Cookies are like little microchips that websites implant on your computer to store data. I know that probably sounds creepy, but most cookies are totally harmless and serve helpful purposes. However, some more advanced ones have a darker side.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll dig into persistent cookies – the kind that keep tracking you even after you leave a site. I‘ll explain how they work, their pros and cons, privacy implications, and how you can manage them.
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Persistent Cookies: The Data Collectors
When you first visit a website, it asks to set a cookie – basically a small text file – that lives in your browser‘s cookies folder.Session cookies expire when you close your browser. But persistent cookies have later expiration dates, so they stick around to collect data across multiple future site visits.
Marketers love persistent cookies, because they act like supercharged tracking devices. They log where you go, what you do, and what you‘re interested in across the web. Over months or years, persistent cookies build up detailed digital dossiers of your browsing history and behavior.
I don‘t know about you, but I find it creepy to think some company‘s cookie is following me around the web chronicling my every move! Persistent cookies let sites treat you like a specimen under a microscope.
How Do These Sneaky Cookies Work?
When you first arrive at a site, it gives your browser a cookie containing a unique ID code. Your browser saves this file into your designated cookies folder.
The next time you visit, your browser checks its cookies folder and sees the file. It sends the ID code back to the site along with your activity data. Now the site knows, "Ah yes, visitor 12345 has returned!"
The process repeats on subsequent visits. The site collects more of your activity into that persistent cookie, gaining an increasingly detailed history of your usage habits.
Here‘s an example:
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First visit: Site gives browser persistent cookie containing ID code 54321 and expiration date 1 year from now
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Over next month: Browser automatically sends cookie 54321 on each visit, allowing site to track pages you viewed and items you clicked
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11 months later: Cookie 54321 still gets transmitted and continues recording activity until expiration date hits
Poof! The persistent cookie disappears forever (or gets reset with a new code).
The Pros and Cons of Cookies That Never Forget
Persistent cookies offer some benefits, but also have a dark side:
Pros
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✅ Save preferences like language, theme, location settings
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✅ Keep you logged into sites and remember items in carts
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✅ Enable personalization features tailored to your interests
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✅ Provide website usage stats to help improve services
Cons
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❌ Invade privacy by tracking you without consent
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❌ Build detailed profiles of your activity over time
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❌ Pose security risks if stolen in a data breach
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❌ Slow down browsers and devices by overcrowding storage
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❌ Stay outdated if your preferences change
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❌ Allow cross-device tracking with a persistent ID
Do the pros of a better, more customized user experience outweigh the cons of reduced privacy? That‘s the big debate around persistent cookies.
Common Ways Sites Use These Sneaky Cookies
Let‘s explore some specific examples of how persistent cookies get used:
Login Cookies
Login cookies, like for your email or social media accounts, keep you signed in across visits. Twitter‘s login cookie lasts for 2 weeks by default. This avoids constant annoying re-logins.
Shopping Carts
Sites like Amazon use persistent cookies to remember items in your cart over weeks or months without purchase. Convenient, but also tracks shopping habits.
Behavioral Advertising
Ad networks rely heavily on persistent cookies. They build long-term profiles of your interests to serve ultra-targeted ads. Google‘s cookies can survive over 2 years!
Analytics Tracking
Websites log overall traffic analytics like visitors, referrers, page views, etc. in persistent cookies. WordPress uses the Jetpack plugin for this.
Geolocation Targeting
Sites delivering location-based content set persistent cookies with your location. Weather sites do this to remember your city.
User Tracking
In the most invasive cases, sites just straight up use persistent cookies to record every little thing you do in one massive profile. No thank you!
How Can You Regain Control Over These Sneaky Cookies?
If this all sounds creepy, you can take back power over persistent cookies. Here‘s how:
Browser Settings
I recommend going directly into your browser‘s cookie settings and deleting any you don‘t want. You can also set Do Not Track requests.
Cookie Manager Extensions
Extensions like Cookie AutoDelete provide granular control over clearing cookies automatically after each session.
Private Browsing & VPNs
Use private browsing modes or VPNs to block cookie tracking. However, this means losing conveniences too.
Cookie Consent Managers
Tools like Cookiebot give you a popup to consent cookie-by-cookie rather than agree to everything.
Global Regulations
New privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA require opt-in consent for cookies and transparency from sites.
While cookies provide conveniences, you‘re in the driver‘s seat about what data gets stored and tracked long-term. Take back control!
