What is a cookie?
A cookie is a harmless text file that is stored in your browser when you visit almost any website. The value of the cookie is that the web is able to remember your visit when you return to browse this page. Although many people do not know the cookies have been in use for 20 years, when the first browsers for the World Wide Web.
What is NOT a cookie?
It is not a virus or a Trojan or a worm, no spam, no spyware, no pop-up window opens.
What information do you store a cookie?
Cookies do not usually store sensitive information about you such as credit card or bank account information, photos, your ID or personal information, etc.. The data stored are technical, personal preferences, content personalization, etc..
The web server will not associate you as a person if your web browser. In fact, if you regularly browse with Internet Explorer and try to browse the same web with Firefox or Chrome you will see that the web does not realize that you are the same person because you are actually associating the browser, not the person.
What kind of cookies are there?
- Technical Cookies: These are the most basic and allow, among other things, is knowing when browsing a human or automated application, when an anonymous user navigates and one registered basic tasks for running any dynamic web.
- Analysis Cookies: collect information on the type of navigation being carried, the sections you use most, viewed products, times of use, language, etc.
- Advertising Cookies: show advertising based on their navigation, their country of origin, language, etc..
What are own and third party cookies?
Own cookies are those generated by the page you are visiting and third party are generated by internal or external providers such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc.
What happens if you disable cookies?
To understand the scope that may have to disable cookies shows some examples:
- You can not share content of this site on Facebook, Twitter or any other social network.
- The web site will not adapt content to your personal preferences, as often happens in online stores.
- You can not access the staff area web, such as My Account, or Me or My orders.
- Online Shopping: It will be impossible to make purchases online, phone or will be visiting the physical store if you have one.
- It will not be possible to customize your geographic preferences as time zone, currency or language.
- The web site will not perform web analytics and visitor traffic on the web, making it difficult to be competitive anywhere.
- You can not blogging, you can not upload pictures, post comments, rate or rate content. The web may not know whether you are a human or an automated application that publishes spam.
- No advertising may show sectioned, reducing the income of the website.
Can I delete cookies?
Yes. Not only remove, also block, general or particular to a specific domain.
To remove cookies from a Web site should go to your browser settings and there you can find the associated domain in question and proceed with removal.
Setting cookies for popular browsers
Here’s how to access a particular cookie Chrome browser. Note: These steps may vary depending on the version of the browser:
- Go to Settings or Preferences via the File menu or you clicking the icon customization shown above on the right.
- You will see different sections, you click the Show Advanced Options option.
- Go to Privacy Settings content.
- Select All cookies and site data.
- Lists all cookies ordered by domain appears. To make it easier to find the cookies of a given domain partially or fully enter the address in the search field cookies.
- After making this filter will appear on screen one or more lines with the requested Web cookies. Now just select it and press X to proceed with removal.
To access the cookie settings in Internet Explorer follow these steps (may vary depending on your browser version):
- Go to Tools, Internet Options.
- Click on Privacy.
- Move the slider to adjust the level of privacy you want.
To access the configuration cookies Firefox browser follow these steps (may vary depending on your browser version):
- Go to Options or Preferences for your operating system.
- Click on Privacy.
- In History choose Use custom settings for history.
- Now see the Accept Cookies option, you can enable or disable according to your preferences.
To access the cookie settings for OSX Safari browser follow these steps (may vary depending on your browser version):
- Scroll to Settings, then Privacy.
- Here you will see Block cookies to fit the type of lock you want to perform.
To access the cookie settings for iOS Safari browser follow these steps (may vary depending on your browser version):
- Go to Settings, then Safari.
- Go to Privacy & Security, see the Block cookies to fit the type of lock you want to perform.
To access the browser’s cookie settings to Android devices follow these steps (may vary depending on your browser version):
- Run the browser and press Menu, then Settings button.
- Go to Security and Privacy, you will see the Accept Cookies option to check or uncheck the box.
To access the browser cookie settings to Windows Phone devices follow these steps (may vary depending on your browser version):
- Open Internet Explorer, then More, then Settings
- Now you can enable or disable the Allow cookies check box.
Cookies Advisor is a WordPres plugin created by Carlos Doral (webartesanal.com)
This post is also available in: Spanish