A computer cookie, also known as an “HTTP cookie”, is a small text file containing a unique identification tag, placed on a user’s computer by a website. Various information can be stored in this file, from pages visited on the website, to information voluntarily provided to the website. These small files provide practical benefits to website users and operators, and often make browsing the Internet a smoother experience than it otherwise would be. However, privacy advocates tend to be wary of them, as many users do not know exactly what information is being collected and how it may be used or shared.
Permanent computer cookies are stored for a long time on the user’s hard drive.
Types of Cookies
There are two types of computer cookies: temporary and permanent. Temporary cookies, also called session cookies, are stored for a short period and are deleted as soon as the browser is closed. Permanent cookies, also called persistent cookies, are stored for a long time on the user’s hard drive and, if deleted, will be replaced the next time you visit the respective website.
The temporary cookie is very simple. It works by reserving part of the browser’s cache to retain information about the user’s activities during their visit. After placing a selected purchase in a shopping cart, for example, the user can continue to search for additional products on the site without going through a separate checkout for each item. However, once the browser is closed, all temporary cookies are lost. Returning users are not recognized, shopping carts are empty, and any other forms or information will need to be re-entered.
On the other hand, permanent cookies make it possible for a website to recognize a browser on an ongoing basis. This is done by transferring a text file with a unique identification tag to the visitor’s hard drive, while keeping the corresponding file on the server. On subsequent visits, the browser automatically delivers this cookie, allowing the website to instantly retrieve the corresponding file. Persistent cookies can last for years unless deleted, or until the internally defined lifetime of the cookie has passed. Today, permanent cookies are the most widely used type of cookie.
How cookies are used
At its most basic level, a website uses computer cookies to record when an individual visits, what pages are viewed, and how long the visitor stays. If you return at a later date, the visitor’s cookie activates the record of previous visits and corrects it to include what happened during the new visit. If in any of these visits any personal data is made available, it will be instantly associated with the “anonymous” identifier and, consequently, with the entire profile. That way, a website can more easily monitor changing trends and other statistics among its visitors. Over time, persistent cookies have also led to some initially unexpected uses, such as web profiling.
Marketers have developed a substantially broader application for cookie profiling. By having advertising rights on many of the most popular websites, merchants can now pass third-party cookies to Internet users. This allows them to recognize people as they travel between different sites, recording comprehensive profiles of people’s browsing habits over a period of months or even years. Sophisticated profiling programs quickly classify the information provided by computer cookies, categorizing targets into several different areas based on statistical data. Age, income level, and even sexual orientation can often be determined with varying degrees of accuracy through cookie profiling, along with many other features. A lot depends on how much a person surfs and where they choose to go online.
As a result of public outcry in response to hidden profiling, cookie controls are now included in web browsers to allow users to disable cookies, options that were not available in 1995, when the technology was first introduced. of permanent cookies. Cookie controls also allow user-created lists for exceptions, so that a user can disable most cookies, for example, but allow them from sites where computer cookies are placed for a desired purpose. Third party cookies often have their own controls as they are typically placed by vendors.
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As a concept, the computer cookie dates back to 1994. In that year, it was adapted as a tool for the World Wide Web by Leo Montulli from a similar technique, called the “magic cookie”, that was used on UNIX® systems. This is also the origin of the term itself. However, it wasn’t until a couple of years later that cookies became widely known to the general public. In 1996, articles about them began appearing in the mainstream press, many of which raised privacy concerns and, in turn, inspired changes to web browsers that ultimately gave users more control over how cookies were deployed. on their individual machines.
Are cookies dangerous?
In themselves, computer cookies are not malicious; they generally make navigation smoother and help websites run more profitably and efficiently. However, there are legitimate concerns about the ways in which cookies can be used to follow users from one site to another, forming comprehensive profiles. Some consider this to be a violation of privacy and that, in the wrong hands, the information can be exploited for questionable purposes. However, much like managing privacy settings on social networking sites, each user has the power to decide for themselves whether to accept cookies, block certain types, and how often to delete them. Most modern browsers, as well as many Internet security products, give users easy and flexible control over all of these decisions. Many websites detail their cookie process, if applicable, in their privacy policy.
