What Internet Users Should Know About Cookies

Almost every internet user is likely confronted with this several times a day: You open a website and suddenly a pop-up window appears asking you to allow the cookies being used.

Most people click on “accept all” on these banners out of convenience. But this can digital have its pitfalls.

Technically necessary cookies

Technically necessary cookies are small data sets that are usually only stored temporarily in the browser. They are necessary for using a website and are also functional for the user.

“A common example often cited is the shopping cart in online shopping,” explains Roland partner lawyer Clemens Adori, media law expert from the Berlin law firm Schulz Kluge Partner.

Through temporary cookies, a website “remembers” the items placed in the shopping cart even when you access new subpages while browsing.

If this were not the case, users would have to log in again every time they visited the page and the items in the shopping cart would be lost.

protection against "stalker cookies"

In addition to the technically necessary cookies, there are also analysis or advertising cookies. Analysis cookies are used to individualize the offers and optimize the website itself.

In contrast, advertising cookies are often so-called tracking cookies. They remain stored permanently and thus track the user's online activities.

The goal: to collect as much information as possible in order to display personalized, and therefore precisely targeted, advertising. "To protect yourself from such stalker cookies, you should occasionally clear your browser data in your browser settings."

Even if you handle your own data very carefully, advertising cookies can still end up on your computer without you noticing," advises Clemens Adori. It may also be a good idea to permanently block third-party cookies.

Such individual cookie settings can be made and saved in the browser settings. This reduces the risk of misuse of personal data.

Browser plug-ins as tools

Manually clicking on the cookie settings on every website is often annoying. "Instead, you can install browser plug-ins. They suppress the cookie banners on websites and allow the user to surf undisturbed," says Adori.

Once installed, the small additional programs enable the browser to provide additional functions such as suppressing pop-up windows.

These plug-ins should be downloaded from trusted providers to avoid installing malware.

Sierks Media / © Photo: Data protection stock photo, de.depositphotos.com / Source: djd