Cookies are small pieces of information that web servers store in your web browser to track people across the internet. Cookies are how the internet remembers you, saving you from the hassle of logging into websites every two minutes. They are a crucial component of how websites operate; however, they are easily targeted because they are frequently used to store the personal information of site visitors.
1. How do websites use your cookies?
1.1. How cookies work
Let us take a look at how cookies actually work.
Imagine a website that requires users to log in to view its content. When you log in, your browser sends your username and password to the server for authentication.
If everything checks out, it delivers the requested content to you. However, there is a catch. The HTTP protocol—which we use to browse the internet—is stateless. This means that when you make another request to that same server, it forgets who you are and asks you to log in again.
1.2. Who is affected by cookies?
As you can see, cookies are highly practical and make our digital lives much easier. Cookies positively impact virtually everyone.
Cookies are essential for information seekers, bloggers, and publishers because they enable information discovery and allow publishers to receive attribution and credit for the traffic they drive to affiliate websites.
Advertising platform cookies are vital for shoppers and e-commerce stores because they eliminate friction in online transactions. By remembering your personal information, cookies make transactions smoother and safer than traditional methods.
Cookies are also indispensable for mobile users and app developers because they allow seamless transitions between different devices.
1.3. Advantages of cookies
Time saving
Can you imagine how tedious it would be to browse a platform like Facebook if you had to log in again every single time you clicked on something?
With the help of cookies, you log into the website once, and the server validates your credentials. If everything is in order, the server not only responds with the requested content but also transmits a cookie back to your browser.
This cookie is then stored on your computer and sent to the server with every subsequent request you make to that site. It contains a unique identifier that allows the server to recognize your identity and keep you logged in.
Session persistence and preferences
The utility does not end there. Beyond keeping you logged in, cookies can also store your configuration settings. For instance, if you change the number of search results displayed on your favorite search engine, the site will likely store these preferences in a cookie rather than on its own servers.
1.4. Disadvantages of cookies
Data constraints
There are, however, several technical limitations to using cookies. Most browsers only permit websites to store up to 300 cookies in total, and individual cookies have a strict capacity limit of 4096 bytes.
The most critical limitation is that a cookie set by one website cannot be read by another domain. This boundary raises an important question: How do companies manage to use cookies to track us across the wider internet?
2. First-party vs. third-party cookies
Everyone is affected by cookies, but not all cookies serve the same function. Let us explore the two primary types of cookies used to personalize our online experiences.
2.1. First-party cookies
First-party cookies are generated directly by the website or mobile application you are currently visiting. They can only be accessed on that specific domain or app.
These first-party cookies enable websites to collect user analytics data, remember language preferences, and carry out other essential functions that deliver a seamless user experience. They are supported by all major browsers and are generally safe for all users.
They are often referred to as session cookies or temporary cookies because they activate when a user starts a browsing session on a site and expire as soon as the user navigates away.
For example, when you visit a website, it remembers your language, location, login credentials, and filtering options. These cookies are essential for providing a faster, smoother browsing experience.
2.2. Third-party cookies
Third-party cookies are utilized by advertising networks whose clients pay to display ads for products and services. Advertisers want to avoid wasting budget on people unlikely to become customers.
Therefore, they monitor the types of websites you visit and make calculated inferences to determine whether you belong to their target audience.
Third-party cookies are often described as the invasive counterpart to first-party cookies by privacy advocates, regulators, and everyday web users.
A third-party cookie can be set by any external domain and share your data with other third parties—such as a Facebook tracking pixel embedded on an independent website. Facebook can then share insights about that audience with advertisers across its platform. This information is typically shared in an aggregated, pseudonymous format. Once a third-party cookie is set, website owners and visitors have very little control over where that data travels; it can be sold to data brokers, leveraged for cross-site behavioral tracking, or exposed to security risks.
Zombie cookies are a specialized class of third-party tracking files permanently installed on a user's machine, persisting even when the user opts out of cookies. They recreate themselves even after being deleted. When zombie cookies first surfaced, they relied on data stored inside Adobe Flash local storage containers. They are sometimes referred to as flash cookies and are exceptionally difficult to remove.
Much like other third-party cookies, tracking cookies can be leveraged by analytics firms to log individual browsing histories, or used by platforms to enforce user bans across domains.
>>> Cookie Bot: Automatically collect cookie history for your browser
3. Differences between first-party and third-party cookies
To provide a clearer view of the operational differences between first-party and third-party cookies, Hidemyacc has compiled the comparison table below.
| Feature | First-party cookies | Third-party cookies |
| Origin | Created directly by the host domain you are currently visiting. | Generated by an external domain different from the one you are viewing (such as an ad network). |
| Purpose | Primarily used to enhance user experience on a specific site, such as remembering login status, shopping cart items, or site preferences. | Commonly deployed to track user behavior across multiple sites for targeted advertising, analytics, and profiling. |
| Data collected | Typically collects data directly related to your interaction with that specific website. | Can aggregate broader data sets, including cross-site browsing history across disparate domains. |
| Storage | Stored on your device and bound directly to the host domain you are visiting. | Stored on your device but associated with an external third-party domain. |
| Control | Easily managed and configured directly through your primary browser settings. | Management can be complex due to the multitude of distinct third-party domains involved. |
| Privacy concerns | Generally considered non-invasive since their scope is restricted to improving your direct on-site experience. | Presents notable privacy risks due to persistent cross-site tracking capabilities. |
| Examples | Remembering account sessions on social platforms, persisting cart contents on e-commerce stores. | Retargeting banner ads that follow your browsing across multiple independent websites. |
4. How do web browsers handle first-party and third-party cookies?
4.1. First-party cookies
First-party cookies are set directly by the website a user visits. Most modern browsers accept these cookies automatically because they are designed to maintain basic website usability and preserve personalized preferences.
For instance, visiting sites like techcrunch.com or getshogun.com prompts each platform to create and store a localized cookie on your device.
4.2. Third-party cookies
Websites regularly embed third-party tracking scripts (and their associated cookies) to collect behavioral data. This data often includes granular on-site user behavior, approximate location, and device details shared by the host website.
These trackers monitor user interactions, such as content consumption or clicks on specific products and banner ads. They generate third-party cookies to serve targeted ads as users navigate across other web properties.
In a typical scenario, Facebook uses first-party cookies when: it stores an authentication cookie on your computer to remember your login session. (These cookies are restricted strictly to Facebook's domain, meaning no third party outside facebook.com can read their contents.)
Facebook uses third-party cookies when: a blog owner integrates a Facebook "Like" button on their web page. To display this button, your browser loads script code from Facebook's servers, transmitting any previously stored Facebook cookies along with the request. This informs Facebook of your identity and the exact blog post you are reading.
In short, Facebook uses first-party cookies for internal platform functionality, while deploying third-party cookies to track users across external sites that embed Facebook widgets or social plugins.
>>> Explore:
- Tracking Pixel vs. Cookies: Clarifying the differences
- Pixel Tracking: Fundamental knowledge for beginners
5. How to stop third-party cookies from tracking you
5.1. Can you prevent third-party cookies from tracking?
Users can mitigate or block third-party cookies using several practical methods:
- Browse in Private or Incognito mode.
- Use privacy-centric browsers like Firefox or Safari, which block third-party cookies by default.
- Configure cookie and tracking permissions inside your browser preferences.
- Route browsing through the Tor network.
- Install ad blockers or privacy extensions such as Ghostery or Privacy Badger.
5.2. Stop third-party tracking cookies with Hidemyacc
Users can protect their browsing privacy by configuring browser extensions or running tracking prevention software. These tools are especially critical for digital marketers, e-commerce merchants, and affiliate operators managing multiple accounts simultaneously.
With Hidemyacc, you gain complete control over browser fingerprints while preserving true anonymity. Each profile functions within an isolated virtual environment with completely distinct computer parameters. Consequently, each profile maintains its own separated cookie storage, which can be securely synced to the cloud based on your preferences. This architecture allows you to scale digital marketing and e-commerce workflows without triggering cross-account tracking from platforms like Google, Facebook, Amazon, Etsy, or eBay.
The Hidemyacc software masks your original device hardware parameters and creates clean, authentic hardware configurations for each profile, enabling seamless multi-accounting across the web without detection. Download Hidemyacc and start your 7-day free trial today!
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