What is a cookie?
A cookie is a harmless text file that is stored in your browser when you visit almost any website. The use of the cookie is for the website to be able to remember your visit whenever you browse that site again. Although many people are unaware of the fact, cookies have been around for 20 years when the first browsers for the World Wide Web came on the scene.
What is NOT a cookie?
It is not a virus, a trojan, a worm, spam, spyware, nor does it open pop-up windows.
What information does a cookie store?
Cookies do not usually store sensitive information about you, such as credit cards or bank details, photographs, your ID or personal information, etc. The data stored is of a technical nature, or involves personal preferences, content customisation, etc.
The web server does not associate this data with you as an individual but with your web browser. In fact, if you normally use Internet Explorer and try browsing the same website with Firefox or Chrome, you will see that the website does not realise that you are the same person because it is associating the browser, not the person.
Which types of cookie exist?
- Technical cookies: these are the most basic and, among other things, provide information on when a human or an automated application is browsing, when an anonymous and a registered user is browsing, basic tasks for the functioning of any dynamic website.
- Analytical cookies: these gather information on the type of browsing, the sections used most, the products consulted, usage time zones, languages, etc.
- Advertising cookies: these display advertising based on your browsing, country of origin, language, etc.
What are first-party and third-party cookies?
First-party cookies are those generated by the site you are visiting and third-party cookies are those generated by external services or providers, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc.
What happens if I disable cookies?
To understand what might happen if you disable cookies, here are a few examples:
- You will not be able to share content from that website on Facebook, Twitter or any other social network.
- The website will not be able to tailor content to your personal preferences, as is often the case in on-line stores.
- You will not be able to access the personal area of that site, such as My Account, My Profile, or My Orders.
- On-line stores: You will not be able to make on-line purchases, and these will have to be made by phone or by visiting the physical store, if there is one.
- You will not be able to customise your geographic preferences, such as time zone, currency, or language.
- The website will not be able to perform web analytics on visitors and web traffic, making it difficult for the website to be competitive.
- You will not be able to blog, post photos, post comments, rate or rank content. The website will not be able to ascertain whether you are a human or an automated application posting spam.
- It will not be possible for any sector-specific advertising to be displayed, which will reduce the website’s advertising revenue.
- All social networks use cookies. If you disable them, you will not be able to use any social media.
Can cookies be deleted?
Yes. Not only deleted, but also blocked, either generally or specifically for a specific domain.
To delete cookies from a website, go to your browser settings, search for cookies associated with the domain in question and delete them.
Cookie settings for the most popular browsers
Here is how to access a certain cookie in the Chrome browser. Note: these steps may vary depending on the browser version:
- Go to Settings or Preferences using the File menu or by clicking the customisation icon at the top right.
- You will see different sections. Click on Show Advanced Settings.
- Go to Privacy, Content Settings.
- Select All cookies and site data.
- A list of all cookies sorted by domain will be displayed. To make it easier to find cookies for a specific domain, enter part or all of the address in the Search for cookies field.
- Once this filter is complete, one or more lines will be displayed with the cookies of the requested website. Now simply select it and click on X to delete it.
Follow these steps to access the Internet Explorer browser cookie settings (they may vary depending on the browser version):
- Go to Tools, Internet Options
- Click on Privacy.
- Move the slider to set the required privacy level.
Follow these steps to access the Firefox browser cookie settings (they may vary depending on the browser version):
- Go to Options or Preferences based on your operating system.
- Click on Privacy.
- In History, select Use custom settings for history.
- You will now see the Accept cookies option and can enable or disable it depending on your preferences.
Follow these steps to access the cookies settings of the Safari for OSX browser (they may vary depending on the browser version):
- Go to Preferences, then Privacy.
- Here you will see the Block cookies option for you to set the type of block required.
Follow these steps to access the cookies settings of the Safari for iOS browser (they may vary depending on the browser version):
- Go to Settings, then Safari.
- Go to Privacy and Security, you will see the Block cookies option for you to set the type of block required.
Follow these steps to access the cookies settings of the Android browser (they may vary depending on the browser version):
- Launch the browser and click on Menu, then Settings.
- Go to Security & Privacy, you will see the Accept cookies option to tick or untick the checkbox.
Follow these steps to access the cookies settings of the Windows Phone browser (they may vary depending on the browser version):
- Open Internet Explorer, then More, then Settings
- You can now tick or untick the Allow cookies checkbox.