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.
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
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
News times – The University of Connecticut maintains its headquarters upstate, but its brand is quickly growing in the state’s southwestern corner.
The launch last week of a Stamford conference for businesswomen shows that university officials are intent on expanding UConn’s presence in the city through more programming and closer ties with the local business community.
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
Westfair Online – The inaugural edition of Xcite, an entrepreneurship and innovation conference for women, will be held next month at the Crowne Plaza Stamford Hotel. The conference is being presented by the University of Connecticut School of Business and the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Stamford Advocate – The business experts on the panel convened Thursday at the University of Connecticut’s Stamford campus underscored a critical financing principle for entrepreneurs: A great idea alone will not get your business funded.
UConn Foundation – Donors Peter ’55 (BUS) and Re’ Telep are committed to supporting UConn Stamford students today – and in the future.
In 2009, the couple established the Telep Family Scholarship to support UConn Stamford students. Recently, the two decided to ensure the scholarship’s longevity by creating an endowed scholarship through their estate plans. For the Teleps, this scholarship is an opportunity to give back and help others move ahead in the world.
Roger Piqueras Jover (pictured), a wireless security research scientist at Bloomberg, was among the speakers at UConn’s TakeDownCon security conference. (UConn School of Business)
Security Experts Offer Warnings, Recommendations During UConn’s Cybercrime Prevention Conference
The world is in the throes of a love affair with mobile technology and it shows no signs of abating.
We love to do our banking on our phones, text our friends—whether a block away or halfway around the world—and even set our thermostats using our mobile devices.
But the freedom and power that technology gives to mobile users is also a gateway to trouble for professional hackers, said Roger Piqueras Jover, a wireless security research scientist at Bloomberg. Because every time your phone or mobile device switches to a different transmission tower, a passive eavesdropper in your vicinity could potentially track the location of your smartphone, he said. Continue Reading
Bill Simon ’81, ’88 MBA, former Walmart CEO, at the UConn School of Business Stamford campus. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
‘Treat People Right Throughout Your Life’ Says Former Walmart CEO Bill Simon ’81, ’88 MBA
A store manager had been abruptly fired in a small North Carolina town and Walmart president and CEO Bill Simon‘s phone was ringing off the hook.
Customers were irate, store associates were upset, and even the town’s mayor called to lodge a complaint.
“Our store manager had chased a shoplifter into the parking lot, tackled him and brought him back into the store,” recalled Simon, who earned both his bachelor’s degree and MBA from UConn. “Our policy was that we don’t chase shoplifters because of the risk of someone getting hurt, and he had clearly violated the policy.Continue Reading
Westfair online – The University of Connecticut’s Stamford campus is no longer a runner-up prize for students wanting to attend the university’s main Storrs campus.
“Six years ago we had part-time MBA, two small business undergraduate programs and we were largely a feeder school for students wanting to get to Storrs,” said John A. Elliott, dean of the UConn School of Business, at the June 15 CEO Evolution panel hosted by the university in Stamford.