Cookies: Cookies are small files which are stored on a user’s computer. They are used to hold a modest amount of data specific to a particular client and website and can be accessed either by the web server or by the client computer.

HTTP cookies, or internet cookies, are built specifically for Internet web browsers to track, personalize, and save information about each user’s session. A “session” just refers to the time you spend on a site.

Here’s how cookies are intended to be used:

Session management: For example, cookies let websites recognize users and recall their individual login information and preferences, such as sports news versus politics.

Personalization: Customized advertising is the main way cookies are used to personalize your sessions. You may view certain items or parts of a site, and cookies use this data to help build targeted ads that you might enjoy.

Tracking: Shopping sites use cookies to track items users previously viewed, allowing the sites to suggest other goods they might like and keep items in shopping carts while they continue shopping.

Types of HTTP cookies

1.    Session cookies: They are used only while navigating a website. They are stored in random access memory and are never written to the hard drive. When the session ends, session cookies are automatically deleted. They also help the “back” button or third-party anonymizer plugins work. These plugins are designed for specific browsers to work and help maintain user privacy.

2.  Persistent cookies: They remain on a computer indefinitely, although many include an expiration date and are automatically removed when that date is reached.

              Persistent cookies are used for two primary purposes:

a)  Authentication: These cookies track whether a user is logged in and under what name. They also streamline login information, so users don’t have to remember site passwords.

b)   Tracking: These cookies track multiple visits to the same site over time. Some online merchants, for example, use cookies to track visits from particular users, including the pages and products viewed. The information they gain allows them to suggest other items that might interest visitors. Gradually, a profile is built based on a user’s browsing history on that site.

3   First-party cookies: They are directly created by the website you are using. These are generally safer, as long as you are browsing reputable websites or ones that have not been compromised.

4.   Third-party cookies: They are more troubling. They are generated by websites that are different from the web pages users are currently surfing, usually because they’re linked to ads on that page. Visiting a site with 10 ads may generate 10 cookies, even if users never click on those ads. Third-party cookies let advertisers or analytics companies track an individual’s browsing history across the web on any sites that contain their ads. Consequently, the advertiser could determine that a user first searched for running apparel at a specific outdoor store before checking a particular sporting goods site and then a certain online sportswear boutique.

5.    Zombie cookies: They are from a third-party and permanently installed on users’ computers, even when they opt not to install cookies. They also reappear after they’ve been deleted. When zombie cookies first appeared, they were created from data stored in the Adobe Flash storage bin. They are sometimes called “flash cookies” and are extremely difficult to remove.

Allowing or Removing Cookies

Cookies can be an optional part of your internet experience. If you so choose, you can limit what cookies end up on your computer or mobile device.

Allowing Cookies: If you allow cookies, it will streamline your surfing. For some users, no cookies security risk is more important than a convenient internet experience.

Here’s how to allow cookies:

-Find the cookie section — typically under Settings > Privacy.

-Click the boxes to allow cookies. Sometimes the option says, “Allow local data.”

-If you don’t want cookies, you can simply uncheck these boxes.

Removing cookies: It can help you mitigate your risks of privacy breaches. It can also reset your browser tracking and personalization. Removing normal cookies is easy, but it could make certain web sites harder to navigate. Without cookies internet, users may have to re-enter their data for each visit. Different browsers store cookies in different places, but usually, you can:

-Find the Settings, Privacy section — sometimes listed under Tools, Internet Options, or Advanced.

-Follow the prompts on the available options to manage or remove cookies.