Cookies are small text files of information that a web server generates and sends to a web browser. — like a username and password — Web browsers store the cookies they receive from user’s session on a website, that are used to identify your computer as you use a computer network. They attach the relevant cookies to any future requests the user makes of the web server.

When the cookie is exchanged between your computer and the network server, the server reads the ID and knows what information to specifically serve to you. Cookies help inform websites about the user, enabling the websites to personalize the user experience. For example, ecommerce websites use cookies to know what merchandise users have placed in their shopping carts. In addition, some cookies are necessary for security purposes, such as authentication cookies.

Types of cookies

There are multiple types of cookies that run in modern web browsers. Different types of cookies have specific use cases to enable certain capabilities.

• HTTP cookies. HTTP cookies are essential to the modern Internet but a vulnerability to your privacy. As a necessary part of web browsing, HTTP cookies help web developers give you more personal, convenient website visits. Cookies let websites remember you, your website logins, shopping carts and more. But they can also be a treasure trove of private info for criminals to spy on.

• Session cookies. A session cookie is only persistent while the user is navigating or visiting a given website.
• Third-party cookies. These cookies are not restricted to the initial site where the cookie was created. Third-party cookies enable entities other than the original site to access them for user tracking and personalization purposes.
• Secure cookies. These are first- and third-party cookies that can only be sent over encrypted HTTPS connections.

What Are Cookies Used For?

Websites use HTTP cookies to streamline your web experiences. Without cookies, you’d have to login again after you leave a site or rebuild your shopping cart if you accidentally close the page. Making cookies an important a part of the internet experience.

Here’s how cookie are intended to be used:

1. Session management. These type of cookies let websites recognize users and recall their individual login information and preferences, such as sports news.
2. Personalization. Customized advertising is the main way cookies are used to personalize your sessions. You may view certain items or parts of a site, and cookies use this data to help build targeted ads that you might enjoy.
3. Tracking. Shopping sites use cookies to track items users previously viewed, allowing the sites to suggest other goods they might like and keep items in shopping carts while they continue shopping.

How to manage cookies

All web browser has a set of controls to help users configure what types of cookies to accept and delete. Cookies can be managed via user preferences.

Google Chrome

1. Open Chrome.
2. Type chrome://setting/cookies to get to the cookie management settings. This enables users to allow all cookies and block third-party cookies. It also provides the option to clear cookies and site data when all windows are closed.
3. To more easily clear all cookie data, type chrome://settings/clearBrowserData. Users will then see a checkbox that they can click to clear all cookies.

Microsoft Edge

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Type edge://settings/content/cookies in the menu bar to get to the cookies and site data menu. This enables users to allow all cookies or block third-party cookies.
3. The cookies and site data menu also provides the option to clear cookies and site data when all windows are closed.
4. To remove stored cookies, type edge://settings/site/Data in the menu bar. Then click Remove all to remove all cookies or click Remove third-party cookies.

Apple Safari

1. Open Safari.
2. Click Safari > Preferences in the upper left-hand corner of the screen.
3. Click on Privacy. An option to block all cookies will appear.
4. Check the box next to block all cookies to disable all cookies.
5. Uncheck it to enable all cookies.
6. In the same window, there is a box marked Manage Website Data; this is where all the collected cookies can be viewed and managed.
7. Check the Prevent cross-site tracking option to block only third-party cookies.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Open Firefox.
2. Type about:preferences#privacy in the menu bar to get to the Browser Privacy settings.
3. There are multiple options in the Browser Privacy settings, including tracking protection to block third-party cookies.
4. There is also a button on the Browser Privacy setting window under cookies and site data. It is labeled Clear Data and allows users to delete cookies.