When you visit websites, you may see them asking to accept cookies. An average user mostly hits accept to remove the pop-up and browse the webpage. But, what are the consequences of accepting cookies of a website?
Traditionally, cookies were used to ensure better browsing experience of a particular website. That’s still the case, but a lot more pours over in the name of ‘personalized’ experience. And not everyone would be fine with that. Before you learn about accepting or declining cookies, you need to first understand the role of cookies on a website.
What Are Cookies of Websites
Cookies are scripts that websites install on your computer or mobile. The aim is to improve your web-browsing experience by storing some of your data. There are two types of cookies that websites use: First-party and Third-party.
First-Party Cookies: These cookies are managed by the website owner or the web app. They are often safe as long as the website isn’t malicious. Such cookies are also known as session cookies and collect relevant information to deliver a good experience like faster page loads, quick logins, etc.
Third-Party Cookies: Often known as persistent cookies, some websites also use such third-party cookies to show targeted ads. They are often managed by social media platforms or ad networks. These cookies don’t always look in your best interests. They track your browsing pattern, activities, and other information to target tailor-made ads for you.
When you accept cookies, you permie the websites to store script on your computer or phone. These browser cookies are in small text files and don’t take much of the space.
Why Do Websites Ask to Accept Cookies
While in some regions, websites can store cookies on your device without your consent, the same isn’t true for many countries. Websites need to follow strict privacy data laws such as the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and ask users to accept cookies.
Without user consent, websites can’t store such data on your device. The aim is to give more control over your personal data.
Should You Accept Cookies
Accepting cookies isn’t a concern most of the time. However, there are times when you can decline a cookies request from a website or web app.
You need not accept cookies from non-secure websites. Such web addresses start with ‘http://’ instead of ‘https://’ – so watch out carefully. You can also reject third-party cookies. They are privacy nightmare and follow you everywhere on the web. For example, when you search for a vacuum cleaner on Amazon, you start seeing the same product suggestions on other websites.
You don’t need to worry about declining cookies either. The website will function fine without cookies.
You need not accept cookies when you run into the following situations.
- Unencrypted websites
- Third-party cookies
- Flagged cookies by an anti-virus software on your PC or Mac
- When sharing private data like Social Security Number (SSN) and bank details
- A slow computer speed
What Happens When You Accept Cookies
Website cookies aren’t entirely bad for your browsing experience. They are essential for banking, financial, travel, online shopping, and social media websites. It helps you create a personalized web-browsing experience and prevent unnecessary ads on web pages you visit. Here’s the kind of data websites store with cookies.
- Website name and session ID
- Browsing history
- Website permissions and other preferences
- Number of times you have visited or refreshed the website
- The amount of time you spend during a session on a website
- The types of links you have clicked
- Login details, including the username, email, and password
- Your location and IP address
- Personal data, including address, zip code, phone number, and more
- Shopping cart items
- Your interests saved articles, bookmarks, and hobbies
The kind of data collection may seem scary at a glance, but in most cases, it improves your web experience. For example, when you try to fill up the address or payment details, you can auto-fill the same, thanks to cookies.
However, it does come with some drawbacks. Marketers can use cookies data to deliver targeted ads. Cybercriminals can also steal cookies from your device and gain access to personal information.
How to Clear Cookies
Since cookies are stored on your device, you can always clear them manually. It’s a good practice to clear cookies periodically on your device. For example, some corrupt cookies on Google Chrome may cause issues like crashing, search engine changing to Yahoo, and more. You can clear cookies using the steps below.
Step 1: Open Google Chrome and click the three-dot menu at the top.
Step 2: Expand More Tools and select Clear browsing data.
Step 3: Click ‘Cookies and other site data’ and select Clear data.
Protect Your Personal Data
Now that you know the type of cookies and the amount of data they collect, you can decide to accept cookies on a website. You can also switch to a private (incognito) mode on the browser and end such practices.
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Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
