"Browsers collect data. On the one hand, this means greater comfort when surfing, but also less protection of privacy," says Arne Arnold of the German specialist magazine "PC Welt".
Advertising companies , for example, make mom data use of so-called third-party cookies that are stored by the browser. In this way, they try to track the browsing behavior of users and identify their interests. As a result, the user receives, for example, personalized advertising .
«However, this tracking can be blocked. Some browsers, such as Safari, Firefox and Edge, do this by default. To do this, simply activate the tracking blockers in the 'Privacy and security' section of the settings menu,» says Jo Bager from the German specialist magazine «c't».
However, cookies are not always bad: they also provide a certain convenience when browsing, as they ensure that you do not have to re-enter certain data over and over again. In fact, they are small text files through which a user is recognized when he or she returns to a page.
Anyone who blocks all cookies will therefore have a somewhat uncomfortable browsing experience. “This would also lead, for example, to a shopping site such as Amazon no longer being able to save the shopping cart,” warns Dennis Kochinky of the German publication “Computer Bild”. A gradual blocking of cookies is therefore recommended .
Arnold advises blocking at least third-party cookies , so as to prevent all pages associated with websites from leaving their mark on your browser. “This way you can also prevent entire advertising networks from stealing your data,” Arnold emphasises.
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Another important setting for cookies is found in the Chrome browser in the “Privacy and security” section, where the “Preload pages to speed up browsing and searching” option is always enabled by default. “If this setting is enabled, Chrome automatically launches certain websites and the user receives their cookies even if they do not visit them at all,” Kochinky warns.
