Cookie monsters

It all started out as an improver of your browser experience. The cookie evolution, or the different ways to cook that recipe, has developed the use, appearance, and taste of cookies.
Today’s cookie basket is full of both good UX-ones and really bad-tasting, information tracker-ones.

Not all browser cookies are bad. HTTP/HTTPS cookies (the formal name for web cookies) are quite useful and allow you to continue accessing websites without re-entering your password on every page. More generally, they also remember your settings and preferences for you. Alongside your browser’s cache, cookies also help webpages load faster and make it easier for you to simply browse the web.

What is a tracking cookie?

Not all cookies are tracking cookies. But those that are might put your privacy at risk by tracking sites that you visit and report them back to wherever the cookies designer wants your data to go. They are distributed, shared and read across two or more unrelated websites for the purpose of gathering information and/or potentially presenting customized data back to you.

Moreover, cookies can affect your system’s operation by saving information about your location. That’s why there is no existing single-step solution when it comes to protect your online privacy. Therefore, regularly clearing your cookies and cache is not just useful but a must-have daily routine. Read our guide “Plugins that block and protect” to get a good start with this.

Don’t let the bad cookies scare you away. Instead, learn how to eat them up.

Om nom nom!

For the universal right to privacy,

Mullvad