Not your Grandma’s Cookies
LET’S TALK ABOUT COOKIES: HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY …..You visit a website that…
LET’S TALK ABOUT COOKIES:
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY …..
You visit a website that sells really cool shoes. Then, all of a sudden you are bombarded with ads selling shoes? Or a new car, or a new toilet seat! And you think, Oh that is just a coincidence.
Browser cookies are small text files that websites store on your computer and BROWSER to remember information about you, like your login status, preferences, and shopping cart items. And, when you revisit a site, your browser sends the cookie back, allowing the website to recognize your device “and personalize your experience.”
HOWEVER, Cookies can also be shared with other websites you visit. They are used to track browsing behavior for analytics and advertising, which can raise privacy concerns.
Common uses AND TRADE-OFFS
- Remembering your preferences: Storing settings like your language or region. GEOLOCATION is tracked with your IP address.
- Maintaining logins: Keeping you logged-in to websites so you don’t have to re-enter your credentials every time you visit.
- Shopping carts: Remembering the items you’ve added to your cart, or between pages and even if you leave the site and come back later.
- Analytics: Helping website owners understand how people use their site by counting visitors and tracking page views.
- Tracking your browsing habits across different websites you visit, to :show you more relevant ads” – Personalized advertising – and share your browsing and buying habits with other sites. In other words, your cookies are collected in a “bucket” or “wagon” and shared with the sites you visit, from site-to-site.
The good news is that you can DENY these 3rd Party cookies and turn off the settings in your browser or device that Block 3rd-Party Cookies. Join one of our FREE Hands-on Online Safety Workshops in St. Tammany Parish to learn how.
