COOKIES

The digital world of cookies plays a significant role in any online experience. In the digital realm, cookies help in personalisation and user convenience. These unassuming bits of code, stored on a device when one visits websites, play a pivotal role in shaping any online experience.

2. About cookies and its work

• Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website.
• They can be used for a variety of purposes, such as remembering your login information, tracking your browsing activity, and delivering targeted advertising.
• Think of cookies as the key to a secure, members-only club. Just like the club bouncer recognises regular patrons and grants them seamless access, cookies remember your login information on websites.
• This means you do not have to repeatedly enter your credentials every time you revisit a site, making it convenient for use.
• On websites like Amazon, cookies remember your previous interactions; from products you have browsed to purchases you have made.
• Armed with this knowledge, Amazon serves up tailored product recommendations and content, making your online shopping feel like a personalised boutique experience.
• Consider an enchanted grocery cart that never empties, no matter how many times you step away.
• Online shopping carts, fuelled by cookies, offer a similar enchantment. You can add items to your cart, leave the website, and return later to find your selections waiting patiently, ready for checkout.
• Platforms like Facebook and Google use cookies to track online behaviour, ensuring the ads you encounter align with your preferences.
• While cookies offer undeniable advantages, there is a flip side to considering privacy concerns and the potential for data misuse.

3. Types of cookies

• Session cookies are temporary cookies like post-it notes for websites. They are stored in your computer’s memory only during your browsing session.
• Once you close your browser, they vanish. Session cookies help websites remember your actions as you navigate, like items in your shopping cart.
• Persistent cookies are the digital equivalent of bookmarks. They stay on your device after your browsing session ends.
• Persistent cookies remember your login information, language preferences, and even the ads you have interacted with. They are handy for a more personalised web experience.
• Secure cookies are only sent over encrypted connections, making them safer from prying eyes. Secure cookies are often used for sensitive data like login credentials.
• Third-party cookies are similar they come from a domain other than the one you are visiting.
• They are often used for tracking and advertising purposes, which can be both useful and, at times, intrusive.

4. The uses of cookies

1. They act as digital ID cards, aiding in user authentication by allowing websites to recognise and keep you logged in during your visit.
2. They foster a sense of personalisation, recalling your preferences such as language choice or website theme.
3. They function as the digital equivalent of a persistent shopping cart, ensuring that items you have added online remain there when you return.
4. Cookies facilitate website owners in gathering invaluable analytics data about user interactions, enabling them to make enhancements and customise content.
5. Cookies play a pivotal role in targeted advertising, as advertisers use them to display ads that align with your interests and browsing history, making online shopping more enticing.
6. Navigating the world of cookies is not all sweetness, but it comes with its set of challenges.

5. The challenges associated with cookies

• Cookies could track your online behaviour, which, while often harmless, can sometimes encroach upon your digital privacy.
• Inadequately secured cookies could open doors for cybercriminals to pilfer your personal information.
• Privacy regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation and The California Consumer Privacy Act now necessitate websites to seek your approval before deploying certain cookie types, resulting in those somewhat irksome pop-ups and prompts. India’s newly enacted Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 now necessitates websites to acquire explicit consent from users before collecting or processing their personal data via cookies.
• Third-party cookies have sparked debates, prompting many web browsers to curb their usage to safeguard user privacy.
•  The multitude of cookies can potentially clog your browser, leading to a sluggish web experience.

6. The Way Forward

• Cookies are both sweet and complex. They play a crucial role in enhancing your online experience, but they also come with privacy and security challenges.
• As the digital landscape continues to evolve, so will the way cookies will be used and regulated.