What Are Cookies?Ĭookies are stored fragments of user data used to improve the browsing experience. As a responsible web user, you should distinguish the types of cookies you want to allow and to what extent. Virtual criminals could potentially use the information from cookies to data-mine browsing history. It’s the concern of what a website will do with that data that can be harmful to a user’s privacy. The standalone data of a cookie is not inherently bad, nor a type of malware. If cookies didn’t exist, every time you visited a new page of a website, you’d enter preferences like your language, currency, and authentication that you are not, in fact, a robot. Browser cookies allow a site to provide a personalized user experience by storing small pieces of information. Have you ever browsed an eCommerce website, adding potential purchases to your cart, only to exit your browser and not submit an order during the session? Did you ever find yourself navigating back to the site, pleasantly surprised that your cart still held those items? For that, you can thank internet cookies.
