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What are Cookies?
When most tech savvy people are talking about cookies, they aren't talking about the edible food. Instead, they are talking about computer cookies. Many people don't understand exactly what computer cookies are and how they work. This is because they either haven't been told what cookies are or have been fed inaccurate information by the media (cookies received a lot of attention back in 2000 when many people were talking about internet safety and some reporters inaccurately described cookies).
The good news is, cookies aren't really a complicated subject. In fact, they're really easy to understand, as we'll show in this article.
The Definition of a Cookie
A cookie is, essentially, a piece of text (saved in .txt format) that is stored on your PC and on the web site's server. It stores your log-in information and other browsing habits, so that, if you visit a particular site, your information is already there and you won't have to type it in again.
How do Cookies Work?
Let's say you visit eBay.com. You sign into your account. If you don't check the box that says "remember me", you'll have to repeat this process each and every time you go to eBay.com. After a while, this becomes annoying. Finally, you check the box that remembers you, and every time you visit the site, you are automatically logged in. That's a pretty convenient thing, isn't it? It's the simplest example of a cookie.
For every site you go to, if you check the box that says "remember me", a cookie will be created. This cookie will remember all your log-in information and make the process of using the site that much easier.
Why are Cookies Good?
They make the process of visiting sites and making purchases/bidding a lot easier. You won't have to continuously type in your information upon each visit. It's already there for you.
Why are Cookies Bad?
Cookies can make your computer a little bit less secure in that, if an intruder were to come into your site and get on your computer, he or she could potentially make purchases because your account information is already there. Or if someone were to hack into the web server of the site, they could potentially get the information stored in cookies. Also, cookies usually "track" what sites you've been to. So if you've been to a not so nice site and your wife sees the cookies, she'll see you've been to that site.
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