Cookie
Also known as: web cookie
A cookie is a small text file stored by the browser on a website visitor's computer. In the cookie file preferences can be stored by the visited website, so that these settings remain available during the visit and on any subsequent visit.
Cookies are used in online stores, among other things, to keep track of what products a visitor has added to their shopping cart. Cookies are also used to record that a visitor is logged into a Web site and sometimes to store certain site display preferences.
Another use of cookies covers website usage analysis. For example, cookies can be used to distinguish individual visitors. Users' interests can be determined on the basis of web pages viewed. Within affiliate marketing, a cookie can be used to track which affiliate a customer came from at the time a conversion occurs. Setting a cookie can also control how often a visitor sees the same banner.
In principle, cookies can only store data made known to the website by the Internet user or his browser. Since 2012, legislation has been in force that requires websites to inform visitors about how cookies are used and to offer the possibility to disable cookies during the visit. Certain cookies may only be placed if the visitor has given permission.
Accepting cookies can also be turned off in the web browser preferences. Often, this can even be set on a site-by-site basis. Browsers are working on a "do not track" option, which allows users to indicate that they wish to accept only functional cookies, i.e. no cookies that can be used to track their whereabouts on the Web.
