Cookie?
Despite what you thought you knew, it is not a scrumptious edible treat filled with chocolate chips that adds to your waistline. The cookie name has now evolved into something techie that has to deal with small files that are added to your browser. But, what exactly does all of this mean?
Let’s Talk About Cookies
Well, let me introduce you to the cookie. Cookies are small files that websites send to the device you are using that monitor you and remember information about you. Some of the items that the cookie will remember include your shopping cart and even your login information. They are pieces of information saved about you while on the internet and they track how you browse.
For example, have you ever gone shopping for tennis shoes online and googled tennis shoes, maybe you even stopped at Amazon and DSW for a little more details? If you thought that was the end of your tennis shoe shopping experience, you were mistaken because now ads are popping up about tennis shoes from Amazon and maybe even stores you never even clicked on…Welcome to the cookie. You are being Ad stalked.
Cookie Privacy
Have you ever visited a new website on your desktop, tablet or phone over the past 18 months, and seen a notification informing you that the page uses cookies? The cookie pop-up notices are supposed to promote transparency about your online privacy. The sites that you visit invites you to read its “cookie policy” and it may even tell you that their cookies will help enhance your experience. In realty, it feels a little uncomfortable when the cookie seems to know more than it should, but most of us will just click ok and deal with it. Sometimes if you reject the cookie or click no, you may not be able to continue viewing the website.
The new cookie disclosures hitting new and old websites is simply a band aid for some of the online privacy problems swamping the internet very much like the fine print on a medicine and lease agreements. You know it is important, but your gonna use it anyway, so just dive in. Many of these new privacy standards are coming out of Europe due to their General Data Protection Regulation and e Privacy Directive. In general, the cookie alerts may have the best intentions, but they are basically not effective and are simply another extra click to move forward on the internet and continue browsing the internet.
So, until privacy internet standards are able to be created that protect privacy in a real way, just try to be careful to make sure when you click ‘YES ‘ that it is a reputable company. In the end, just like a real cookie, there’s a memory in every bit(e) and it’s just something that internet users will have to deal with in order to enjoy the world wide web.
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