Tracking cookie files are essential to the modern internet but are also a vulnerability to online privacy. As a critical part of internet browsing, cookies help website developers provide more private, convenient site visits. Cookies let sites remember you, your site logins, shopping carts and more. Protecting your privacy can be overwhelming. Luckily, even a basic understanding of cookies can help to keep unwanted eyes off your browsing activity.
Cookies are text files with some information like a username and password to identify devices as they use an internet network. A tracking cookie is a sample of a text file dropped onto an internet browser while viewing a site. This text file collects information from a user, such as their activity on a site, browsing activity, geographic location, purchase trends and more. This way, websites can be personalized to the specific user. The sites can suggest content that might be especially relevant to the specific user and can monitor activity on the website, offering deep analytics on its use. This can enable site owners to optimize and enhance their websites.