Constricting Cookies

When you're scrolling through a website what is the first thing you see? The title? The larger than necessary photo? What about the "Accept Cookies" button?

"computer cookies" get it??

Cookies are basically a file that is downloaded onto your computer that will track every website you go on and every search you do on that website. 

There are also cookies that are installed by your browser that aren't third party. these will keep you logged into websites after you leave them. These are helpful

As I was watching Ted Talks related to privacy and monitoring, I realized that these people don't realize that you can simply remove cookies or download an extension onto your browser from the webstore and block cookies as you would with maybe an ad blocker (which I would recommend).

Zeynep Tufekci in one of her Ted Talks said this:"We've all had the experience of being followed on the web by an ad based on something we searched or read. You know, you look up a pair of boots and for a week, those boots are following you around everywhere you go."

Now this is most likely the case for you and here's why. When you go onto a website and they have ads they might will ask you to allow cookies. These are the things that will track your browser usage. When you click allow you're basically saying yes I will allow you to track my movement on the web.

This might not always be the case however. In the middle of writing this I went onto wakelet for unspecified reasons and saw at the bottom of the screen a little message like this: "We are using cookies to better your experience!" Thank you wakelet for letting me know you're tracking me with a very small message only a few pixels long!

What I'm trying to get at is sometimes you can allow cookies and sometimes they're forced upon you. 

A simple way to fix this is by going into your web browser settings and disabling third party cookies. And just for safe measures install ad blockers onto your computers they are very helpful and reduce lots of stress.

Reed, Michael H. Computer Cookies. Safe Bee, 28 Jan. 2016, www.safebee.com/tech/
     what-are-cookies-and-should-i-block-delete-them. Accessed 22 Nov. 2019.

We're building a dystopia just to make people click on ads. Composed by Zeynep
     Tufekci, TED, 2017. TED, www.ted.com/talks/
     zeynep_tufekci_we_re_building_a_dystopia_just_to_make_people_click_on_ads.
     Accessed 22 Nov. 2019.