Miss Ravini Kurupu recently spoke about what happens when you accept website cookies on the ITN YouTube Channel.
https://youtu.be/WlQbayufMrw
A website cookie is a small piece of data saved in your web browser by a website. Cookies allow websites to remember information about your previous visits.
Cookies have many useful functions, such as keeping you logged in to websites like Facebook or Instagram, so you don’t have to enter your username and password every time you visit. They can also save your preferences, allowing websites to remember settings such as your preferred language, theme, or region to provide a more personalized experience.
They also keep track of items in your shopping cart when you visit an online store such as Daraz, Amazon, or Alibaba. Cookies ensure that those items remain in your cart even if you leave the site and return later.
Cookies also allow website owners to track how many unique visitors they have and understand how users interact with their websites. They can also track a user’s browsing activity to provide personalized advertisements.
This is why, when you search for a product on one website, you may see advertisements for the same product on other websites as well. Cookies can therefore be very useful.
There are two commonly discussed types of cookies: first-party cookies and third-party cookies.
First-party cookies are created by the website you are visiting and are mainly used to remember useful information such as your login status, language, preferences, and shopping cart.
Third-party cookies, on the other hand, are created by external services and have traditionally been used to track your activity across different websites, mainly for advertising. This is why third-party cookies have received significant attention when it comes to online privacy and tracking.
Cookies themselves are not necessarily dangerous. They are simply a technology that websites use to store and retrieve information from your browser. However, how that information is used can raise privacy concerns.
You do not need to reject every cookie to protect your privacy. Instead, you can choose which types of cookies you allow. When available, select “Necessary Cookies Only” or customize your cookie settings rather than automatically choosing “Accept All.”
You can also reject optional advertising and tracking cookies, review your browser’s privacy settings, and regularly clear stored cookies and website data.
Most importantly, be cautious when visiting unfamiliar websites or clicking suspicious links, especially when they ask for sensitive information.