Informatics Practices · Ch 5 — Internet and Web
Cookies
Cookies
Cookies
A cookie is a small text file — a simple string of information — that a website transfers to your browser when you visit it. This file gets stored on your computer by the browser itself. The key idea is that cookies allow a website to remember you.
When you return to that site, the stored information is sent back to the server. This lets the server recognise you by recalling which pages you visited and what choices you made while browsing menus or filling forms. The purpose is to personalise your experience: for example, remembering your language preference, keeping you logged in automatically, recalling items in your shopping cart, or showing advertisements that match your interests.
Cookies are usually harmless. They cannot access other files on your hard disk, nor can they transmit viruses or malware. It is your browser — not the website — that stores and manages cookies on your computer. However, a word of caution: viruses can sometimes be disguised as cookies and cause harm. You can disable cookies entirely by changing the Privacy and Security settings in your browser.
The first cookie software was created in 1994 at Netscape. Its original purpose was simply to determine whether a visitor was coming to the site for the first time or was a returning visitor.
Key Points at a Glance
- What it is: A text file containing a string of information.
- How it works: Transferred by a website to the browser; stored on the user's computer; retransmitted to the server on subsequent visits.
- What it does: Recognises users, identifies visited pages and menu choices, customises displayed content. …