On account of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), the set of rules developed by the European Union that went into effect in 2018, websites regularly ask visitors whether they wish to accept cookies.

Some sites are now segmenting the question into various categories of cookies, such as preferences, marketing, or chocolate chip. What are cookies and what is this all about? Is it safe to accept them? What if you don’t seem to have a choice?

What are Cookies?

What kind of question is that?! Cookies are sweet little morsels delivered by websites you visit. As files, cookies are stored independently on a given device for each web browser you use. They serve four primary purposes:

  1. Some cookies are necessary to give you a sugar high … or to serve the primary function of a website, such as enabling you to log into an account or storing items in a shopping cart.
  2. Others store your preferences like vegan or gluten-free — I mean, language or region, or to automatically log you in.
  3. Statistics or performance cookies track your anonymous activities on a website such as the pages you visit, the number of bites you take, and the links you click.
  4. Advertisers use Marketing cookies to try to serve more relevant goodies — ads — based on your activities.

Why Should I Care?

Generally, cookies are designed to make your Internet browsing experience more efficient because your stomach stopped growling. For example, similar to leaving an application open on your smartphone so that it doesn’t have to load from scratch every time you revisit it, Preferences cookies enable you remain signed into websites where you have an account presence.

If you’re not at risk of strangers gaining access to your private computer or account, this can save you a lot of time. However, due to privacy concerns, website purveyors whose sites may be viewed by people in Europe are now required to ask your consent. At the risk of breaking protocol, many sites seem to ask everyone regardless.

Some websites assume you accept their use of cookies if you continue using their site at all. Others may offer the option to actually decline the cookies but still make use of a website with more personal responsibility.

The best sites, like Cookiebot, thoroughly indicate what types of cookies they use and what they all do. You might not like Marketing cookies tracking your travel from one website to the next and enabling advertisers to target your assumed needs, but what if they’re right?

Do I Have a Choice?

Some websites give you the opportunity to choose which types of cookies you accept. Additionally, web browsers offer a Do Not Track setting to prevent websites from tracking your web-based activity. [Update: Apple asks mobile apps to make tracking a user’s choice, too.]

Ultimately, it’s up to you whether you accept the cookies on the websites you visit, even if that means choosing not to use certain websites that don’t give you a choice.

I’m not sure if rejecting cookies is anything like vomiting, but I recommend you take a moment to read the details of each site’s consent request and be intentional before you accept willa nilla, all wafers aside.

Got the munchies? Hopefully this makes it a little easier to make a conscious choice about how you browse the web and what privacy you require along the way. Let me know if you have more questions.