What is a ‘cookie’?
A ‘cookie’ is a small text file that a website asks to be saved on the visitor’s computer. Cookies are used on many websites to allow visitors to use various functions. Information contained in cookies can also be used to track the surfing of a user on websites that use the same cookie.
There are two kinds of cookie. One kind saves a file for a long time on the visitor’s computer; this cookie then has an expiry date. This kind of cookie is used, for example, for functions that tell users about any new features since they last visited the website in question. When the expiry date has passed, the cookie is deleted when the user returns to the website that created it.
The second kind of cookie is called a ‘session cookie’ and does not have an expiry date. This cookie is temporarily stored in the memory of a user’s computer while this user is surfing on a site, for example to keep track of which language the user has chosen. Session cookies are not stored in the user’s computer for a long period of time, but disappear when the user shuts down their web browser.