Cookies are small text files that websites place on your device as you are browsing. They are processed and stored by your web browser. In and of themselves, cookies are harmless and serve crucial functions for websites. Cookies can also generally be easily viewed and deleted.
Types of Cookies
In general, cookies are classified based on what purpose they serve, how long they endure, and their provenance:
Duration
- Session cookies – These cookies are temporary and expire once you close your browser (or once your session ends).
- Persistent cookies — This category encompasses all cookies that remain on your hard drive until you erase them or your browser does
Provenance
- First-party cookies — As the name implies, first-party cookies are put on your device directly by the website you are visiting.
- Third-party cookies — These are the cookies that are placed on your device, not by the website you are visiting, but by a third party like an advertiser or an analytic system.
Purpose
- Strictly necessary cookies — These cookies are essential for you to browse the website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the site.
- Preferences cookies — Also known as “functionality cookies,” these cookies allow a website to remember choices you have made in the past, like what language you prefer, what region you would like weather reports for, or what your user name and password are so you can automatically log in.
- Statistics cookies — Also known as “performance cookies,” these cookies collect information about how you use a website, like which pages you visited and which links you clicked on. None of this information can be used to identify you. It is all aggregated and, therefore, anonymized. Their sole purpose is to improve website functions.
- Marketing cookies — These cookies track your online activity to help advertisers deliver more relevant advertising or to limit how many times you see an ad.