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Use of cookies: think twice before clicking "Accept"

2021-05-28T12:37:37.537Z


By accepting the use of cookies you are authorizing the sharing of everything you do on your computer and in your browser when browsing the Internet.


Google will not use your history to sell advertising 0:57

(CNN Spanish) -

 Would you feel comfortable if you had someone sitting next to you looking at your computer screen all the time?

Probably not.

However, that is what you are allowing by clicking "Accept" the use of cookies when browsing the Internet, since you are authorizing the sharing of everything you do on your computer and in your browser.

The frequency with which pop-ups requesting your consent appear can be overwhelming, so much so that it has led some users to click because its presence is annoying.

But what are these ads and why are they invading your browsing experience?

It all started in 2018 with the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDRP), a European regulation - which also applies to websites in the United States - that forces websites to be honest about cookies. they install and the data they track.

“These laws basically guarantee the privacy of people's personal data of a personal nature.

So, for those portals, especially large Internet portals, they had no choice but to show this notice and wait for the consent of the users ”, explained Dmitry Bestuzhev, director of the research and analysis team for Latin America at Kaspersky to CNN en Español.

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However, understanding the information about the use of cookies "is quite a complex task," according to Bestuzhev, which has sometimes caused users to click without being fully aware of the implications.

A study on uninformed cookie consent conducted by academics from the Ruhr University of Bochum in Germany and the University of Michigan in the United States, found that the main motivation of users to interact with the cookie consent notice “is the assumption that the website cannot be accessed in any other way ”.

Other common motivations mentioned in the study were “the ad distracts me from viewing the website” and other people interacted with the ad “out of habit”.

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Bestuzhev indicated that it is easier to have additional technology than to try to understand what a portal will do with its cookies, since it is practically impossible to find out what kind of cookies a website is using and how the user's information is going be used.

"This is why we see many add-ons for browsers today."

Google will not use your history to sell advertising 0:57

So should you or should you not accept cookies?

Cookies are pieces of code that give a website a kind of short-term memory allowing it to remember small pieces of your browsing information, such as your login information and browsing preferences, to offer you a more personalized experience.

However, these same cookies can also be used to track your online activity and allow advertisers to target you with great precision.

“The danger is in its ability to keep track of people's browsing histories.

This 'Big Brother' style behavior may raise some security concerns, ”according to a Kaspersky post.

So although own cookies improve your browsing experience and are generally safer, also “there are malicious cookies, there are actually cookies that are made to actually spy on users, to collect information, and this is the big difference. "Said Bestuzhev.

The level of privacy that each person chooses is a personal decision, but users can start by configuring their own browser to activate or deactivate the tracking function on the web.

This option is available in browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, Brave, and Safari.

How to avoid pop-ups?

If you want to stop seeing pop-ups and prefer technology to deal with them, there are extensions such as Consent-O-Matic, Privacy Cloud, and I don't care about cookies (which literally translates to "I'm not interested in cookies. cookies ») that block or hide pop-up windows, or automatically complete your preferences regarding the use of cookies.

Under the premise that pop-up windows about the use of cookies are designed to be confusing and make users agree to be tracked, Consent-O-Matic answers for you “so that you are not manipulated”.

Similarly, Privacy Cloud acts by "removing most cookie banners and declining consent by default."

For its part, I don't care about cookies removes cookie warnings "on almost all websites, avoiding thousands of unnecessary clicks."

However, this extension may automatically accept the cookie policy, "depending on what is easiest to do" so it may not completely eliminate the use of cookies.

The I don't care about cookies website recommends the user to educate themselves about cookies and about privacy and data protection issues.

"It is very important to understand that privacy is tied to security," concluded Bestuzhev.

Tip to avoid identity theft on the web 0:31

CybersecurityInternet

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-05-28

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