Following the Cookie Crumbs: Insights into Browser Privacy

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tomipioneers

7 min readMar 6, 2024

Every time we enter a new website, a familiar pop-up greets us: “This site uses cookies. Do you accept?” It has become such a common part of our lives that many of us click “Accept” without a second thought. But have you ever paused to wonder exactly what you’re agreeing to?

Cookies, in the digital sense, are far off from the sweet treats we’re all fond of. They’re tiny pieces of data, tucked away in our browsers, designed to make our online experience smoother and more personalized. On the surface, this seems like a win-win for everyone involved. Making our online experiences work more smoothly and intuitively. But there’s more to these digital cookies than meets the eye.

This exploration into cookies is a continuation of this journey to understand the web’s inner workings a bit better. Recently, I’ve shared insights on browser trackers, revealing how each click and scroll is monitored. If you missed that piece, I recommend reading that one first. I believe that it’s crucial for the tomi community to have a general understanding of these mechanics. I mean, we must see and understand the flaws of today’s internet to fully understand why we need a better alternative internet — the tomiNet.

So, how did something as invasive as digital tracking come to be sweetly dubbed “cookies,” masking its true nature with a name that evokes warmth and comfort? Let’s find out what it’s all about!

What Exactly Are Cookies?

At the heart of the seamless online experiences we all know and love, lie tiny digital packets known as cookies. These small text files, which websites send to our browsers, play a crucial role in personalizing and streamlining our internet journeys. They remember who we are — our login details, shopping cart contents, and browsing preferences — acting as personal aides that make our digital navigation smoother and more intuitive.

But let’s break this down for it to become even more clear! Imagine visiting a website for the first time and being handed a digital “name tag.” This name tag, or cookie, tells the website, “This is me,” whenever you return. It’s how websites recall your previous visits, making subsequent ones more tailored to your preferences. These cookies are stored in your browser, each carrying unique identifiers that link you to your sessions on various websites.

The utility of cookies cannot be overstated. They facilitate session management, ensuring that you don’t have to log in every time you visit a familiar site. They enable personalization, adjusting what content or ads you see based on your previous interactions. And importantly, some might appreciate that they support tracking for e-commerce sites, remembering what items you’ve viewed so they can suggest related products or keep your shopping cart intact even if you accidentally closed the window.

However, this convenience has a darker side — a privacy nightmare for those conscious of their online footprints. Cookies, especially third-party ones, can track your browsing habits across the web, compiling a detailed profile of your interests, behaviors, and even your location. But what exactly are third-party cookies, and why do they raise such significant privacy concerns?

Understanding Third-Party Cookies

Unlike first-party cookies, which are created and managed by the website you are directly visiting, third-party cookies are generated by domains other than the one on your browser’s address bar. This typically occurs when a website incorporates elements from external sources, such as advertisements or social media widgets, which bring their own cookies into your browsing experience. These third-party entities can then track your online behavior across different sites that use their services, creating a comprehensive profile of your preferences and activities.

This ability of third-party cookies to follow you across the web is particularly valuable to advertisers and analytics companies. It allows them to collect data on your browsing habits, which can then be used to target you with personalized ads or analyze web traffic patterns. The widespread use of third-party cookies has been a cornerstone of the online advertising industry, enabling the delivery of highly customized (but creepy) advertising experiences to users.

The story doesn’t end there. The emergence of “zombie cookies” intensifies privacy concerns even more, pushing us to explore deeper into the web of digital surveillance and the quest for robust privacy protections.

The Menace of Zombie Cookies

In the shadowy corners of the cookie world lurk “zombie cookies,” a more insidious form of third-party, persistent cookies. Unlike their more benign counterparts, zombie cookies have the chilling ability to resurrect themselves on your computer even after you’ve believed them to be deleted. Sometimes referred to as “flash cookies” or “supercookies,” these digital trackers are notoriously difficult to remove. Their persistence isn’t just a technical marvel, it’s a privacy nightmare. Zombie cookies can be exploited by web analytics companies to track an individual’s browsing history across the internet with unnerving accuracy. What’s more alarming is that in the hands of malicious actors, these cookies can become tools for spreading viruses and malware, further endangering our digital safety.

The resilience and stealth of zombie cookies underscore a broader issue on our internet today — the relentless pursuit of our data at the expense of our privacy. As these technologies evolve, so too does the sophistication of the methods used to track us, often without our knowledge or consent.

Privacy Implications of Cookie Tracking

With the widespread use of third-party cookies, a critical question arises: What exactly can advertisers and the entities behind these cookies do with the data they collect? The answer unveils a concerning level of intrusion into our personal lives. By aggregating data from various sources, these entities can construct detailed profiles of individuals, encompassing not just our browsing habits but inferring our interests, demographics, and even sensitive information like political affiliations or health concerns.

Such detailed profiling doesn’t just fuel targeted advertising; it opens the door to manipulative practices that can influence our decisions, from the products we buy to the content we consume. In more alarming scenarios, the data collected can be mishandled, leading to breaches that expose our personal information to cybercriminals, or used in ways that discriminate, exclude, or violate our rights without our knowledge or consent.

This level of data collection and usage underscores a significant power imbalance between internet users and the entities that track them. It challenges the very notion of consent, as the complexity and opacity of data practices make it difficult for users to understand and control how their information is used. This critical viewpoint casts a shadow over the seemingly benign nature of cookies, revealing a landscape where our privacy is commodified and our autonomy online is under constant negotiation.

Privacy Concerns and Regulatory Responses

The invasive nature of this tracking has sparked a significant backlash in terms of privacy concerns. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the United States are landmark regulations addressing these concerns. GDPR, in particular, has been instrumental in changing how third-party cookies are handled, requiring websites to obtain explicit consent from users before storing or accessing cookies on their devices. This regulation is a critical step towards enhancing user privacy, aiming to give users more control over their personal data and limit unsolicited tracking.

In response to these privacy concerns and the regulatory landscape shaped by laws like GDPR, major web browsers have started to phase out support for third-party cookies. Google’s announcement to eliminate third-party cookie support in Chrome by 2024 exemplifies the industry’s shift towards developing new, privacy-respecting methods for personalization and advertising that do not rely on invasive tracking practices.

Despite the challenges posed by the presence of cookies and their potential for misuse, it’s essential to note that many websites and online services can still provide personalized experiences and remember user preferences without relying on invasive, third-party cookies. This move away from third-party cookies towards a more privacy-respecting web reflects, at least in my opinion, the need and desire from internet users worldwide for an alternative internet that actually protects user privacy.

The Evolution and Future of Cookies

Originally designed to make the internet more user-friendly, the name cookies was derived from the concept of “magic cookies” — simple data tokens used in early computing for data exchange. These have evolved into today’s sophisticated HTTP cookies, which manage web sessions and user preferences.

As internet users, we find ourselves at a crossroad. Cookies, in essence, are not malicious; they are tools that can enhance or detract from our online experience, depending on how they’re used. Hopefully, with this article, we have all learnt a bit more about the inner workings of the internet. So that the next time we encounter a pop-up asking us about cookies and how they want to use our data, we’re already armed with the knowledge of what lies behind that seemingly harmless query.

In reflecting on the broader implications of the digital footprints our data leaves behind, the vision of tomi for a more private, self-governed internet resonates more strongly than ever. While the specifics of how the tomi Browser will navigate the issues around browser cookies remain to be revealed, the commitment to privacy remains clear. The journey toward the tomiNet, where users will be able to explore the web with assurance and control, is not just about evading the grasp of intrusive cookies and trackers — it’s about reclaiming the right to privacy in our increasingly digital world marked by personal data commodification.

Embracing privacy doesn’t mean rejecting all the conveniences of modern technology but finding a path that respects our digital autonomy. As we look forward to the innovations that tomi will bring, let’s continue the conversation about privacy, empowering ourselves and our community to advocate for a web where our private lives remain just that — private.

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