What is a cookie?
A cookie is a harmless text file that is stored in your browser when you visit almost any web page. The usefulness of the cookie is that the website is able to remember your visit when you return to browse that page. Although many people do not know it, cookies have been used for 20 years, when the first browsers for the World Wide Web appeared.
What not is a cookie?
It is not a virus or a Trojan, worm, spam or spyware, or open windows pop up.
What information does a cookie store?
Cookies do not usually store sensitive information about you, such as credit cards or bank details, photographs, your ID or personal information, etc. The data they save are of a technical nature, personal preferences, personalization of contents, etc.
The web server does not associate you you as a person if not to your web browser. In fact, if you usually browse with Internet Explorer and try to browse the web with Firefox or Chrome you will see that the web is not you the same person is because it is actually associating with the browser, not to the person.
What kind of cookies are there?
- Technical cookies: They are the most basic and allow, among other things, to know when a human or an automated application is browsing, when an anonymous user and a registered user navigate, basic tasks for the operation of any dynamic web.
- Analysis cookies: They collect information about the type of navigation you are doing, the sections you use most, products consulted, time zone of use, language, etc.
- Advertising cookies: They show advertising based on your browsing, your country of origin, language, etc.
What are first-party and third-party cookies?
Own cookies are those generated by the page you are visiting and those of third parties are those generated by external services or providers such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc.
What happens if I disable cookies?
To help you understand the scope of disabling cookies, here are some examples:
- Not may share content of this web in Facebook, Twitter or any other network social.
- Web site can not adapt the content to your personal preferences, as often happens in online stores.
- You will not be able to access the personal area of that website, such as My account,or My profile or My orders.
- Online shops: it will be impossible to make purchases online, they will have to be telephone or visit the physical store if you have it.
- It is not possible to customize geographic Strip time, currency or language preferences.
- The web site cannot be web analytics about visitors and traffic on the web, making it difficult to be competitive the web.
- Not can write in the blog, not can upload photos, post reviews, rating or rate content. The website will also not be able to know if you are a human or an automated application that publishes spam.
- You can display zoned advertising, which will reduce the advertising revenue from the website.
- All social networks use cookies,if you disable them you will not be able to use any social network.
Can cookiesbe deleted?
Yes. Not only delete, also block, in general or specific way for a specific domain.
To delete cookies from a website you must go to the settings of your browser and there you can search for those associated with the domain in question and proceed to their elimination.
Configuration of cookies for the most popular browsers
Below we tell you how to access a specific cookie from the Chromebrowser. Note: these steps may vary depending on the version of the browser:
- Go to settings or preferences using the menu file either by clicking the icon of customization that appears up to the right.
- You will see different sections, click the Show advanced optionsoption.
- Go to Privacy, Content Settings.
- Select All cookies and site data.
- A list will appear with all the cookies sorted by domain. To make it easier for you to find the cookies of a certain domain, enter partially or totally the address in the Search for cookiesfield.
- After performing this filter, one or more lines will appear on the screen with the cookies of the requested website. Now you just have to select it and press the X to proceed to its removal.
To access the cookie settings of the Internet Explorer browser follow these steps (they may vary depending on the version of the browser):
- Go to Tools, Internet Options
- Click on Privacy.
- Move the slider to adjust the level of privacy you want.
To access the cookie settings of the Firefox browser follow these steps (they may vary depending on the version of the browser):
- Go to Options or Preferences depending on your operating system.
- Click on Privacy.
- Under History choose Use custom settings for history.
- Now you will see the option Accept cookies,you can activate or deactivate it according to your preferences.
To access the cookie settings of the Safari browser for OSX follow these steps (they may vary depending on the version of the browser):
- Go to Preferences,then Privacy.
- In this place you will see the option Block cookies to adjust the type of block you want to perform.
To access the cookie settings of the Safari browser for iOS follow these steps (they may vary depending on the version of the browser):
- Go to Settings,then Safari.
- Go to Privacy and Security,you will see the option Block cookies to adjust the type of block you want to perform.
To access the cookie settings of the browser for Android devices follow these steps (they may vary depending on the version of the browser):
- Run the browser and press the Menukey, then Settings.
- Go to Security and Privacy,you will see the option Accept cookies to enable or disable the box.
To access the cookie settings of the browser for Windows Phone devices follow these steps (they may vary depending on the version of the browser):
- Open Internet Explorer,then More,then Settings
- You can now enable or disable the Allow cookiescheck box.
Cookie Advisor is a WordPress plugin created by Carlos Doral (webartesanal.com)