What are computer cookies?
A computer cookie is a small text file which contains a unique ID tag, placed on your computer by a website. The website saves a complimentary file with a matching ID tag. In this file various information can be stored, from pages visited on the site, to information voluntarily given to the site. When you revisit the site days or weeks later, the site can recognize you by matching the cookie on your computer with the counterpart in its database. There are two types of cookies: temporary and permanent. Temporary cookies, also called session cookies, are stored temporarily in your browser’s memory and are deleted as soon as you end the session by closing the browser. Permanent cookies, also called persistent cookies, are stored permanently on your computer’s hard drive and, if deleted, will be recreated the next time you visit the sites that placed them there. Cookie technology addressed the need to keep track of information entered at a site so that if you submitted a registration form
Computer cookies are messages that a Web server transmits to a Web browser so that the Web server could enhance users’ experience. Cookies help store personal information about you so that when you return to the site, you have more personalized experience. Cookies often collect demographical information about who is visiting the website, in order to track how often visitors come to the site or how long they remain there. Some online shopping sites will make recommendations to you based on any previous purchase from the same site. Cookies may contain your user name, email address, IP address, shopping cart items, preferred language and any other string that can be connected to your identity. Cookies are stored in hard disks but their exact location (i.e. folder) depends on the browser you use. It is possible to view the cookies that are on your hard disk but the content stored in each cookie may not make much sense to you because it does not consist of plain text in English but combinat
