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.
Comply with web accessibility standards when creating web content, sites, and programs
Provide instructional materials that comply with the applicable standards and guidelines outlined in the procedures
Maintain departmentally-owned classrooms that use and deliver accessible ICT
Include assistive technologies including but not limited to screen reading software and screen magnification in departmental computer labs provided for student use
Assess instructional applications developed on campus (web, desktop, etc.) for accessibility according to principles of WCAG 2.0 AA level, WAI-Aria 1.0, and ATAG 2.0 standards (extrapolated as needed for non-web environments)
Implement procedures for ensuring that electronic document produced, maintained or distributed by the department are accessible to individuals with disabilities
Purchase only captioned versions of audio/visual media whenever possible. Caption all other media that will be used on the web or in instruction
Purchase only transcribed versions of audio media whenever possible
Update any non-transcribed audio and any non-captioned video upon use
Provide instruction and support for campus community members creating University websites and content so that individuals who author web content can be trained according to these standards
Recommend that any Content Management System and other web production or web object creation software proposed and supported by central IT be accessible
Provide support for non-central IT staff about creating accessible University websites and content
Support faculty and staff in utilizing Ally for Web
Facilitate hosting of online activities in an accessible learning management system and related hosted systems (such as web conferencing) that are accessible
Use accessible electronic and information technology in IT-designed and supported Technology Classrooms
Monitor informational IT web pages and implement recommended accessible software and procedures found on those pages
Continuously assess classroom and presentation equipment to ensure caption-compatibility
Conduct monthly accessibility scans to ascertain whether any posted content is inaccessible. The Library will notify content authors if corrections to pages are needed and of reasonable timelines for corrections to be made. The Library will note if corrective action has been taken during the next monthly scan
Implement procedures for ensuring that materials digitized or hosted by the library for research purposes are accessible to individuals with disabilities
Maintain a library of transcribed audio and captioned video resources that are available for faculty, staff, and student use
Maintain a record of commercial availability of copyrighted media resources
Provide transcribed audio and captioned video resources upon request for existing non-transcribed audio and non-captioned videos
Provide instructional materials that comply with all requirements outlined in these procedures
Maintain departmentally owned classrooms that use and deliver accessible information and communication technology
Include assistive technologies including but not limited to screen reading software and screen magnification in departmental computer labs provided for student use
Assess instructional applications developed on campus (web, desktop, etc.) for accessibility according to principles of WCAG 2.0 AA level, WAI-Aria 1.0, and ATAG 2.0 standards (extrapolated as needed for non-web environments)
Implement procedures for ensuring that electronic document produced, maintained or distributed by the department are accessible to individuals with disabilities upon request
Purchase only captioned versions of audiovisual media whenever possible. Caption all other media that will be used on the web or in instruction upon request
Purchase only transcribed versions of audiovisual media whenever possible
Upon request, update any non-transcribed audio and any non-captioned/non-described video that is in current use
Facilitate hosting of online activities in an accessible learning management system and related hosted systems (such as web conferencing) that are accessible
Use accessible information and communication technology in ITS-designed and supported Technology Classrooms
Monitor informational ITS web pages and implement the ITS-recommended lab software and procedures found on those pages
Continuously assess classroom and presentation equipment to ensure caption-compatibility
Implement an accessible search engine that can search across all library collections, including, but not limited to, e-journals, databases, and e-books
Make all content in library collections, including, but not limited to, e-journals, databases, and e-books, accessible upon request
Conduct monthly accessibility scans to ascertain whether any posted content is inaccessible. The Library will notify content authors if corrections to pages are needed and of reasonable timelines for corrections to be made. The Library will note if corrective action has been taken during the next monthly scan
Implement procedures for ensuring that materials digitized or hosted by the library for research purposes are made accessible to individuals with disabilities upon request
Maintain a library of transcribed audio and captioned video resources that are available for faculty, staff, and student use
Maintain a record of commercial availability of copyrighted media resources
Check that software, hardware, local interfaces and modifications and electronic systems are accessible
Check that all applications developed on campus (web, desktop, etc.) are accessible according to principles of WCAG 2.0, WAI-Aria 1.0, and ATAG 2.0 standards (extrapolated as needed for non-web environments)