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.
Andrew S. Hersom ’99 MBA has joined Peoples United Bank as senior vice president of Investor Relations. Mr. Hersom has held positions such as, director of investor relations at Travelers and financial analyst at Citigroup.
Clyde W. Tinnen ’01 MBA has been promoted to partner at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, an international law firm. Mr. Tinnen is a partner in the Chicago and Stamford offices and focuses his practice on corporate law matters, including finance and securities law, banking and mergers and acquisitions.
Michael A. Bell ’01 MBA has been named chief financial officer of Voya Investment Management. Mr. Bell will lead the finance team which and has more than 20 years of experience across public accounting and financial services.
David C. Osella ’90 MBA has joined Pittsfield -Berkshire Bank-CBT Region as a senior vice president-relationship manager. Mr. Osella has over 30 years of commercial banking experience in the Connecticut market including real estate lending, credit analysis, construction lending, complex credits and customer service. In addition, he currently serves on the board of the Community Renewal Team and is a member of the Real Estate Finance Association.
Katharine M. Mongoven ’10 MBA has been recognized as one of the “49 ASC Leaders Under 40” by Becker’s ASC Review. Ms. Mongoven is the director of marketing, sales and business development with Pinnacle III. Since joining the company in 2013, she has assisted clients with same-store growth initiatives, charity care days and brand imaging.
Adam E. Dix ’92 MBA has been appointed to senior vice president of sales and alliances at Credit2B, the world’s leading cloud-based trade credit community. Mr. Dix was most recently the solutions business development director, Americas of Thompson Reuters and the vice president and product manager of Tradeweb.
Brian A. Lutes ’96 MBA has been appointed to executive vice president and chief financial officer at Michael Baker International, a leading global provider of engineering and consulting services. Mr. Lutes most recently served as vice president and chief financial officer of Sypris Solutions.
Ernest M. McNeill Jr. ‘ 86, ’01 MBA has been appointed to senior vice president and chief accounting officer at The Phoenix Cos. Inc. Mr. McNeill has extensive accounting and finance experience across the financial services industry. Mr. McNeill most recently served as corporate accounting senior executive at Fidelity Investments.
Gregg M. Radzely ’04 MBA has joined McMurry/TMG as the senior vice president, business development-healthcare. Mr. Radzely was most recently at Group DCA and brings many years of sales, marketing and business development experience.
Derek M. Slap ’12 MBA has been hired as the associate vice president for external relations at the University of Connecticut Foundation. Mr. Slap has tremendous experience in strategic communications, media and government relations.