What are Cookies?

So recently all you’ve been hearing a lot about cookies…

A cookie is simply a technology for remembering something about you.

Without cookies, a website is like a goldfish who loses its memory every time you visit a new page. Once you visit a new page, it doesn’t remember who you are.

Now this can be a good and a bad thing. Without any memory, a website can’t do much at all… It can’t let you log in, because it forgets who you are. It can’t let you buy anything, because it forgets what you’re buying.

But it also means it can’t track you. Some websites use cookies to remember what you do on their website, and to target ads at you. And some of those websites share their cookies, so that ads on one website know what you liked on another. This has scared a lot of people, and this is the reason the GDPR is such a talking point at the moment.

Cookies aren’t automatically good or bad, but it’s worth understanding what you can do about them.

You can turn them off completely, which is a bit like banning all music to prevent another Nicki Minaj album… Many websites simply won’t work!

A better option would be to turn off 3rd party cookies, which will stop most websites from sharing information about you. Some browsers – like Safari – do this automatically.

And finally, you can take a deeper look into any websites which concern you. Most websites have policies that explain what they do, commonly found in the footer of the website.

Well over 90% of websites use cookies. Cookies aren’t automatically good or bad, but it’s worth understanding what you can do about them!

Darren
Darren
As Creative Director, Darren oversees all of Whoop Creative's design output, ensuring a consistently high standard across all the projects we undertake for our fantastic clients. He is an expert in branding and corporate identity, design for print, design for digital media, advertising and marketing. Enthusiastic and organised, Darren has extensive industry experience and aims for perfection in every project he undertakes.