Cookies are small files that servers send to browsers so that they identify certain aspects of the sessions that users initiate on certain websites s. This simple and ingenious measure can significantly improve the experience of Internet users when surfing the Internet, since once they register certain trends they automate them and serve to suggest new content of interest.
There are two types of cookies; login and permanent . The former remain active for the duration of a session on a website, which would be from the moment you enter the URL in the navigation bar until you close the website. The latter record your behavior on the website so that the next time you enter, it knows what content you are interested in and what actions you usually take. They are generally kept stored for a longer period that can be approximately 30 days, or until you decide to delete them manually.
In this guide we will show you how to enable and disable the use of cookies in today’s main web browsers , Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Explorer or Safari, as well as to eliminate them to prevent these accumulate and may affect your connection speed or affect your privacy.
Index:
Each browser has a slightly different operation, especially in terms of configuration. However, activating and deactivating them is an extremely easy process that will not take more than a couple of minutes of your time.
On Android
Activating or de-authorizing the use of cookies on your Android mobile is extremely easy, you just have to follow these steps:
- Open the default Android browser (Chrome).
- Tap the three dots in the upper left corner of the interface, which will display a menu with multiple options.
- Locate the option” Settings “and tap on it.
- Then select the option “ Advanced ” and once there look for the “ Content Options “.
- Once there you will see multiple options about the content that the websites show, among which are Cookies. Check or uncheck them to enable or disable as appropriate and go .
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On iOS (iPhone)
If you have an iOS device, the process to block or allow them is as follows:
- Drag your finger from the base of the screen up to display the device control center .
- Select “ Settings ”So you can see more modifiable aspects of the terminal. You can also enter here by looking in the applications menu.
- Scroll down until you find the option “ Safari ” that corresponds to the default browser of iOS devices.
- Once there, scroll down until you reach the “ Privacy and Security ” section where you will find a series of switches.
- Access the «Block cookies »And choose from the following options:
- Always block
- Allow only from the current website
- Allow from the sites I visit
- Always allow
In Chrome
If you use Chrome, what you should do is:
- Open the browser on your computer.
- Locate the three dots in the upper right corner on the screen and click on them.
- Look for the option “ Settings ” in the menu that will be displayed.
- This will open a new tab where all browser settings will be.
- Go down to the bottom of the page and click on “ Advanced ”.
- Search for the section “ Privacy and Security ” and locate the option “ Content settings ”.
- Once inside you must locate “ Cookies ” and click on it, which will show you a series of aspects that you can modify.
- You will find 3 switches. You must locate the first one that corresponds to the option “ Allow sites to save and read cookie data (recommended) ” and turn it on or off to enable or disable cookies.
Among the three switches that appear, is the option “ Block Third Party Cookies “, this is a security measure implemented by Chrome to prevent unreliable websites from sending crawlers to your browser. It is advisable to keep it on, since a malicious cookie can violate your privacy and steal important data from your browser, such as passwords you save for example.
In Firefox
For this browser, the steps to follow are:
- Open the browser on your computer.
- Locate the three lines in the upper right corner on the screen and click on them.
- Search for “ Options ” in the menu that will be displayed.
- A new page will open where you will see all the browser settings. In the list of sections on the left of the screen, click on the mask icon corresponding to the “ Privacy and Security ” of the browser.
- Once there, locate the option “ Cookies and site data ”.
- This will show you a series of options and you must check or uncheck the one that says “ Accept cookies and site data ” to enable or disable by checking «Block cookies and site data».
- You can also add exceptions from websites that you usually navigate and create trustworthy .
In this same section you can decide if you allow third-party cookies and the time you want them to be kept in your browser, at closing or what they last.
In Safari
If you are a MAC and Safari user, what you need to do to activate these elements is:
- Open your browser.
- Click on “ Safari ” in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
- Look for the option “ Preferences ”, which will open a sub-window with multiple options in which you must enter the section of “ Privacy ”.
- In this section you will see all the cookie options, you must check or uncheck the option “ Allow from the sites I visit ” to activate or deactivate them in the browser. After this the process will be finished.
In Internet Explorer (Edge)
In the basic Microsoft browser the process is as follows:
- Open the browser and click “ Settings ” on the gear icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
- Once in this section, go to the section of “ Settings advanced•.
- Then go down to“ Privacy and Services ”and locate the section of cookies
- In a drop-down menu you can choose between:
- Block all …
- Block only the third party
- Do not block
In Opera
- Open the browser and click on the Opera logo in the upper left corner of the screen.
- Locate the option “ Settings ”, which you can also access with the ALT + P command .
- Once there, select“ Advanced ”in the options column on the left of the screen.
- Enter the section “ Privacy and Security ” and look for the option “ Content Settings “.
- Once there, locate “ Cookies ”, the first option in the list, which will open a mini section in which there is a switch to activate and deactivate them at ease and that’s it. You already have cookies enabled in your Opera browser.
Cookie risks do you know the whole truth?
Despite how much they improve the user experience , these add-ons can be used by cybercriminals to access their private information. In fact, at the time they were detected by antivirus as dangerous files and this is not far from reality. While they are not dangerous to your computer, they can facilitate computer attacks.
In 2011 a vulnerability was discovered in Internet Explore , the Microsoft browser, which allowed a man-in-the-browser attack to users who shared certain cookies. These attacks are not usually common and browsers are generally prepared to avoid them, but if we take into account that new vulnerabilities are discovered every time, it is not surprising that new attacks can occur because of these files.
Another problem is the massive accumulation of them, this can make your internet speed is compromised and you can’t even perform certain actions on some websites because you can’t store new ones. Therefore it is advisable to clean them constantly.
Fortunately you can take some measures in this situation to protect yourself from such attacks, you just have to acquire certain habits that will make you less vulnerable in that sense.
Constantly update your browser
Browser developers are aware that cyber attacks are increasingly possible , so they spend monitoring their platforms in order to find them before hackers. Therefore it is recommended that you make sure you always have the latest version of the browser you use. Keeping these platforms up to date is the best way to protect yourself from a possible vulnerability.
Clean your history regularly
These are stored in your search history. Get used to cleaning it at least once a week to avoid problems. If you are worried about losing your saved passwords , you would like to know that before each cleaning the browser will ask you precisely if you want to delete this information, indicating that you do not do it is enough to keep them.
Do not share personal data on unreliable websites
If you need to do it, create a digital identity that nothing or little has to do with your person in the real world.
Modify the privacy of your browser
You can prevent the browser from sharing data on unreliable websites . You can do this in the same section where cookies are activated and deactivated.
How to delete and empty cookies from your browser?
Deleting your store is as easy as activating or deactivating them, what you should do is:
- Open your browser and go to the “ Settings ” area.
- Go to the “ Privacy and Security ” section.
- Once there, look for the section “ Clear browsing data ” or “ Clear history ” as appropriate.
- When you do this you will be shown the deletion options, mark the one that says “ Cookies ”.
- Wait for the data to be deleted and voila, you have already cleared your history.