Browsing the internet has become synonymous with constantly accepting cookies. Or rejecting them, of course, but in any case, we know those cookies are there doing something. But what? What are cookies? What are they for? And, above all, how can we manage them on our iPhone, iPad, or Mac to browse while maintaining our security and privacy?
Origin and purpose of the first cookies
Cookies, a term curiously translated as 'cookies' in Spanish, were conceived in the context of the web in the early 90s. These were nothing more than fragments of information exchanged through the computer, and their importance lies not in their explicit content, but in their ability to be unique. Like tickets to a play, what matters about cookies is their recognition as valid at the entry gate to our favorite web services, and in this recognition—perhaps with a serial number or a similar mechanism—each ticket is unique and irreplaceable.
This quality of being unique allows cookies to play crucial roles on the web, such as enabling us to log in to services and remember our preferences, such as navigation language or the activation of dark mode. However, they have extended to functions not originally anticipated, such as tracking our browsing habits, which has contributed to a rather negative perception of their use.
To better understand them, let's delve once more into what a cookie does. Imagine we are a website. A site that has a light color version and a dark color version for night. When a visitor enters the site, they can choose one of the two colors, and the idea is that, the next time they visit us, we won't even have to ask them, but will already show the relevant color scheme.
What we will do as a website is to deposit a piece of information in the form of a cookie in the visitor's browser. As we said before, this cookie is unique. After delivering it, we will note in our record that cookie number 92349234234 wants to see the website in light color.
The next time a visitor enters our site, the first thing we will do is ask them, do you have a cookie? They may respond no, in which case we will ask them what color they want, but if the answer is yes, all we have to do is compare the cookie number and see in our records what color they have chosen before to show it to them.
As we see, right now we neither know who the visitor is nor do we infringe on their privacy in the least by using cookies. What happens is that this technology has evolved and become more complex. And along the way, ways to compromise our privacy with them have been designed.
The idea, in simplified terms, is that if different websites request the same cookie when loading a common content, the owner of this common site can follow us around the web. How? Every time a site is loaded, our cookie is sent, meaning a tracking company can know which sites we visit, in what order, how often, and, with this information, start building a profile about our interests.
Browsing with privacy: can we manage cookies?
Faced with the challenges posed by cookies, especially third-party ones (the ones that allow the tracking we just mentioned), we have tools at our disposal to protect our privacy. Browsers like Safari have implemented measures such as automatic blocking of third-party cookies. Moreover, we can take direct actions like configuring our browser to limit or block cookies, use private browsing or delete such cookies only from specific pages.
Another interesting option is that we can delete the Safari history to also remove the cookies and data that websites have saved. Remember that to delete the history on our iPhone or iPad we will do it in Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data, while on the Mac we will do it from the Safari app by going to the menu Safari > Clear History > All history > Clear History.
Cookies are an integral part of the internet, offering convenience and personalization, but it's important to understand well their functioning and how they can affect our privacy. With a few measures, especially that of periodically deleting history, we can enjoy the benefits they offer while minimizing risks, ensuring safe and personalized browsing.
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