Have you ever entered a news site from another country and after a few hours of that visit you do not stop seeing ads from that specific place? Or maybe you accidentally clicked on an ad and keep seeing products from that brand. That is the scope of cookies on the internet.
Although Google announced and postponed the disappearance of these computer files until 2024, their goal has not changed: they seek to obtain data about the user’s behavior while browsing the Internet to later target ads to people based on their searches.
Among the information that these files can collect from a user are the email addresses and their passwords (not to steal them, but to keep a session open), the IP address, the browser in use, as well as the pages that have been previously visited.
In the field of cookies there is a wide variety of types and their scope is defined by the class. In the first place there are their own, which are usually generated on the website that is visited, and those of third parties, which belong to an external page, commonly those of advertisers.
Here the classification is divided into temporary ones, which only last as long as a browser session is open, and persistent ones, which continue to collect information as long as users do not delete them manually.
These cookies deliver details about the sub-pages a person visits, how long they stay on the site, the types of products they view or purchase, as well as other browsing habits and even their location, if the user does not deny access to it. appearance.
“The data provided by third-party cookies is a key aspect of precision digital marketing, but it began to decline due to privacy measures as customers seek more personalized attention,” says Ivette Dickinson Galicia, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO). in Sparkling and R!DE.
Why do I always see an ad about what to do with cookies?
“We use cookies to improve the online experience. By using our services, you accept our use of cookies”, is a recurring message on web pages, which is followed by two boxes. “I agree” or “I want to manage cookies”.
This pair of legends are on the sites, due to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union, which establishes that users must be informed about the types of cookies that the page collects, as well as their purpose.
While you might think that this regulation only applies to European sites, the reality is that a company based outside of Europe can also be penalized if it has European customers or visitors and collects their data without the individual’s notice and consent.
It is at this point that users can manage the information they submit to sites and, therefore, to brands. However, most surfers are not very interested in managing the data it delivers, because they are in too much of a hurry to view the content.
According to a study carried out by the cybersecurity firm Avast, 60% of Mexicans do not think about the impact that cookies have on their browsing experience because their desire to browse is greater, while only two out of 10 people consult cookies. portal policies to configure your preferences.
“Cookies are part of browsing and the way the internet works, but we must understand how they affect us in order to prioritize our digital privacy,” Javier Rincón, the company’s regional director for Latin America, told Expansión.
