Cookie pop-ups don't have to be a fact of life online - how I block them and why

SEAN GLADWELL/Getty Images "C" is for cookie, gathering data on me. You know them, you loathe them, but because of how the web works these days, you cannot avoid them. Unless your browser of choice does a good job of blocking them. If not, you have to deal with them. Cookies store information Cookies are tiny text files stored on your device by the websites you visit. They store information such as: Session details (e.g., login credentials) Preferences (e.g., language settings) Advertising targeting data Analytics and performance metrics Also: How to clear your iPhone cache for a fresh (and faster) start in 2025 Cookies might seem innocuous at first, but the more data they gather, the better they become at helping a website construct a profile on you. With that profile, websites can target ads or even sell that information. How websites use cookies Depending on which browser you use and how it is configured, when a website employs a cookie, a pop-up may appear to inform you ... Read full article.