DIGITAL COOKIES
WHAT ARE DIGITAL COOKIES ?
- Computer cookies are small files used by web servers to save browsing information, allowing websites to remember your device, browser preferences, and associated online activity.
- The primary purpose of a cookie is to identify the user so his or her web experience can be customized.
- Cookies streamline the online surfing process by saving certain information such as email, home address, shipping information, username or password, or even particular interests.
- Computer cookies are an integral technology supporting the modern online browsing experience.
- Digital cookies are an essential part of any internet browsing experience.
- A computer cookie may also be called an HTTP cookie, web cookie, internet cookie, and browser cookie, but they’re all the referring to the same thing: a way to track your website activity.
HOW DO COOKIES WORK ?
- Computer cookies are small files, often including unique identifiers that web servers send to browsers.
- These cookies then can be sent back to the server each time your browser requests a new page. It’s a way for a website to remember you, your preferences, and your habits online.
- The next time you visit that website, your internet browser will send that user activity information in the form of an HTTP cookie to the web server so the information in the small file can be accessed and reused.
- To work properly, cookies do not need to recognize where you are from, it only needs to remember your browser.
TYPES OF COOKIES:
1. PERSISTENT COOKIE-
- These cookies are designed to store data for an extended duration.
- Each persistent cookie comes with an expiration date, ranging from a few days to several years following your site visit.
- When you log in to a site and ask it to remember you, a persistent cookie stores your username and password, making it quicker for you to log in in the future.
2. SESSION COOKIE
- Session cookies are temporary cookies and will be deleted when you close your browser.
- When you’re shopping online on a specific site, a session cookie keeps the items you’ve selected in your shopping cart, even if you click on different pages around the site.
3. THIRD-PARTY COOKIE
- Also known as tracking cookies, third-party cookies collect data about your online behavior.
- This data is then passed to the website that created the cookie, typically for advertising insight.
USES OF COOKIES:
- There are three main uses for cookies in today’s online environment, under normal circumstances.
- Different types of cookies keep track of various different activities.
- They can be useful to both website publishers and website users, and can also potentially be used by third parties.
- They act as digital ID cards, aiding in user authentication by allowing websites to recognise and keep you logged in during the visit.
- Cookies facilitate website owners in gathering invaluable analytics data about user interactions, enabling them to make enhancements and customise content.
- Cookies play a pivotal role in targeted advertising, as advertisers use them to display ads that align with a person’s interest and browsing history, making online shopping more enticing.
CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH COOKIES:
- Privacy concerns arise as cookies could track your online behaviour, which, while often harmless, can sometimes encroach upon your digital privacy.
- Security risks loom when cookies are inadequately secured, opening doors for cybercriminals to pilfer the personal information.
- Third party cookies have sparked debates, prompting many web browsers to curb their usage to safeguard user privacy.
REGULATIONS WORLDWIDE:
- The California Consumer Privacy Act, necessitating websites to seek your approval before deploying certain cookie types, resulting in those somewhat irksome popups and prompts is a step in right direction.
- India’s newly enacted Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 now necessitates websites to acquire explicit consent from users prior to collecting or processing their personal data via cookies.
- In contrast to earlier regulations that often accepted implied consent as satisfactory, the updated law highlights the significance of transparent and well informed consent.
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.
SYLLABUS: MAINS, GS-3, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SOURCE: THE HINDU
