party cookies from Chrome by 2025.
- Privacy Sandbox and Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) are being developed as alternatives for targeted advertising without tracking individuals.
- Contextual advertising (ads based on the page content, not user data) is becoming popular again.
Final Thoughts: Be Aware, Not Afraid
Cookies are included in how the internet works. They do not count as viruses or malware, yet they may still be used for bad purposes. You have the authority as a user. If you monitor your privacy, pick the right tools, and manage your browser settings, you can visit the web and not risk sharing your data.
Key Takeaways:
- Cookies are tiny files that save information about your online activities.
- They help customize your experience or monitor your browsing behavior.
- Among them, third-party cookies pose the greatest risk to your privacy.
- You have the ability to manage or block cookies using your browser settings.
- The future of the internet is shifting toward privacy-first solutions.
Did You Know?
The term “cookie” comes from “magic cookie,” a packet of data a program receives and sends back unchanged — a concept that originated in UNIX.
Stay smart. Stay safe. Stay private.
For more cybersecurity tips and tech updates in Hinglish, keep reading xyzinfo
