Browser Cookies Explained! Are They Good Or Bad For You?

    While browsing through the internet you may have come across pop-ups saying, “Enable our cookies”, “Accept the usage of our cookies”, “By using this site you agree to our cookie usage”. Are you wondering- What the heck is a cookie? You have come to the right place, While Cookies are not what they sound like. The name “Cookie” originates as it transfers small bits and data to and from your device and not fire actual cookies at you from your device. Stick around till the end to understand what browser or internet cookies mean!

     A Cookie is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored on the user's computer by the user's web browser while the user is browsing.Cookies are used in all the place you visit around the internet, Even search engines use cookies or send them to other services for you best( To say the least). Almost every site you visit uses cookies and transfers them to your device to improve your user experience in most cases. The most common or observed is by online shopping websites. These website keep track of your history up to a certain extent and suggest you to buy thing based on your searches and history. So it may not be a surprise to you if you search a Redmi Phone and Amazon suggest you iPhone X. Many websites use and track visitors to have a better knowledge of their visitors and plan accordingly. There are many services like Google Analytics which use cookies to let the publisher better understand their audience. 

     There are several other instances where cookies are used to improve user experience such as online shopping, Websites, Personalization, and others. Cookies are not good for you every times as some cookies may harm you. Let’s just say you saved your Google password and you visit a shady website to get 50% off on your favourite book, Now this website can access your password if you naively click on “I accept the use of cookies”. Along with this there are many other instances where cookies can be harmful. And the other aspect is regarding privacy and up to what extent these cookies use our data and other concerns. And there are possibilities that third-party websites that you did not visit are tracking you, you can disable third-party websites using cookies in browser settings. Back to our question, Are cookies bad? No, as long as you are on a website you trust, you are safe but, If the site has too many cookies it may be wise to hit the back button.

     To conclude cookies are good in many ways to improve your user experience and so on. It is advised to block or deny to cookies you think may violate your privacy or may cause harm to your experience or device. You can easily view what cookies have access to and if they require access to mic or camera, It is easy that a clock may not require access to mic or camera. Next time you agree or disagree to the usage of cookie, think of this article. And to keep up with Latest Tech news and to read more of such informative articles, Subscribe to Rohan Wayangankar’s Blog.

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