Cookies: we all love them. Crumbly or chewy, chocolaty or sugary, cookies are the epitome of baked goodness. For all their unhealthy sugar levels, these sweet treats should really only be indulged in from time to time. However, it seems they make a more frequent appearance in our lives than otherwise expected…
Internet cookies are small text files of data, integral to our online user experience. They allow institutes and organisations to keep track of how many times we have visited their sites, what’s in our shopping cart when digitally browsing through stores and also to store passwords to prevent us from having to log in time and time again. These days, in the growing technological age, we all come across pop-ups asking us to accept cookies to help better our browsing experience, but is that the extent of our knowledge of them?
When asked what her usual response is when met with this scenario, a 14-year old schoolgirl responded that she usually tries to avoid it completely by cancelling the pop-up, but also speculated that it is often the case that there is no option available to do so.
When asked to manage cookies or accept them fully, it is tempting to just click the accept all button, so as not to fall down the rabbit hole of having to filter through endless lists of permissions, but could it be the case that this is done strategically by sites who want users to allow the utilisation of all cookies?
On the whole, accepting cookies is harmless and no damage can be administered by the cookies themselves, rather by attackers if these cookies fall into the wrong hands. If this does happen, attackers may be able to access browsing sessions and steal personal data. There have been cases in the past where attackers have hijacked cookies to provide themselves with unauthorised access to certain user accounts.
For this reason, it is a good idea to not accept third party cookies as it leaves you in a very vulnerable position where sites can share your personal information with a third party (a group or person besides you and the site itself) without your knowledge. These third party cookies are regularly used for online marketing and your browsing data allows them to customise the products and services that are being marketed to you. While it may seem positive that you, as a user, receive personalised advertisement, this information is also susceptible to theft, being used to build detailed profiles of yourself and even to deliver malware.
Currently in the UK, when a business desires to use cookies it must first explain what the cookies do and provide information about them and only administer them after obtaining the user’s consent, but information is often vague and a large majority of people across the country do not fully understand the concept of internet cookies.
For now, it seems cookies are in for the long run, and an integral part of the modern internet experience. Nevertheless, it is up to us as users to understand the story behind them and guard our personal information from those who wish to cause harm.
So next time you see that familiar banner pop up on your screen, think to yourself - Do I really want cookies?
