Cookies are typically categorized based on various attributes, including their origin, lifespan, and purpose. Below, we delve into the most common types of cookies, providing a concise overview:
Cookies Classified by Source:
First-Party Cookies: These cookies are set by the website you’re currently visiting, identified by the domain in your browser’s address bar. First-party cookies are commonly used to track visitor behavior within the website, such as remembering recently visited pages or user activity across multiple visits.
Third-Party Cookies: Set by entities other than the website being visited directly, third-party cookies are often utilized for targeted advertising purposes. These cookies can track user activity across the internet, leading to privacy concerns due to their ability to monitor browsing habits.
Cookies Classified by Expiration Period:
Session Cookies: Also known as temporary or non-persistent cookies, session cookies expire once the user ends their browsing session. They are instrumental in recognizing user actions or preferences during a single browsing session, aiding tasks like maintaining shopping cart items.
Persistent Cookies: Unlike session cookies, persistent cookies remain on the user’s browser for a more extended period, ranging from seconds to several years. These cookies store user information, preferences, or sign-in credentials across multiple visits, enhancing the overall user experience.
Cookies Classified by Purpose:
Strictly Necessary Cookies: Essential for a website’s basic functionality, these cookies facilitate tasks like user authentication and shopping cart management. Strictly necessary cookies are exempt from cookie consent requirements.
Performance Cookies: Designed to collect anonymous data about user interactions with a website, performance cookies help assess website performance and identify areas for improvement. They play a key role in enhancing user experience by optimizing site functionality based on user behavior.
Functional Cookies: Enhancing website functionality, functional cookies help remember user preferences such as language settings and login credentials. While they don’t track browsing activity on other websites, they may be set by third-party providers.
Advertising Cookies: Utilized for tracking user browsing activities across the internet, advertising cookies build user profiles to deliver targeted advertisements. These persistent cookies, often set by advertising networks, uniquely identify a user’s browser, device, and browsing habits.
We explore the intricacies of internet cookies, their implications for user privacy, and best practices for managing them in future posts.