Web cookies (also called HTTP cookies, browser cookies, or simply cookies) are small pieces of data that websites store on your device (computer, phone, etc.) through your web browser. They are used to remember information about you and your interactions with the site.
Purpose of Cookies:
Session Management:
Keeping you logged in
Remembering items in a shopping cart
Saving language or theme preferences
Personalization:
Tailoring content or ads based on your previous activity
Tracking & Analytics:
Monitoring browsing behavior for analytics or marketing purposes
Types of Cookies:
Session Cookies:
Temporary; deleted when you close your browser
Used for things like keeping you logged in during a single session
Persistent Cookies:
Stored on your device until they expire or are manually deleted
Used for remembering login credentials, settings, etc.
First-Party Cookies:
Set by the website you're visiting directly
Third-Party Cookies:
Set by other domains (usually advertisers) embedded in the website
Commonly used for tracking across multiple sites
Authentication cookies are a special type of web cookie used to identify and verify a user after they log in to a website or web application.
What They Do:
Once you log in to a site, the server creates an authentication cookie and sends it to your browser. This cookie:
Proves to the website that you're logged in
Prevents you from having to log in again on every page you visit
Can persist across sessions if you select "Remember me"
What's Inside an Authentication Cookie?
Typically, it contains:
A unique session ID (not your actual password)
Optional metadata (e.g., expiration time, security flags)
Analytics cookies are cookies used to collect data about how visitors interact with a website. Their primary purpose is to help website owners understand and improve user experience by analyzing things like:
How users navigate the site
Which pages are most/least visited
How long users stay on each page
What device, browser, or location the user is from
What They Track:
Some examples of data analytics cookies may collect:
Page views and time spent on pages
Click paths (how users move from page to page)
Bounce rate (users who leave without interacting)
User demographics (location, language, device)
Referring websites (how users arrived at the site)
Here’s how you can disable cookies in common browsers:
1. Google Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data.
Choose your preferred option:
Block all cookies (not recommended, can break most websites).
Block third-party cookies (can block ads and tracking cookies).
2. Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
Under the Enhanced Tracking Protection section, choose Strict to block most cookies or Custom to manually choose which cookies to block.
3. Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the top-left corner of the screen.
Go to Preferences > Privacy.
Check Block all cookies to stop all cookies, or select options to block third-party cookies.
4. Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Cookies and site permissions.
Select your cookie settings from there, including blocking all cookies or blocking third-party cookies.
5. On Mobile (iOS/Android)
For Safari on iOS: Go to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > Block All Cookies.
For Chrome on Android: Open the app, tap the three dots, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies.
Be Aware:
Disabling cookies can make your online experience more difficult. Some websites may not load properly, or you may be logged out frequently. Also, certain features may not work as expected.
Donald P. Weinstein, ’87 has been appointed by Audioeye, Inc. as their new chief financial officer. Mr. Weinstein most recently worked for Tatum, an executive staffing firm. Mr. Weinstein has extensive experience with various companies as previously he was self-employed as a contract chief financial officer.
Frank C. Wuest ’82 has joined Marcus Partners as a principal with a focus on acquisitions and redevelopment. Mr. Wuest’s knowledge of many different product types and his skill set in acquisitions, development, redevelopment and management, will further enhance Marcus Partners ability to deliver strong returns and create value for their investors.
Roger Samuel ’83 MBA has been promoted to executive vice president and practice leader by his employer, MSA Executive Search. Mr. Samuel joined MSA Executive Search in 2006 as vice president and brings more than 35 years of organizational leadership and management development experience along with an extensive background in healthcare governance to his new role.
Robert D. O’Boyle ’89 has been appointed by the board of the Liquid Holdings Corporation to the position of president. Mr. O’Boyle had been already serving as executive vice president of sales and marketing of the company. In his new role, Mr. O’Boyle will continue to oversee sales and marketing along with being responsible for managing both client services and product strategy moving forward in his newly appointed position.
Katherine H. Emery ’81 has been named by the Connecticut Technology Council as a recipient of their 2015 Women of Innovation award. Ms. Emery is the founder and CEO of Walker Systems Support in Farmington.
Gregory F. Murtagh ’84 has joined the The O Alliance as a strategic advisor. Mr. Murtagh is a nationally recognized media industry leader specializing in e-commerce, digital media and omnichannel monetization. In addition, Mr. Murtagh is a recipient of Advertising Age’s prestigious “Media Maven” award as well as regional recognition as “Entrepreneur of the Year” from major business publications in Florida.
Mrs. Margaret M. Mager ’85has joined MBS Value Partners as a managing director. Mrs. Mager has more than 20 years of experience as an equity research analyst and strategic advisor to public and private companies. Mrs. Mager was a top ranked analyst by Institutional Investor Magazine for nine consecutive years while at Goldman Sachs.
Deborah A. Fuhr ’82 is the 2014 William F. Sharp Indexing Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. The award recognizes the most accomplished innovators and practitioners in the indexing industry. Ms. Fuhr is currently the managing partner and co-founder of ETFGI and she is considered one of the leading global experts on ETFs with over 20 years industry experience in a variety of financial products.
David S. Kennedy ’85, ’89 JD has been appointed executive vice president and general counsel at Infosys. Prior to Infosys, Mr. Kennedy has held leadership positions in companies such as IBM, JDA Software and Better Place. Mr. Kennedy brings diverse and rich experience in leading this key dimension in the evolution of Infosys as they reshape into a next-generation services company.
Nicole S. Stajduhar ’89 has joined the Town of Stonington as the new director of finance. Previously, Ms. Stajduhar was the finance director for the Town of Old Lyme. She is also a certified public accountant.