Cookies- And not the ones your mom makes.

      One of the first things you might see when you open a new website is a pop up notification notifying you that the website uses cookies. Almost all of us just click yes and keep scrolling, but only a small percent of that group actually knows what cookies are. 

      Cookies can be very useful to users, but even more useful to large companies that use your data. Cookies are what tracks your activity to the internet from site to site. Companies then use the cookies to try to make your browsing experience better. The classic example of this is when you search for a product on Amazon or some other shopping website, and the next time you're on google you'll see ads for that product or products like it. As Zeynep Tufekci said in her ted talk, "You know, you look up a pair of boots and for a week, those boots are following you around everywhere you go."

Image result for computer cookies

     There are a few different types of cookies, each serving a different purpose. Some cookies just track your activity and which sites you go to while some just save your passwords. There are also laws about how cookies are used. For instance, the permanent cookies that save your passwords must be deleted after 12 months. And if a site uses cookies, it must let the user know and the user must consent to using them, usually by clicking a box or a link (Rocket Lawyer).

     Cookies, for the most part, are harmless. But many people are skeptical of how companies are using them. Online privacy is almost impossible nowadays. Your information is being sold from one brand to the other without you knowing. 



"Different Types of Internet Cookies." Rocket Lawyer, 2019, www.rocketlawyer.com/
     gb/en/quick-guides/different-types-of-internet-cookies. Accessed 3 Dec.
     2019.

"Web Cookies." Tri County Communications Cooperative, 27 Aug. 2018, tccpro.net/
     gettcc/web-cookies/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2019.

"We're building a dystopia just to make people click on ads." Ted, uploaded by
     Zeynep Tufekci, 2019, www.ted.com/talks/
     zeynep_tufekci_we_re_building_a_dystopia_just_to_make_people_click_on_ads/
     discussion#t-12530. Accessed 3 Dec. 2019.

Comments

  1. Ms. LaClairDecember 5, 2019 at 8:24 AM

    Your post starts off in an engaging and relatable way. I would like to have heard more about the idea of online privacy and more about your thoughts as to why cookies are mainly harmless.

    ReplyDelete

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