What are Cookies?

You know those pop-up you see on most websites notifying you that the website uses Cookies?  And you take a quick glance and click ok.  Do you know what it is you are clicking ok to?

Cookies (actually http cookies) are small pieces of information that the website you are visiting sends to your computer, or other device, which are then saved.  Cookies can have a number of uses, for example;

• Your website preferences – perhaps you browsed to a website and changed the language to Spanish.  When you return to the website, it will pick up the cookie stored on your device and return the site in Spanish.
• Tracking your browsing activity on that site – for example what products have you looked at or added to your basket
• Remembering your login details – allowing you to log out of a site and then have your details already filled in when you revisit that site.
• Providing information to the website operator about user activities.  So they know how their visitors have behaved while on the website.

Cookies can be useful, but you may also consider them quite invasive.  That is why websites are legally bound to tell visitors that they use cookies and how those Cookies might be used.

So now you know.  When you click through those notifications and say “OK”, you are giving consent to the website operator to store cookies on your device from that website.

If you need any further information about what Cookies mean to you as a website user or as a website owner please get in touch – info@bemoreonline.co.uk.