Much of your passive digital footprint creation will come from your web browsing. Cookies are small blocks of data created by a website when you visit it. Cookies are used for many different purposes - for example, remembering website preferences or keeping track of what you have in your shopping basket. Cookies are also used to track you, and these tracking cookies contribute to your digital footprint:
Tracking cookies let websites track your behaviour across different sites. They might collect information about:
Cookies track your browsing behaviour, including the websites you visit, the pages you view, the time you spend on each site, and the links you click. This help to build a detailed profile of your online activities - including what kind of sites you visit and what you search for.
Third-party cookies (set by external services (e.g., advertisers) embedded on the website you are visiting) track your behaviour across different websites to create targeted advertisements. These ads are tailored according to your interests and browsing history, contributing to your digital footprint.
Tracking of your online activities by cookies raises significant privacy concerns. Detailed profiles created from your browsing behaviour can be used without your explicit consent.
Information collected by tracking cookies is often shared with third-party advertisers and data brokers, contributing to the spread of your digital footprint across various platforms.
Although cookies themselves are not harmful (but annoying if they're tracking you!), hackers can exploit them to steal sensitive information, although this is quite rare
Most web browsers allow you to manage cookies through their settings. You can choose to block third-party cookies, delete existing cookies, and set preferences for cookie handling. See the What You Can Do to Reduce Your Digital Footprint page for more information.
Use privacy-focused browsers and browser extensions (e.g., uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger) to block tracking cookies and enhance your privacy. Again, see the What You Can Do to Reduce Your Digital Footprint page for more information.
Many websites now display cookie consent banners where you can choose which types of cookies to accept or reject. You should only accept essential cookies.
Some sites try to get round these requirements by using what are called dark (or deceptive) patterns - tricks to make you do things that you didn't mean to or wouldn't have wanted to do, like agreeing to have non-essential tracking cookies placed on your device. Some cookie-related dark patterns to watch out for:
Every so often, you should clear your cookies and browsing history to reduce the amount of data stored on your device - see the What You Can Do to Reduce Your Digital Footprint Page for instructions.
Tracking cookies are an essential part of creating your digital footprint. Cookies are important for providing a better browsing experience, but tracking cookies can pose privacy and security risks. Being aware of how tracking cookies work and taking steps to manage them can help you maintain better control over your digital footprint and protect your online privacy.
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