Do you know about “cookies”? Cookies play an important role in using the Internet environment, and are revolutionary functions that make various functions convenient and smooth for web users and users who use the web as part of business or services. It is. You may have actually seen and used “cookies,” but you may have used them without knowing what kind of function they actually have.
In this article, we will explain what is a “cookie”? Starting with this, we will explain in detail based on basic knowledge, advantages and disadvantages.
What is a cookie?
Cookies have become indispensable in the modern digital age. From here, we will explain the basics of “cookies” in detail.
Nowadays, when you use the Internet to browse various websites, don’t you have more chances to see displays called cookies?
A cookie
is data that a website provider temporarily writes and stores on the device of a visiting user.
Cookies are displayed on the screen of a web page in a format similar to an alert display, and there are various patterns of the text that is displayed together, but basically the cookie is enabled or disabled. There is a feature where a message asking for consent is displayed. The mainstream pattern is to request a “cookie” in the form of a question asked to the user using the web page.
The function of cookies is that when an Internet user visits a website, the website saves data on the user’s smartphone, PC, tablet device, etc. Data is stored through the browser on each device used by the user, and the saved contents include the date and time of use, location, ID and email address actually used on the web, and the number of times the user used the web. Detailed data that is important when using the Web will be accumulated.
Cookies are displayed naturally to web users, so relatively few users may be concerned about their value. In addition, even when using a website casually, the existence of cookies, which may seem small visually, plays a major role in storing detailed data of users, which makes them very interested in cookies. It seems that it is a difficult function to grasp only for certain people or those who have learned it. In this way, cookies may look like a small function visually, but they can store various detailed data when using a website.
By utilizing the user’s detailed data obtained using cookies, for example, it is possible to omit the input of login ID and password that are often encountered when using online shopping from the second time onward, or to log in to the website. When you log in, you can stay logged in and use familiar functions that you use casually. In addition, the data accumulated in location information services is also utilized, and there are services that can display the most appropriate information needed at that moment based on the user’s location information stored in the browser. Masu.
When you enjoy online shopping every day, you often find yourself adding your favorite items to your cart, but then leaving the page without making payment. Even if you return to the relevant page after a certain amount of time has passed, you may be relieved to see that the items you put in your cart remain in your cart rather than being deleted. By using cookies in this way, various things on the website function conveniently, making it possible to realize groundbreaking services that provide many benefits to users.
Advantages of using cookies
From here, we will briefly explain the benefits of using cookies.
Possible to memorize input information
With the spread of the Internet, the number of opportunities to enter information such as name, address, phone number, and email address when using a website is increasing year by year. Many people find it tedious to be asked to enter the same information every time, and to have so many input items displayed on the screen. However, in such cases, by using the cookie function and storing personal information in the browser, you can save yourself the trouble of entering information each time.
Remember website login information
Cookies allow you to remain logged in to a website even if you close your browser. Users may find it troublesome to be asked to log in again every time they leave a web page, and to have to re-enter their ID and password. This is a convenient feature that solves such problems by storing login data itself in cookies.
Advertisement delivery targeted to user interests
Cookies also play a major role in the web advertising market. Among the types of cookies, there are third-party cookies, and third-party cookies are basically used in web advertisements. Third-party cookies refer to cookies that are issued by a domain other than the website that the website user is actually visiting. By utilizing third-party cookies, which are widely used in web advertising, it is possible to implement web advertising using retargeting functionality. For example, let’s say you visit a cosmetics site and then leave the webpage. Afterwards, you may see a web advertisement about cosmetics while viewing another web page, and this is where third-party cookies come into play. Third-party cookies enable us to track users who visit web pages and deliver web advertisements targeted to their interests.
Function to collect detailed information of web users
Nowadays, with the spread of the Internet, many companies and marketers are trying to strengthen their business development with a focus on the Web. Many companies and marketers see the Web as an important bridge between companies and users, enriching our daily lives. For this reason, in the business world, understanding the behavior of users who use the Web has very important implications, and can greatly contribute to increasing awareness and demand for your business and services. For this reason, many companies and marketers are increasingly using cookies for data targeting to understand the behavior of web users. By using cookies, it is possible to understand the actual behavior history of websites and the Internet. In addition, detailed information such as what age group, place of residence, and gender of users are interested in the businesses and services provided by the company and marketers, and who actually use the businesses and services provided. Information can be easily collected. Based on the detailed data collected, companies and marketers will be able to provide businesses and services with pinpoint accuracy, and by making measures and improvements that meet demand, they will be able to improve their businesses and services on a daily basis. It will be. By constantly providing the optimal environment for web users, you can expect further improvements in your business and services.
Disadvantages of using cookies
Here, we will briefly explain the disadvantages of using cookies.
Data may be leaked
While cookies are convenient for users, there is a possibility that cookie data may be leaked. If the security system of the website you use does not function properly, cookie data may be leaked outside and your personal information may be misused. There have been cases where various personal information required to use a website, such as name, email address, password used when logging in, and personal ID, are at risk of unauthorized use. Please be careful when using it. In addition, the same risk of leakage occurs when using computers and Internet environments used by various people, such as Internet cafes and libraries, so please be careful when using them. Ways to avoid risks include making sure to use two-step authentication services and not allowing the use of cookies. If you use a shared device other than your personal smartphone or computer and allow cookies, be sure to remember to delete the cookie data. There are various ways to delete cookies or restrict the use of cookies, depending on the device you are using, but basically you can delete cookies or restrict the use of cookies by operating from various settings or website viewing history. You can enable or disable it.
Feeling of being watched by tracking
Cookies allow companies and marketers to secure detailed data on web users, but some users may feel uncomfortable as they feel as if their behavioral data and private information are being monitored. I’m sure there aren’t many. If you are a user who doesn’t care about the existence of cookies, this may not be a big concern, but if you are aware of the functions of cookies and the effects they have on you, this is something that you cannot ignore.
Movement towards regulation and abolition of cookies
Although cookies function conveniently, in recent years there have been many negative opinions from the perspective of privacy protection, as tracking and targeting have become active in digital advertising based on data close to personal information, and their existence has been criticized. is being asked. Additionally, an increasing number of companies that operate websites are enforcing stricter restrictions on the use of cookies.
In response to this trend, Google, which operates the world’s largest search engine, proposed the complete abolition of third-party cookies from 2020 to 2022, shocking the web market. Although it can be expected that this proposal by Google has become a hot topic within the company, it is a major issue that will affect the operations of companies and marketers who develop businesses and services based on Google’s services. Since there are many companies around the world that use the services provided by Google, it has become a major global news story.
However, due to various issues that arose in the originally planned phase-out of third-party cookies, Google announced in June 2021 that it would gradually phase out third-party cookies over a three-month period in the second half of 2023. I once again recommended that a movement toward complete abolition begin. The reason behind this postponement is that various companies around the world who use Google’s services to operate their companies have expressed opinions that they don’t have enough time to prepare, which led to the decision to postpone the period. It is said.
Additionally, Apple, another major global company, has already completed the distribution of an OS equipped with ITP (Intelligent Tracking Prevention) in March 2020. For this reason, Apple’s unique service installed in Apple products, “safari”, is now able to block third-party cookies, and we have formulated concrete measures ahead of Google.
About global site tags
As I briefly explained above, there have been cases where the ability to block third-party cookies of ITP (Intelligent Tracking Prevention) has resulted in Google advertising not being able to measure its effectiveness as expected. However, by using features such as the “Global Site Tag”, it becomes possible to accurately measure the effectiveness within Google, making it possible to track conversion figures and behavior. This global site tag actually functions as a cookie, and by setting it up, detailed user data is saved in the cookie. Please keep in mind that using the global site tag will improve advertising effectiveness.
summary
What are cookies? From this point on, I have explained the basics of using cookies, taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of using them.What did you think? When using a website on a regular basis, consent to cookies is displayed casually, and there may be many users who use it without knowing the function. As you can see, while cookies make many things convenient, they can also cause various problems.
Nowadays, concerns about privacy protection are not only limited to cookies, but are also increasing in various fields around the world. In the future, it is thought that there will be more regulation and abolition efforts in many areas than at present. As a result, the web industry is required to evolve further. In the future, moves by Google that will likely attract a lot of attention and changes in the reactions of people around the world to privacy protection will lead to the start of new initiatives in business and services, and the day that will have a big impact. It won’t be long before we arrive.