Cookies are widely used across the internet: you may have hundreds of cookies on your computer at any one time. Each browser has its own set of cookies so, if you run multiple browsers, you will have multiple sets of cookies on your computer.

Many websites use cookies to improve your browsing experience e.g. remember your log-in details, record which items you have selected to purchase, or even tailor what content is displayed depending on your preferences. Cookies can also be used to record ‘analytics’ data i.e. which web pages you visit, whether or not you arrived at the web page by clicking on an advertisement or an affiliated website. Many websites find the collection of analytics data valuable in improving the quality and content of their web sites.

In the past, cookies have had some bad press. Much was due to a general misunderstanding of what cookies are and how they work but some was due to justifiable privacy concerns relating to 3rd party tracking cookies. These cookies are used by advertising websites and track a web user across multiple sites. The good news is that all modern browsers allow you to easily block 3rd party cookies.