What are cookies? A short explanation

Everyone is talking about "cookies" - but what exactly are cookies? Here you will find everything you need to know about these more or less popular cookies.

What are cookies?

Cookies are data that a website temporarily stores on your computer when you visit it. These cookies come from websites called Amazon or Google and contain information about the language, page settings, email address and your name.

The cookies should make it easier for you to surf the Internet. If the website already knows your login details, you can save yourself entering long passwords and user names, for example. In addition, your surfing habits are saved and passed on to the operator of the website.

• Tip : Just have a look at which cookies a page sets. With Firefox, this is done via "Settings"> "Data protection and security"> "Cookies"> "Manage data".
• On the smartphone : Here the free Cliqz browser shows (and blocks) cookies that want to gain data from your surfing behavior.

Good cookies: the session cookies

• Session cookies are particularly helpful and indispensable when surfing. You save your login data so that you do not have to log in again after a few seconds on password-protected websites.
• Security is paramount here, which is why cookies are automatically used in online banking, for example.
• The connection is saved in a cookie for the entire session until you close the website or log out. Then the cookie is automatically removed.

Malicious cookies: advertising through tracking cookies

• The unpopular cookies include "tracking cookies", which give you personalized advertising and are stored permanently. They are often called "persistent cookies".
• If you open a website with advertising banners, they also place a cookie. This spies on your surfing behavior in order to show you the "best possible" advertising.
• The real goal, however, is website optimization. For example, you receive personalized product suggestions from Amazon through cookies

Now read on the next page whether you should accept the cookie queries on websites or not.