Web cookies are small data stored on a user’s computer by a website. They help identify a user when they visit a website and store information about the user’s preferences, such as language settings and items stored in a shopping cart.
Cookies can also track user activity and analyze how users interact with a website. This allows website owners to understand their site’s traffic flow better and tailor the experience to the user’s preferences. When a user visits a website, the website sends a cookie to the user’s computer, which is then stored in their browser.
When the user returns to the website, the cookie is sent back, allowing the website to remember the user’s preferences. Web cookies are usually limited to a certain amount of time, such as one day or month.
They are also usually limited to a certain domain, so another cannot read cookies from one website. Web cookies can be viewed and managed in your web browser. From there, you can delete cookies, block certain sites from setting cookies or set rules for which sites are allowed to save cookies on your computer.