The importance of examining the downsides of the internet.
Whenever you click into a website, a prompt asking you to accept cookies would likely pop up. These messages about cookies, though annoying, are generally perceived as harmless. But, what are cookies? And why are they everywhere?
Named by Lou Montulli, a cookie is a piece of information that a web browser collects from you. There are three types of cookies: session, persistent and third-party. Session cookies are used to customize user experiences in online sessions and to permanently erase data when the active browser is closed. Persistent cookies, like their name suggests, track user’s online preferences and store the information they give their browsers for a long period of time. This type of cookie collects data like language preferences and website bookmarks. Third-party cookies collect users’ data and sell it to advertisers in order to target people with relative advertisements. Though extremely useful for online convenience, internet cookies, particularly third-party cookies, invoke questions of privacy.
Each and every internet user has a digital profile created for them, made up of all the information they have ever given to their devices. Think about the amount of information your phone has about you: your full name, address, credit card information, clothing size, food and restaurant preferences, hobbies, skills, relationships, weird random google searches, etc. For many people, realizing how much the internet knows about you can be terrifying. Things like identity theft and credit card fraud are real dangers that are only helped by the amount of personal information that lives online.
Yet, for most of these same people, the conveniences cookies offer outweigh their risks. Internet cookies allow for a user’s online experience to be personalized. Many websites rely on information provided by cookies to find their target consumers for certain products. When advertisers get to understand what products a user may be interested in from their internet activity, they can choose more personalized advertisements for users to see. For example, after you look up a picture of a bike, you will begin to see advertisements for bikes on various other websites. Cookies can also make a user’s online experience more enjoyable. Online shopping websites use cookies to keep track of user actions in a specific session, from favoriting products to making purchases. Without these cookies, you would be unable to save products you like, and the shopping experience would be drastically more difficult.
On the one hand, it may be terrifying that websites and companies have so much access to users’ personal information. On the other hand, this information is often used to make users’ online experiences easier. Ultimately, as the world continues to evolve into a place where all information is accessible, it is most important to be aware of how your personal information can be used.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Caccavale, Michael. "Council Post: Bye Bye, Third-Party Cookies". Forbes, 2022, https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/04/13/bye-bye-third-party-cookies/?sh=33543be03788.
"COOKIES AND SIMILAR TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES". CNN, 2022, https://edition.cnn.com/cookie.
"How Computer Cookies Affect Your Online Privacy | CRU Solutions". CRU Solutions | Cleveland Managed IT Services & IT Support, 2022, https://crusolutions.com/blog/how-types-of-computer-cookies-affect-your-online-privacy/.
"Internet Cookies". Federal Trade Commission, 2022, https://www.ftc.gov/policy-notices/privacy-policy/internet-cookies.
Support, Product et al. "What Are Cookies? What Are The Differences Between Them (Session Vs. Persistent)?". Cisco, 2022, https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/security/web-security-appliance/117925-technote-csc-00.html.
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