Hello, in this article, I will talk about a type of data storage that we often hear about through warnings when we visit websites, known as cookies.
You can click on the following topics to jump to the section where I explain them:
History of Cookies
Cookies were first created in 1994 by Lou Montulli. The company Lou worked for, Netscape, was developing an e-commerce site for another company. On this site, the products added to the user's cart were stored on the site's server, which caused a significant storage issue. Therefore, they asked Lou to find a solution that would store this data on the user's computer instead of the server.
In response, Lou Montulli and John Giannandrea developed a cookie system that was supported by Netscape's own browser, Netscape Navigator, in the same year. The first cookie used was to check if the user had visited the site before. After Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer also started using cookies, and the usage of cookies began to increase.
What are Cookies
You have probably encountered cookies through warnings like "This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience" or "By entering this site, you agree to the use of cookies." So, what is the reason for these warnings?
Cookies are a type of data packet stored in our browser and kept specific to the site we visit. They improve our experience on the site through functionalities such as the "Remember Me" button, setting the language option on the site, and the shopping cart on e-commerce sites. Besides these uses, cookies are most commonly used for advertisements. For example, information about which products we viewed or purchased on e-commerce sites is processed to shape our future ads accordingly. Additionally, on social media applications, liked photos or searches made on search engines are stored in cookies, and ads are displayed according to our interests.
Cookies start storing such comprehensive information from the moment we enter the site. Since storing this type of information without the user's consent is illegal, sites that use cookies are required to display a warning like the ones we mentioned at the beginning, asking for the user's permission when they first enter the site.
Types of Cookies
The basic structure of cookies includes the site from which the cookie originates, the name of the cookie, the value within the cookie, and the expiration date of the cookie. Cookies are generally divided into two types: first-party cookies and third-party cookies. First-party cookies are used for processes that improve our experience on the site we are visiting. The domain part of first-party cookies must be the same as the site we are on.
Third-party cookies, on the other hand, are created when the domain part of the cookie is different from the site we are on. These cookies are used by advertisers or analytics companies. For example, they track which sites the user visits, which products they view, and which products they purchase to create future ad suggestions accordingly.
To prevent these types of cookies from tracking us without our knowledge, specific regulations were introduced. Laws such as the General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) were enacted. As a result of these laws, certain requirements were established for websites:
- Inform users that your site uses cookies.
- Give users the right to prevent some or all cookies from being collected.
- Allow users to use most of your site without receiving cookies.
Even though it has a very simple structure, the significant revenue of companies like Google and Facebook today comes from ads made possible by the use of cookies. If you want to see the cookies in your browser, you need to press Control+Shift+J, select the Application tab in the top panel, and find the Cookies option in the left panel. Here, you can see all the cookies used on the current page you are on.
Source: