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.
Top row, from left: Alina Lerman, Alexander Amati, Heidi Bailey, Stephen Brown. Bottom row, from left: Wei Chen, Redona Methasani ’18 Ph.D., Jo (Kyoungjo) Oh.
Four UConn alumni, high-ranking executives from Anthem and Electric Boat, and professors with ties to Harvard and Yale are among the 14 new faculty joining the UConn School of Business this fall.Continue Reading
An electrohydraulic controller being created at OEM Controls in Shelton, Conn. (Sulin Ba/UConn School of Business)
Associate Dean Sulin Ba and Arminda Kamphausen, associate director of UConn’s Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), recently visited Samuel R.N. Simons ’95 EMBA at his company, OEM Controls in Shelton, Conn. Simons is the newest member of CIBER’s Advisory Council. Continue Reading
UConn School of Engineering– A four-person team, featuring University of Connecticut Engineering and Business students, will test their luck on the PBS show “Make48.”
From left: Faculty award winners Xinxin Li, John Mathieu, Sulin Ba, Jan Stallaert, Nora Madjar, and David Papandria. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
The School of Business recently honored some of its top faculty members for 2018, celebrating their achievements from the classroom to international research discoveries. Continue Reading
School of Business Offers New 4+1 Bachelor/Master Degree Options in Financial Risk Management, Business Analytics
The School of Business will soon offer two accelerated programs that will allow students to earn both their undergraduate and graduate degrees in five years. Continue Reading
With a virtual reality headset on, junior Carina Zamudio ’19 (CLAS) spent part of a recent Friday afternoon at the OPIM Innovate Lab trying to slay villains who were intent on breaching the security around a virtual castle. The lab offers students, faculty, and staff members the chance to experiment with five different emerging technologies and acquire new skills. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
With a virtual reality headset on, junior Carina Zamudio spent part of a Friday afternoon trying to slay villains who were intent on breaching the security around a virtual castle. Continue Reading
UConn Today– As is evident with the current Facebook crisis, third parties pose a significant potential privacy risk to visitors. But Facebook is not the only website using them. The convenience of easy sign-ins with Google or Twitter accounts also results in immediate identification with third parties.
Fun-Filled Professional Enhancement Challenges Will Highlight Student Accomplishments, Strengthen Resumes
Students in the Business Analytics and Project Management master’s degree program (MSBAPM) will have the opportunity to compete in a new professional enhancement, gamification-style challenge. Continue Reading
OPIM Professor Shu He has been studying non-focal firms’ strategic social media adjustment in response to a competitor’s crisis. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Savvy Social Media Tactics Boosted Airline Industry Following Devastating Crash
The crash of a passenger airplane is the ultimate public relations crisis for the airline industry.
But the opportunity to explore the way a distressed airline—and its competitors—handle that crisis on social media provides an outline for many different companies on the right and wrong way to address an industry emergency, said OPIM Professor Shu He. Continue Reading
UConn Professors Find that Some Self-Reporting is Flawed
Nursing homes may be inflating their self-assessments in an effort to improve their Medicare star ratings, according to a new study by UConn OPIM professors Niam Yaraghi and Ram Gopal and their colleague, Xu Han ’17 Ph.D. Continue Reading