Web cookies (also called HTTP cookies, browser cookies, or simply cookies) are small pieces of data that websites store on your device (computer, phone, etc.) through your web browser. They are used to remember information about you and your interactions with the site.
Purpose of Cookies:
Session Management:
Keeping you logged in
Remembering items in a shopping cart
Saving language or theme preferences
Personalization:
Tailoring content or ads based on your previous activity
Tracking & Analytics:
Monitoring browsing behavior for analytics or marketing purposes
Types of Cookies:
Session Cookies:
Temporary; deleted when you close your browser
Used for things like keeping you logged in during a single session
Persistent Cookies:
Stored on your device until they expire or are manually deleted
Used for remembering login credentials, settings, etc.
First-Party Cookies:
Set by the website you're visiting directly
Third-Party Cookies:
Set by other domains (usually advertisers) embedded in the website
Commonly used for tracking across multiple sites
Authentication cookies are a special type of web cookie used to identify and verify a user after they log in to a website or web application.
What They Do:
Once you log in to a site, the server creates an authentication cookie and sends it to your browser. This cookie:
Proves to the website that you're logged in
Prevents you from having to log in again on every page you visit
Can persist across sessions if you select "Remember me"
What's Inside an Authentication Cookie?
Typically, it contains:
A unique session ID (not your actual password)
Optional metadata (e.g., expiration time, security flags)
Analytics cookies are cookies used to collect data about how visitors interact with a website. Their primary purpose is to help website owners understand and improve user experience by analyzing things like:
How users navigate the site
Which pages are most/least visited
How long users stay on each page
What device, browser, or location the user is from
What They Track:
Some examples of data analytics cookies may collect:
Page views and time spent on pages
Click paths (how users move from page to page)
Bounce rate (users who leave without interacting)
User demographics (location, language, device)
Referring websites (how users arrived at the site)
Here’s how you can disable cookies in common browsers:
1. Google Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data.
Choose your preferred option:
Block all cookies (not recommended, can break most websites).
Block third-party cookies (can block ads and tracking cookies).
2. Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
Under the Enhanced Tracking Protection section, choose Strict to block most cookies or Custom to manually choose which cookies to block.
3. Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the top-left corner of the screen.
Go to Preferences > Privacy.
Check Block all cookies to stop all cookies, or select options to block third-party cookies.
4. Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Cookies and site permissions.
Select your cookie settings from there, including blocking all cookies or blocking third-party cookies.
5. On Mobile (iOS/Android)
For Safari on iOS: Go to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > Block All Cookies.
For Chrome on Android: Open the app, tap the three dots, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies.
Be Aware:
Disabling cookies can make your online experience more difficult. Some websites may not load properly, or you may be logged out frequently. Also, certain features may not work as expected.
Shree Reddy ’17 MSBAPM was the winner of a competitive McKinsey Online Analytics Hackathon last fall. McKinsey & Co. is one of the most well-known global management consultancy groups in the world. Continue Reading
Alumnus Scott Drozd and business partner Nick Bauer pose for a photo at the headquarters of their highly successful FCP Euro auto parts company in Milford. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Outstanding Customer-Service Strategy Helped Create $30 Million Business
How do you take a small, mom-and-pop car parts business and turn it into a $30 million, online retail blockbuster?
The secret, according to FCP Euro owners Scott Drozd ’03 (CLAS) and Nick Bauer, is that you always, always, always put the customer first, and never stop growing, developing and expanding your business. Continue Reading
News Times– There are going to be a lot of dry baby bottoms around thanks to a record-breaking number of donated diapers.
Connex Credit Union donated 82,919 diapers — almost double the amount from last year— Thursday to The Diaper Bank, a local nonprofit that seeks to prevent the risk of health and parenting complications caused by limited access to diapers.
School of Business Dean John A. Elliott pictured with students. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
John A. Elliott, dean of the UConn School of Business, has been elected vice chair/chair elect of AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the ‘gold standard’ accrediting body for business schools. Continue Reading
In conjunction with Connecticut’s Splunk User Group, OPIM Innovate’s own Tyler Lauretti was able to create a functioning Fitbit add on for Splunk. Working on this side project he was able to add data from Fitbits and import it into the Splunk platform to get more detailed information on a user’s health. Splunk is a big data platform that specializes in taking machine data from different types of computing systems.
The Operations and Information Management (OPIM) Department is looking for students interested in emerging technology to work as a lab specialist in the School of Business’s Gladstein Lab.
Westfair Online– “There’s something about growing up in a family-owned business that sets you apart,” said Kate Hampford Donahue, president and CEO of Hampford Research Inc. “I certainly didn’t realize it at the time, but it’s only now that I really appreciate what that experience really gave me.”
This year the University of Connecticut was invited to participate in Hackathon, an event hosted by Upward Hartford. Upward Hartford is a new innovation / co-working space located in downtown Hartford open to entrepreneurs looking for a place to create new ideas and other innovative projects.
The MSBAPM program continues to receive recognition for excellence, with the latest achievement including a No. 6 ranking in the nation from the web site Predictive Analytics Today. Continue Reading