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.
John P. Prinner ’84has been named as chief financial officer at CRN International. Mr. Prinner will be able to tap into his experience of working with companies where innovation, customer service and alignment of financial/operational strategies drive growth and profitability. Mr. Prinner will be part of CRN’s executive management team.
Patricia H. Friar ’80was inducted into the UConn Honors Program Hall of Fame. Mrs. Friar is retired from GE Capital Consumer Finance after serving as their senior vice president of human relations.
John Y. Kim ’87 MBA has been elected president of America’s largest mutual life insurance company, New York Life. Mr. Kim will retain the role of chief investment officer as well as overall responsibility for the investments group and enterprise-wide technology. With Mr. Kim’s promotion to president, the company’s largest business unit, the Insurance and Agency Group, has been added to his current responsibilities.
David M. Jurasek ’86 MBA David M. Jurasek ’86 MBA has been named the principal financial officer and principal accounting officer of Crystal Rock. Mr. Jurasek joined Crystal Rock in 1995 and has served as their vice president of finance, assistant secretary, controller and director of finance historically.
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.