HTTP cookie: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:53, 26 January 2016

Revision as of 00:54, 26 January 2016

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{{HTTP}}

An '''HTTP cookie''' (also called '''web cookie''', '''Internet cookie''', '''browser cookie''' or simply '''cookie'''), is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored in the user's [[web browser]] wilewhile the user is browsing it. Every time the user loads the website, the browser sends the cookie back to the server to notify the user's previous activity.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6265#section-3|work = IETF|title = HTTP State Management Mechanism – Overview|date = April 2011|accessdate = }}</ref> Cookies were designed to be a reliable mechanism for websites to remember [[program state|stateful]] information (such as items added in the shopping cart in an online store) or to record the user's browsing activity (including clicking particular buttons, [[Access control|logging in]], or recording which pages were visited in the past). Cookies can also store passwords and form content a user has previously entered, such as a credit card number or an address.

The '''tracking cookies''', and especially [[#Third-party_cookie|'''third-party tracking cookies''']], are commonly used as ways to compile long-term records of individuals' browsing histories {{En dash}} a potential [[Internet privacy#HTTP cookies|privacy concern]] that prompted European<ref>{{cite web |title=What about the "EU Cookie Directive"? |url=http://webcookies.org/faq/#Directive |year=2013 |publisher=WebCookies.org}}</ref> and U.S. law makers to take action in 2011.<ref name="eulaw">{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12668552 |work=BBC |title=New net rules set to make cookies crumble |date=2011-03-08 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://adage.com/article/digital/sen-rockefeller-ready-a-real-track-bill/227426/ |work=Adage.com |title=Sen. Rockefeller: Get Ready for a Real Do-Not-Track Bill for Online Advertising |date=2011-05-06}}</ref>