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.
Los Angeles Times– A single-payer healthcare system once again is being talked about for California — the leading candidate for governor supports the idea — and once again the issue is being framed as a debate between starry-eyed dreamers and sober-minded realists.
Matthew Bradford ’16, ’17 MSA (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Matt Bradford ’16, ’17 MSA Earns One of the Best CPA Exam Scores in the Nation
Two-time accounting alumnus Matthew Bradford ’16, ’17 MSA earned one of the best CPA exam scores in the nation, and the top one in Connecticut, during 2017. Continue Reading
An old telephone booth in London. (Grace Guertin/UConn School of Business)
My first week in London was a whirlwind! We arrived early Saturday morning and the jet lag hit everyone harder than expected. I was struck by the quaint beauty of London even though it is such a big city. Continue Reading
The #HCBiz– In the rush to implement EHR and meaningful use, did we forget about interoperability? Congress thinks there should be more to show for the billions of dollars already spent on EHR. Now, they’ve asked the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) to give guidance for the future. On this episode, Shahid and I sit down with Niam Yaraghi to discuss what TEFCA is and what it means for interoperability and the business of healthcare.
Nadav Ullman ’12 (BUS), the CEO, and Thomas Bachant ’13 (ENG), co-founder and CTO of Dashride, outside their office on 5th Avenue in New York City. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
If you’ve taken a cab or a limo in any major city in the U.S. in the last few years, odds are good that a team of UConn alumni helped orchestrate your ride. Continue Reading
As part of UConn’s Experiential Learning Collaborative (ELC), graduate students worked with Henkel Corp. this spring to identify new opportunities for business growth and competitive advantage. Above are some of the participants, including, from left: Martin Donner, ELC project mentor; Niraj Sharma ’18 MSBAPM; Kimberly Newton, a vice president at Henkel; Snehal Singh ’18 MSBAPM; Kseniia Poirkina ’18 MBA; Greg Kivenzor, ELC director, and Brad Wade, director at Henkel. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
In a world in which the purchase and delivery of laundry, home care, and beauty products is rapidly changing, accelerating digitalization is integral to Henkel’s growth strategy.Continue Reading
Stamford Advocate– In the past five years, technology consulting firm GIBC Digital has opened offices in Boston, Hong Kong, London, Singapore and Tampa. Now, the firm is turning its focus to new markets.
The Hour– Stamford-based NBC Sports Group has assigned about 50 people to work on World Cup production from Russia or its East Side headquarters as part of its support of sister organization Telemundo’s coverage of the world’s most-watched soccer competition.
Business professor Jeff Cohen, who has researched the business and real estate impacts of the CTfastrak bus rapid transit service, says the new Hartford Line commuter train will have an impact on land value and job opportunities in cities. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
The Hartford Line is a new commuter rail service between New Haven and Springfield, Mass., with additional stops in suburbs along the 62-mile route. The service, a collaboration between the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts, will launch on Saturday, June 16.Continue Reading
The Brookings Institution– On May 25, the European Union started to enforce the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). As my colleague, Tom Wheeler, puts it “GDPR sets the New Digital World Order” by requiring the industry to fundamentally change its business processes and offer privacy by default and data protection by design. Rather than collecting as much data as possible, businesses are now required to collect only the minimum amount of data they need to offer a particular service. The effects of this new policy will spread beyond the EU. Since the requirements cover all data collected from EU citizens, American corporations that do business in the EU or with EU partners will have to comply with the GDPR.