Cookies... the tech equivalent of a cockroach
ARE you concerned about the ‘spies’ in your computer?
Most of us know well the following scenario – you’ve searched the web for a good deal on your favourite make of shoe.
Lo and behold you start being bombarded by ads from other shoe retailers.
Irritating.
But, what if it wasn’t shoes but life insurance, credit cards or mortgages – that might suggest Big Brother knows far too much about your financial background than is healthy.
It happens as if by magic.
In fact, it’s down to that infuriating little blighter, the cookie.
The tech equivalent of a cockroach crawling all over you.
Cookies are little bits of data stored invisibly on your hard drive.
By accepting cookies, you are giving the website concerned permission to track information about you, such as your browsing activity and search history.
Online Sciences states: “Cookies can serve up the personalised content which is geared towards that specific user’s preferences.
Amazon uses cookies to provide you with related products, Google uses cookies to better understand your searches, and Facebook uses cookies to do just about everything.
“Many companies collect data from cookies to run marketing campaigns aimed at a very specific market segment.
“Although cookies make browsing the internet a bit easier they are seen by many as an invasion of privacy.
“Since most websites will not allow their site to be accessed unless cookies are enabled, browsers are set to accept cookies by default.”
Yet cookies are not secure as they are stored in clear text. Anyone can open and tamper with them.
You can delete cookies and you can edit cookies.
Few do. Life is too short and most people just click on accept.
Not surprising given an investigation by consumer champion Which? found that the average length of cookie policies laid out by major companies was 1,388 words.
It noted: “If you wanted to find out all the information about cookies on Legal & General’s website, you’d need to read more than 8,300 words.”
To be fair, most websites collect information about you for legitimate reasons.
Nevertheless, should we be so casual with cookies?
Especially, when you browse websites that contain ads, thirdparty cookies (from sites you’ve never visited) can be placed on your computer. Information retrieved pushes more sales and clients.
Which? commented: “The fact that your browsing history can be used to offer personalised recommendations is as valuable to advertisers as it is unnerving for many people.
“Of the 1,130 Which? members we surveyed, 70 per cent said they were concerned about retail websites sharing their browsing history with third parties. That figure shot up to 84 per cent when asked about financial websites.
“This is understandable, given that the type of insurance or credit card you’re looking for can reveal a lot about you. The likes of Facebook and Google will use your browsing history in combination with other information, such as your social media activity or your search history. Their aim is to build a detailed profile of you and others like you. While both Facebook and Google stress that they never sell personal information about you, they do sell access to you and people who look like you to advertisers.”
The Competition and Markets Authority has been investigating digital advertising on online platforms. It has recommended a number of interventions, including giving people a choice over whether they receive personalised advertising.
It is a stance backed by Which? At the end of the day, in this digital age, it’s pretty much impossible to do without cookies.
But is it a case of ‘too many cookies spoil the broth’?