What are Internet Cookies and Why Can't you Eat Them?

You've been asked it countless times, “Do you accept our cookies?” They say that it helps to tailor your experience and personalize it for you, but is that all they do? How do they work? And perhaps the most important question: why can’t you eat them?

What do Cookies Actually Do?

Websites utilize cookies to remember information about a user. They tell the website who the person is and what they have done in the past. This can be purchase history, stored login details, or anything that could be different from person to person. Some cookies are saved between sessions, similar to long-term memory, and some cookies deleted when you close the tab, similar to short-term memory.

How do Cookies Work?

At their core, cookies are small files of data stored in your browser that keep track of what you do online on the website. There are generally three different types of cookies:

• Persistent cookies stay between sessions and store your login

• Session cookies don’t stay between sessions and store your shopping cart

• Third-Party cookies (tracking cookies) are used by third-parties or advertisers

Some of this may be useful: keeping track of your login to make it easier each time, having a digital shopping cart to be able to keep track of what you want to get, and having personalized ads to improve your experience. However, this can still be used maliciously, like most things on the internet.

Malicious Use

Despite the fun name, cookies don't always live up to it. Some websites share cookie data with third parties. If the site is unsecure (no padlock in the address bar), your data could be exposed. In rare cases, malware can even be disguised as cookies.

There are still many ways to defend yourself from these kinds of cookies. To do your best to avoid these dangers, follow these steps:

• Only accept necessary cookies

• Disable or decline cookies when possible

• Verify the URL has a lock

• Clear your browser cache (Chrome Guide, Edge Guide)

Super Cookies

There are persistent cookies, session cookies, third-party cookies, and, also, super cookies. These cookies break the one rule the other cookies had: they were in your browser. Super cookies are at the network level, they last forever (unless you get rid of them) and can access everything normal cookies can. Your browsing habits, login credentials, and your cache. There are two specific kinds of super cookies: “Flash Cookies” and “Local Shared Objects” that are also called LSOs. You can only delete flash cookies as those are the only ones that you are accessible without doing something illegal.

You can still defend against these, though. There are a few different routes you can follow:

• Use a VPN for deeper encryption.

• Use HTTPS connections (encrypted websites).

• Use privacy-focused browsers or extensions.

For a guide on how to delete super cookies, more about how to defend them, and more about them, see here.

Why Can’t You Eat Them?

The greatest question is, in fact, the last. Despite being called “cookies,” there is a distinct lack of edible qualities in them. Where did this name come from? In 1994, programmer Lou Montulli invented browser cookies while working on digital shopping carts. He named them after ‘magic cookies,’ a term used for data packets in programming. Both were inspired by fortune cookies because they hold a message inside.

So while these cookies aren’t edible, they’re part of how the internet remembers you. The good news? You can use them, manage them, or get rid of them.

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