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.
If Not Well Managed, Crowdsourcing Contests Produce Undesirable Results, UConn Researchers Discover
Crowdsourcing firms and platform designers may need to revisit their strategies, according to UConn School of Business researchers, because the competitive nature of the work, eager newcomers trying to promote themselves, and subtle biases in presentations may be skewing the outcomes. Continue Reading
At the UConn School of Business, we pursue research that is not only interesting and enlightening, but offers a fresh perspective or discovery that can be immediately applied to the business world. The best research benefits not only the academic community, but also business leadership and policy making. Continue Reading
Research by UConn management professors David Souder, left, and Greg Reilly confirms that businesses focusing on short-term results are ‘leaving profits on the table.’ (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
UConn Professors Find Evidence that Short-Sighted Business Planning Costs Companies Money
When executives are committed to the long-term viability of their corporation, and invest money in future growth and technology that will not pay off right away, does that give the company a strong competitive advantage?
For years conventional wisdom said yes, even as many companies seemed focused on short-term results instead. New research by UConn management professors David Souder and Greg Reilly, and their colleagues, offers evidence that longer payoff horizons are indeed more profitable. Continue Reading
Corporate compliance is one of the hot-topic issues in business today, and it will be the the subject of a Nov. 15 Executive Education breakfast program, “Building a Culture of Compliance,” offered by the University of Connecticut School of Business at its Stamford Campus. 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
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
Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation – Facing a self-declared “death spiral” of public debt, the Governor of Puerto Rico announced a debt moratorium earlier this year, halting payments to bondholders. A series of missed payments followed, including a landmark default on constitutionally guaranteed bonds in July. At the same time, Congress passed the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA or “promise” in Spanish), which combines a debt restructuring system with federal controls over the island’s finances. But enacting PROMESA is only a first step. Coordination and engagement with creditors is the next step—and an even more complicated one—in Puerto Rico’s long journey towards solvency and fiscal stability.
Kevin McEvoy (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Marketing Professor Kevin McEvoy Wins Stamford Faculty Recognition Award
Marketing professor Kevin McEvoy doesn’t mind putting in extra work if it fosters greater success among his students.
Each week he reviews around 130 student critiques in addition to student team presentations, a time-consuming task, because he believes that writing them helps students become more focused, better thinkers and stronger learners. Continue Reading