ASK CAPPIE THE COMPUTER CAT
All About Cookies What are cookies? Why do I have to agree to allow cookies every time I go to a new website while I am browsing on the Internet? Marie from SCG, a happy homeowner
Dear Marie, Cookies affect how we surf the web, and for the most part, they make the browsing experience more efficient and personalized. To understand the internet concept of cookies, consider one of many unverified stories of how the term “cookies” came to be. Remember the children’s story about Hansel and Gretel? They tried to mark their trail through the woods by dropping “cookie crumbs” along the way. Similarly, internet cookies “track” where you have been on the internet: time spent on the website, clicked buttons, preferences or settings chosen, research topics or products, name, address, and purchases. Practically, storing personal data and preferences reduces download time, and cookies from websites that you use on a regular basis are reasonable to accept. Website owners are better able to target you with recommendations on purchases, content or services that might be of interest to
you based on your past viewing and purchase history; e.g., you may open a site to order a sweatshirt and a “cookie” provides a link to sweatpants. Generally, such “first-party cookies” are safe if you are browsing reputable websites who track your preferences only for their use. However, many websites embed advertising for other products or services. These “third-party cookies” allow advertisers or analytics companies to track your browsing history across the web on any sites that contain their ads. If you ever wondered why advertisements seem to follow you throughout your Internet browsing for something that you recently searched, it is third-party cookies that make this linkage possible. Ever check the website for a vacation spot and begin seeing ads on other sites of cheap airflights to that destination? Cookies are stored in small text files on YOUR computer and generally they are
considered safe. However, you can view and delete cookies quite easily. The process will vary from browser to browser, but generally, you should go to your browser settings and look for the privacy or security section. The next step is to view the cookies stored by the browsers and then choose which cookies you want to delete. If you feel they pose a security threat, slow down your browser, or store too much personal information, delete your cookies on a regular basis. Additionally, you may not want your website viewing history stored on a public or shared computer. Other options to control cookies include using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) or using the private or incognito browsing option-- which you can find available on most browsers. This will automatically get rid of any cookies placed on your computer when you close the browser session. There are also some browsers that help you automatically manage tracking the cookies; e.g., https://brave.com. In answer to your final question, as to why you need to check a box to “allow” cookies, the European Union is responsible. Basically, how websites place the cookies on your computer and how they use them-- was a specific concern of the European Union. Because of privacy issues and data collected by cookies, the EU (European
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Special thanks to Sharon Chaplin for submitting this photo of her white Scottie, Zoe and black Scottie, Duncan. View/print the digital version of “Ask Cappie” monthly column by going to www. grandinfo.com. Click on the More News>Grand Lifestyles Magazine> to choose the month you want to view.
Union) invoked The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018 to outline privacy and security requirements for anyone providing goods and services in the European Union. It was put in place for websites to be more transparent about the data it extracts and it specifically brought about the website pop-up notification asking for consent to place a cookie on your computer and allowed you to “Learn More” about how the site uses its cookies.
Grand Lifestyles | December 2020 | suncitygrand.com
