What a Cookie really means By Gavin Pierce

Mmm... Cookie

A cookie for a website is much different than something your mom freshly baked

When you say yes to cookie's you're permitting the website to remember who you are and what you have done on their website and others. Why does this matter to me?

• Hold your data
• Websites now know who you are and what ads to show you to take your money
• When you leave it continues to track you allowing it to know what you do
• Imposes threats to your personal accounts and shopping carts

You get to log in faster to the website at least it only cost your browser history!

According to a 2017 Australian privacy survey, 32% of people thought online services were the biggest threat to their privacy. Don't just give away your information for free because cookies sound nice it's not worth the website loading faster, especially if you'll never visit again.

Not all cookies are bad.

First-party cookies are usually safe.

First-party cookies were made by the website itself that you are using. These cookies are typically needed for the website to work and will, in general, be safe as long as you are using a trustworthy website that has not been hit by a data breach.

Some cookies are necessary for a website to function. Some first-party cookies are essential for the website to function as they hold your login credentials.

Third-party cookies not so much.

When you are warned about cookie's they are usually referring to the third-party kind, as they allow other websites and companies to have access to the data that you're giving to the website you're currently on. Luckily, due to new laws, most of these cookies are optional when you enter a website but don't let yourself mix it up with first-party.

Zombie Cookies

These are the most dangerous kinds of surveillance a cookie can do. they get their name from their distinct ability to reappear after they've been deleted. These types of cookies are extremely difficult to get rid of and, due to that, are often used by websites to ban someone or to continue to track users without their knowledge.

How do I check if I have cookies using my browser?

"Web browsers store cookies in a designated file on users' devices. The Google Chrome web browser, for instance, stores all cookies in a file labeled "Cookies." Chrome users can view the cookies stored by the browser by opening developer tools, clicking the "Application" tab, and clicking on "Cookies" in the left side menu." - Cloudflare