What happens when you accept all cookies?
Well, you might have an uncomfortable conversation with your doctor.
Seriously though. What happens? Websites are terrible at making this clear.
Also, the pressure to just click “accept all” and move on with your days is high.
Today we will be telling you What cookies are,
The difference between first party and third-party cookies
Why it’s so hard to avoid them
What the laws surrounding cookies are And what you can do to protect yourself from them.
But to answer this question, we need to understand more. So, what are cookies?
Short of returning to the obvious joke, cookies fall into two forms:
first-party and third-party cookies.
In either form, cookies exist to help websites track information. But the type and use of
this information changes depending on whether they are first or third party.
First-party cookies are cookies that gather information to help the website work better.
Examples include your shopping cart, recently entered user credentials,
and preferred site settings like light mode or dark mode.
First-party cookies are generally harmless. Usually, these contain very little information.
Unfortunately, most websites also include the other kind of cookie: third-party cookies.
And they’re shady as hell
When you click that accept all button,
it’s not quite as bad as owning your soul. Still, it’s pretty bad; let me explain.
Third-party cookies are also known as tracking cookies. When you permit websites to use these
third-party cookies, they submit your information for ad tracking purposes.
These cookies will follow you from site to site, gathering information
on you. The cookies use this information to target you with personalized advertisements.
Third-party cookies rely on retargeting campaigns to repeatedly show you the same
products. If you didn’t like these cool taco shoes the first time,
maybe you’ll like them after seeing them seventeen times.
You might think: “Well (host), what’s the problem with that? What if I want to see
taco shoes across the internet?” Well, it’s not that harmless.
Before we let you know how I’d like to stop for a quick moment to ask you to like this
video. Our team at The Cyber Lab puts a lot of love into what we do. So by liking, sharing,
and subscribing, you help us grow so we can make more content making dumb cookie jokes.
Thanks. Now back to the action.
Third-party cookies can store your information across use on websites.
Not all of those websites have an HTTPS. You can find the “S” as part of your url
after double-clicking it in the address bar. Without the S, your information is
unencrypted and it is just HTTP, meaning any hacker on the internet can take it.
This information can include unwanted data like credit card details, physical addresses,
and personal details. Fraudsters can use data from third-party cookies to
steal your identity. I’d call these cookies oatmeal raisin but they’re far more sinister.
Also, too many cookies can cause your computer to slow down. Have you ever tried to carry eight
thousand cookies and run at the same pace? That was a bad bake sale.
So, we know what bad cookies are and what they do? So, why not just reject third-party cookies?
Websites that use third-party cookies like to discourage
this. So they make the “accept all” button incredibly large. Meanwhile,
the reject button is off in some desolate location, like the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Clicking the “reject” button also rejects first-party cookies. This
makes your website browsing experience bad, as sites aren’t allowed to store
your user settings. So every time you leave and return, you’ll have to reset your experience.
Sometimes, sites provide you with a complete checklist of all the cookies it uses. By
making this checklist overwhelming, they hope to get you fed up with the
experience. So you’ll just click the accept all button and be done with the whole thing
Knowing what we know about cookies, are there any laws that help us?
There is one law, but only if you live in the European Union. The Cookie Law
falls under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, or PECR.
businesses cannot activate cookies unless users understand what accepting those cookies means.
There is no US version of this law. While it sounds like the UK is on the ball,
the law is vague. EU lawmakers have even said they have considered loosening the requirements. Yikes…
So, are we doomed to eternal cookies? Is it our
fate to suffer at the hands of neverending taco shoe ads?
The answer: No. There are a few ways you can solve this problem.
First, your browser can help do some of the work for you. The privacy settings
under most browsers allow you to decline third-party cookies.
On Google Chrome, all you have to do is click the three dots in the upper-right hand corner,
click settings, click “privacy and security,”
select “cookies and other site data,” and select “block third-party cookies.”
You should also take this opportunity to familiarize yourself with how to clear
cookies. You can do this under the same section
where you clear browsing data. Most other browsers follow this format.
Just because someone leaves fresh baked cookies on your windowsill doesn’t mean you can’t dump
them in the trash. You don’t have to put up with them. Of course, who could resist a good cookie
You can also take this further by downloading browser extensions that decline cookies. Ad
blockers like AdBlock and Ghostery will help you with this. When the ads can’t get to you,
the third-party cookies don’t have as much to work with.
As you might imagine, some websites don’t care what your browser does. Despite being told no,
these websites are pretty persistent. So, what can you do when you can’t guarantee sites will care?
The answer? You provide them with false data by getting a VPN.
A virtual private network hides most of your personal information. The data
these unwanted cookies receive is inaccurate and unhelpful,
telling them you are in a place like Norway instead of Southern California.
Sure, the ads you get might not be appropriate anymore. But you’ll have ownership of your
data again. You can buy those taco shoes on your terms without anybody reminding
you they exist eight billion times. Our two recommended VPNs for preventing
cookies are NordVPN and SurfShark, the links to which you can find in our description.
NordVPN supports obfuscated servers which easily fool unwanted trackers with false information.
Its super-fast NordLynx protocol ensures you can connect to its impressive array of more than 5
thousand servers. NordVPN can do it almost anywhere, regardless of where you want to hide.
SurfShark is option number two because it offers some of the cheapest services
compared to other VPNs. Despite this, it makes use of the lightning-fast WireGuard protocol.
You can also get the SurfShark browser extension that helps you block ads and
prevent tracks. So you can speed up your computer by not needing any extra attachments.
By following these tips, you won’t have to worry about cookies. Well,
except for the delicious ones.
Let us know your favorite cookie below. Don’t forget to like and subscribe if
you want to see more of this. Thanks for watching, and stay safe out there!