Every website you land on has one pop-up window asking you to consent to the cookie collection. Most of you won’t bother reading it and click on “Accept” on the assumption that you must. Here is what happens when you do.
What are cookies?
- A cookie is a small piece of data stored on a user's device by a website they visit. It is typically a text file containing a unique identifier that helps the website remember information about the user and their browsing activity.
What are you agreeing to when you share your cookies?
Most commonly, when you agree to share your cookies with the website you are visiting, you agree to the following:
- Tracking your behaviour - monitoring your browsing activity on the site (pages visited, time spent, clicks). Sometimes tracking continues across other websites, especially if third-party cookies (e.g., from Facebook, Google Ads) are involved.
- Personalized advertising - you may be agreeing to allow targeted ads, based on your interests or prior web activity.
- Analytics and performance tracking - the site may collect usage stats to understand how users interact with content or features (often via tools like Google Analytics).
- Functional cookies - these help the site remember things like your language preference, items in a shopping cart, or login sessions.
- Sharing with third parties - you may be permitting the website to share your data with marketing partners, data brokers, or embedded services (e.g., YouTube, social media buttons).
What you're NOT told directly
What you’re not always told when you agree to share your cookies with the website you’re visiting is that the collected data can be combined with data from other sources to create a more detailed profile. Many sites use “consent” to legitimize data collection that would otherwise be restricted under laws like the GDPR (EU) or PIPEDA (Canada).
Your data may indeed leave your country, being stored on servers in the U.S. or elsewhere, sometimes outside of strong privacy jurisdictions.
Can you choose what to accept?
On well-designed sites (especially those subject to GDPR), you can often click on “Manage Cookies” or “Customize Settings” to view with whom your data is shared and tweak your selection. Sometimes you can also opt out of non-essential cookies (like marketing or tracking) with one simple click.
However, most of the times, essential cookies (for functionality) are often non-negotiable. If you care about privacy, consider:
Using browser extensions such as uBlock Origin or Privacy Badger
Browsing in incognito/private mode
Blocking third-party cookies in your browser settings.
Choosing the right browser
Popular browsers with poor privacy
Best browsers for your privacy
- Firefox with privacy hardening: it reaches maximum privacy with add-ons such as uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger or Local CDN, CanvasBlocker, and Cookie AutoDelete.
- Brave: for users who want out-of-the-box strong privacy settings without configuration.
- LibreWolf: this is a hardened Firefox version with privacy-focused default settings.
Cookie privacy tips for daily browsing
Here are some more tips that will help you maintaining your cookies private in your daily browsing:
- Clear your cookies regularly: browsers store persistent cookies that track you across sessions. Clearing them removes tracking IDs and session fingerprints.
- Block third-party cookies: third-party cookies are set by advertisers or embedded services (e.g., YouTube, Facebook). They track you across multiple websites.
- Use privacy extensions: equip your browser with tools to automatically manage, block, or isolate cookies.
- Avoid Single-Sign-On (SSO) logins such as "Sign in with Google/Facebook": these buttons set cross-site cookies and link your identity across platforms. Always prefer email/password login if available.
- Use a privacy-respecting browser: as mentioned earlier: Firefox (hardened), Brave, LibreWolf, or Tor will reduce cookie abuse by default.
- Use Incognito/Private Mode smartly: Incognito Mode prevents cookies from persisting after you close the session. However, websites can still track you during that session unless blockers are active.
- Use multiple browsers for compartmentalization: keep activities separated. One browser for personal (banking, email), one browser for shopping/social, one for sensitive tasks.
- Decline non-essential cookies when asked: most websites offer a “Manage Cookies” option. Take the time to disable marketing/analytics cookies. This stops most data-sharing with third parties.
- Learn to read cookie consent popups: be cautious of dark patterns (making "Accept All" bigger and easier to click) and auto-enabled trackers hidden under "legitimate interest" settings.
How to run a cookie scan on yourself
Tools like Webbkoll by Dataskydd.net and WhoTracks.me show which trackers/cookies a website sets. You can check any websites you visit to see who they share your information with.