Edumacate me about "cookies."

[smithers599]

When I log on, I get a choice between "Accept All Cookies" or "Reject Unnecessary Cookies." (Or something like that.)

I don't even know what a cookie is. How do I choose?

What is the benefit to me of clicking one vs. the other? Is there a benefit to the site/admin of clicking one vs. the other? Will the site work differently if I click one vs. the other?

Thank you.

 

[Suck My Glock]

All I know is that I can't see the pictures people post unless I authorize the cookies.

 

[admin]

At its most basic level, a website cookie is a tiny piece of data - a text file - stored on your device by a website. Cookies help web sites remember information about you, like your login details, language preferences, or items in your shopping cart, so you don’t have to re-enter them every time you visit.

 

[smithers599]

Is there any downside to selecting "Accept All Cookies"? If not, why the choice? Under what circumstances would somebody want to choose the Don't Accept Cookies option?

 

[admin]

No real practical downside to it; and the site will work better if you accept them. For sites that use significant advertising, the cookie will also hold info on that, so you might get more targeted ads. Might be a plus or a minus.

But you see a lot of sites that give you options to accept all cookies, only the required ones, or some combination. I'm not sensitive to cookies that hold that info. I use a smartphone, so Google and other companies have a LOT more personal data on me than a web site that wants to store cookie data for my browser to use.