What
Are Cookies, and How Do They Work?
A
cookie is a small bit of information that a website stores on your computer.
When you revisit the website, your browser sends the information back to the
site. Usually a cookie is designed to remember and tell a website some useful
information about you. For example, an online bookstore might use a persistent
cookie to record the authors and titles of books you have ordered. When you
return to the online bookstore, your browser lets the bookstore’s site read the
cookie. The site might then compile a list of books by the same authors, or
books on related topics, and show you that list.
This
activity is invisible to you. Unless you have set your preferences so that you
will be alerted when a cookie is being stored on your computer, you won’t know
about it. When you return to a website, you won’t know that a cookie is being
read. From your point of view, in the example above, you’d simply visit the
online bookstore, and a list of books that might be of interest to you would
magically appear.
Are
there different kinds of cookies?
Yes,
there are two commonly known types of cookies. One is called a “session” or
“non-persistent cookie.” It is a cookie that only lasts as long as your session
on the website and expires as soon as you leave. It is used to facilitate your
activities within that site. For example, if you are shopping on an e-commerce
site, this cookie enables their server to remember the items you are purchasing
as you move about within the site. These are very common in many websites, as
they are a standard part of Microsoft’s Active Server Page environment, an
industry standard Web tool.
The
second type of cookie, called a “persistent cookie” is so called because it
persists beyond the life of your session and may live for months or years. A
persistent cookie is created in order to recognize a user when they return to a
website. It enables the site to offer a customized experience tailored to that
user - such as remembering your name and password on protected login pages.
Can
Cookies Be Used to Give My Information to Unauthorized People?
Cookies are usually harmless. They can’t be used to gather information
about you (unless you provide it). But some services do use cookies to create a
profile of your interests based on the sites you visit and the things you do
there. Advertisers on participating sites can then tailor online advertising to
your interests and buying habits. When in doubt, always check a website’s
privacy policy.