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.
Hartford Business Journal – When classes begin in late August, hundreds of UConn graduate students in social work, public policy and education will be coming to downtown Hartford.
They will join nearly 1,400 graduate students at UConn’s center-city business school along with the 250 or so grad students enrolled in the University of St. Joseph’s School of Pharmacy, located in the XL Center
CTStartup Podcast– Sometimes the simplest innovation can have the largest impact, and can even save lives in the right situation.
The SR Clamplight is a firefighting tool created by Jerry Reyes-Riviera, a volunteer firefighter who saw a way to make this dangerous profession a little bit safer for his fellow firefighters.
Tune in for this UConn Innovation Quest interview and hear how this simple invention could mean the difference between life and death for the brave men and women of the local fire department.
Connecticut by the Numbers – UConn is on the move this week, literally as well as figuratively. Wednesday will see the ribbon cutting for the new Hartford campus, which is relocating from its suburban campus in West Hartford after nearly five decades away from the Capital City. And in Stamford, students will be moving into student housing beginning this weekend, the first time that has been possible.
CTStartup Podcast– Though most of the startups that participated in the UConn Innovation Quest are in the earliest stages of building their business, one returning company, Macroscopic Solutions, is a veteran of the IQ challenge, and returned to offer both advice, and a look at just how far they have come.
We sat down with Mark Smith of Macroscopic, who has been a guest on CTStartup as well, to discuss how IQ helped his business grow from an idea into a full-time job with international reach.
A dozen colleges and universities were represented at the 2017 UConn Analytics Roundtable on July 18 at the Graduate Business Learning Center (GBLC) in downtown Hartford.
The goal of the event was to form alliances between career coaches from Northeast business schools with analytics/data science graduate programs.
In addition to UConn, participating universities included: Clark, Syracuse, Merrimack College, NYU, Quinnipiac, Fordham, Brandeis, SUNY Buffalo, Rutgers, Boston University and the University of New Hampshire.
Professor John Wilson from the OPIM department was the keynote speaker and addressed the audience about the trends and future of analytics.
The 2017 UConn Analytics Roundtable was held on July 18 in Hartford, Conn. (Katherine Duncan/UConn School of Business)
“From the moment guests arrived there was chatter and energy in the room,” said Katherine Duncan, a UConn MSBAPM career adviser, who organized and moderated the event. “It was clear that all invited had passion for helping students and enthusiasm to share.”
Innovation Destination Hartford – University of Connecticut graduate Ali Oshinskie is a driven entrepreneur. The self-taught podcaster launched Podstories in May 2017 and is making a name for herself here in Greater Hartford.
Ali and Innovation Destination Hartford Website Curator Nan Price met at Café Fifty-Five for coffee and conversation about Ali’s experience with UConn’s Innovation Quest and what it means to be an entrepreneur.
West Hartford News – Recently, four leaders from the Greater Hartford community were honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards in recognition of their longtime contributions to business and community.
CTStartup Podcast– No matter what automakers do, creative thieves find ways to defeat even the most elaborate anti-theft devices. Indeed, it is almost impossible to stop a truly determined thief, and even if you do, proving their guilt can be difficult unless you catch them red-handed. But what if you could add an anti-theft device to your car that did just that?
The students behind Flux Forcefield, another entry in UConn’s Innovation Quest business incubator, has created an anti-theft deterrent that could send repeat offenders behind bars for a long time.
Westfair Communications – The University of Connecticut will open its first student dormitory in Stamford, with a move-in weekend scheduled for Aug. 26 and 27.