Last updated on September 8, 2022


What are cookies?

  • They are small text files
  • Sent by the website you are visiting to the device you are using
  • They can be accepted or rejected by the user

What happens if cookies are accepted?

  • They will be stored on the web browser of your device
  • Cookies can track and gather data from your browser
  • Collected data are sent back to the website owner

Is accepting cookies a bad thing?

  • It depends on the website
  • Depends on who will access your data and what they will really do with it and whether declining cookies will refrain you from the website you intend to visit

Why do websites ask you to accept cookies?

This is due to a data privacy protection law known as European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which was enacted in May 2018. Accordingly, the owners of the websites should get users’ permission to use cookies before they are stored on users’ browsers to collect data.

Should you accept cookies?

When it comes to making the decision of whether to accept or reject cookies, two key questions should be concerned.

  • Is it mandatory to accept cookies? No, you do not have to accept cookies. Rules like GDPR were designed to give you control over your data and browsing history.
  • What happens if you do not accept cookies? Website owners may not allow you to use the website and some websites might not let you access all the content of it preventing full user experience.

Read more about types of data collected by cookies along with advantages and disadvantages of accepting cookies in our next article.

Source: https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-privacy-should-i-accept-cookies.html