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.
From left: Alexis Flowers, Southern University of Baton Rouge; Tshepo Makobela, University of Johannesburg; Alison Witschonke, University of Vermont; and Laura Van Eeckhoudt, Belmont University. (UConn School of Business)
CIBER Challenge Gives Students an Advantage in the Workplace
Career advice from GE executives, a scavenger hunt at Newport, R.I.’s famous mansions, a brain-teaser on global transportation, and a chance to meet business students from around the globe highlighted the 2016 UConn CIBER Case Challenge. Continue Reading
From left: Roma Romaniv, Joaquin Sanchez and Stephen Mwangi—the team of undergraduate finance students who took place in the Cornell Stock Pitch Challenge—pictured at a Popeyes Restaurant. (UConn School of Business)
UConn Finance Students Victorious at Highly Competitive Cornell Stock Pitch Contest
A team of UConn undergraduate finance students took third place in the highly prestigious Cornell Stock Pitch Challenge in Boston, going toe-to-toe with teams from Harvard, Columbia, Duke, Notre Dame and Amherst.
“We are very proud of our students’ success in the face of extremely tough competition,” said finance professor and department head Chinmoy Ghosh. “Their success confirms what we already know, that our students are able to compete and win against anyone.” Continue Reading
UConn Researcher Discovers that Retail Execs Downplay, Mislead Outlook in Reports to Stockholders
Many CEOs from major U.S. retailers tend to soften, possibly even distort, their company’s financial standings and offer stakeholders pessimistic predictions about the future, even when their companies are thriving.Continue Reading
U.S. Economic Expert Shares Vast Knowledge With Our Graduate Students
Economist Cletus C. Coughlin, senior vice president and policy adviser to the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, was a guest lecturer in the School of Business’ graduate program on Sept. 27.
Coughlin presented his knowledge on “The U.S. Economy: What’s Normal?” in Professor Jeffrey Cohen’s “FNCE 5533 – Real Estate Capital Markets” class at the Graduate Business Learning Center in Hartford.
Cletus Coughlin, senior vice president and policy adviser to the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis)
In his 30 years at the Federal Reserve, Coughlin’s responsibilities have focused on advising senior officials on monetary policy, as well as on academic research on the topics of international trade, urban, regional, and real estate economics. He has been with the Federal Reserve since 1987.
Coughlin and Cohen have been collaborating on research for the past 15 years, having published on a wide range of topics, including property taxation, airport infrastructure issues, housing price impacts of airport noise, and the boom and bust of U.S. housing prices.
Most recently, they co-authored an article with a third researcher on foreclosures, which was published in September 2016 in the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review. Read their article here.
Kathryn Friedrich, Head of Global Monetization, YouTube (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
UConn’s New Xcite Conference Draws 200+ Women; Strives to Increase Connecticut’s Women Business Leaders
It was a simple assignment that YouTube executive Kathryn Friedrich gave to the audience of 200 business women: take a minute and think of an entrepreneur.
“If you’re not thinking of yourself, think again, because you are an entrepreneur,” she said. “Entrepreneurship is a mindset. You don’t have to start your own company to be an entrepreneur. You can start working on it right away!” Continue Reading
New faculty members pose for a photograph during orientation. Fourteen new faculty members join the UConn School of Business for the Fall 2016 semester. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
School of Business Adds 14 Professors to Ranks
An OPIM professor with a near-perfect student rating, an expert in entrepreneurship and startups, an MSA graduate who wants to help lead the program she loves, and a management professor who specializes in international business growth are among 14 new faculty members joining the School of Business for the Fall 2016 semester.
Jeffrey Cohen, who specializes in real estate and finance, has received a $194,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation to start investigating economic changes along the CTfastrak bus route. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Real Estate Professor Jeffrey Cohen Eager to Study Impact of New Transit System on Central Connecticut
Will the state’s new bus rapid-transit system – CTfastrak – which has already carried 4 million riders since its inaugural trip in March 2015, also spur growth in housing, restaurants, and other businesses along its route in central Connecticut? Continue Reading
Emeka Okafor receives his diploma from former School of Business Dean Curt Hunter during Commencement ceremonies at Gampel Pavilion in May 2004. (Ryan McKee/NCAA Photos)
A Dozen Years After Graduation, Basketball Star/Finance Major Emeka Okafor Still a Favorite at UConn
Some of the members of the 2004 National Championship UConn Men’s Basketball Team would wear a weight vest in practice to improve their endurance as they ran up the bleachers in the old Memorial Stadium.
Frank Wuest ’82, president of the Boston-based real estate investment firm Marcus Partners and a dedicated alumnus who enjoyed mentoring UConn business students, died unexpectedly Aug. 13.
“Frank Wuest was an exemplary alumnus of the UConn School of Business,” said Dean John A. Elliott. “He engaged with faculty, staff, students and alumni. He spoke at events in Boston, he hosted visits by our students to his real estate offices, he took their phone calls, and advised them well.”Continue Reading
Back row, from left: Zachary Yellen, Edward Leardi, Eric Pan, Matthew DeLeon, Katie Cavanaugh, Liang Jian Wu (advisor & alumnus). Front row, from left: Ankur Shah, Justin Lee (advisor & founder), and Stephen Porcello after the final presentation in Storrs. (UConn School of Business)
Student-led UConn Consulting Group Offered Helping Hand to Financial Startups
Two financial services startups were the recent beneficiaries of a helping hand from the UConn Consulting Group, an undergraduate, student-led organization that works on real-life business projects to both assist companies and broaden student experiences.
“By working on a project for a startup, I had direct access to the CEO and felt like the UConn Consulting Group was consistently making an impact on the company,” said junior Matthew DeLeon. “The trust that the company placed in the group allowed us to push beyond what we had done in the past.” Continue Reading