Cookie: what is it and how does it works ?


Definition of Cookie: A cookie is a small, very simple file, in fact, a text, saved on the hard drive of an Internet user's computer at the request of the server managing the visited website. It contains information about navigation carried out on the pages of this site. The original idea is to facilitate subsequent use of the site by the same person. So, if Clara returns to a site where she has filled out a form with her first and last name, she will be greeted with “  Hello Clara ”. Apart from saying hello, a cookie is used to record the preferences chosen by a user during the visit (this is what the search engine does for example Google).


How cookies work

On the Internet user's computer, it is the browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc.) that manages cookies. It is he who receives the order to save them from the server (the principle of cookies is part of the protocol HTTP used for exchanges on the Web). It is he who records them and it is also he who allows them to be controlled, according to the wishes of the Internet user. We can thus prohibit any recording of cookies (but access to many sites, or at least the use of their functionalities, is then impossible). THE browsers allow you to find them (they are saved in deeply buried subfolders), list them, and even selectively delete them. Even if we do not delete them, they end up disappearing because they have an expiration date, which may be several months away or which may be the "end of session", that is to say, the moment when the Internet user leaves the site.


Cookies for advertising

Cookies are also very useful to advertisers who have built a complex and efficient system. On the web pages of many sites, the spaces reserved for advertisements are sold to agencies to many clients. When an Internet user displays the page of a site, a cookie indicates to the server of this agency the latest searches carried out by the person. Although she has recently become very interested in vacuum cleaners, she will see advertisements for this type of device.


What is a cookie?

Internet users often accept them without thinking, to consult the web page they wish to browse as quickly as possible. A cookie is a file whose purpose is to improve the user experience. After clicking on “Accept”, the cookie records your browsing information. For example, it memorizes the pages consulted to know your tastes, your behavior, your Internet user, and your consumer profile.


It also records the number of page visits and the time and date of your visits. It is possible to refuse the activation of cookies and delete those installed on your computer. Deactivation is carried out from your browser by clicking on “Parameters” and then on “Confidentiality and security”.


Acceptance of cookies is not obligatory. Please note, however, that their refusal or deactivation may restrict access to the services available on the web page.


What are cookies used for?

Cookies are used to optimize your web browsing by recommending websites and products that may be of interest to you. But behind this intelligent file, other intentions are very often hidden. Intentions that depend on the nature of the cookie.


Some cookies like Google Analytics and AT Internet are installed to measure an audience. Others like Adwords, Bing, or Salesforce collect information to offer relevant advertisements.


Some cookies for advertising purposes, such as Emarsys, analyze user behavior and send them targeted emails.


The Hotjar cookie sifts the behavior of Internet users and uses the information collected to carry out surveys. In addition to tracking, cookies also facilitate personalization. It saves your username on a website so you can log in more quickly the next time you visit. Cookies are text files and are therefore harmless.


How do cookies work?

You are surfing an online shopping site. You want to buy your new running shoes and your training equipment. You place your pair of shoes in your basket and check your watch: you have a doctor's appointment and have to leave your home quickly. You log back into the same website just three days later.


You are surprised to see that your shoes are already in your shopping cart, and all you have to do is add the other items you need. You owe this pleasant surprise to the cookies saved on your computer's hard drive by the web browser. Cookies have an expiration date generally set between 30 days and 13 months from their installation on the hard drive.


However, you can delete them first by accessing the settings and then the privacy options of your browser. The legal framework relating to computer cookies is governed by several European directives. 

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