Digital privacy expert explains why often accepting cookies poses cyber risks

According to new research commissioned by internet security company NordVPN, only 3.5% of Canadians never accept cookies. To make matters worse, a whopping 43% say they always accept cookies. While most HTTP cookies are safe, some can be used to track people without their consent. Even more, cookies can sometimes be spied upon or used to fake the identity of a user, to gain access to their account or use their identity to commit a crime.

 “HTTP cookies are vital to the internet, but they are also a vulnerability to people’s privacy. As a necessary part of web browsing, cookies help web developers to provide more personal, convenient website visits. Because of cookies, websites remember you, your logins, shopping carts, and even more. But they can also be a treasure trove of private information for criminals to spy on,” says Daniel Markuson, a digital privacy expert at NordVPN. 

What are cookies, and why are they a threat?

Also known as an HTTP cookie or browser cookie, a cookie is a piece of data that’s stored on your browser whenever you visit a website. When enabled, the website will remember your preferences and any small changes you made during your last visit.

Cookies are a normal and necessary part of the internet. Without them, you couldn’t log into a website or fill your online shopping cart. However, too many cookies can become a threat to both your security and privacy.  

“People need to be aware that cookies follow you online. Even if you hide your IP address with a VPN, cookies can track what you do online and form a partial ID of who you are. Moreover, third parties can sell your cookies. Some sites earn revenue by serving third-party cookies. These aren’t functional – their purpose is to turn a profit from your data. Also, cookies are a vulnerability. With the wrong browser settings or when visiting the wrong website, cookies can introduce security vulnerabilities to your browsing experience,” says Daniel Markuson, a digital privacy expert.

68.5% of Canadians feel that their online data is used for targeted ads

Research shows that Canadians feel the consequences of collected cookies:

• 68.5% feel that their online data is used for targeted ads;
• 66% feel that it’s being sold to other companies.
• Moreover, 57% and 53% respectively believe that their ​​data is analyzed by websites for their internal use and that it’s used by social media platforms for people to find the most relevant information 

“Canadians must be pretty aware of the constant pop-up requesting them to ‘Accept all cookies?’ while visiting online websites. It happens in order to comply with data privacy laws, which were designed to protect users’ personal information and force companies to state what kind of data is being collected and how it is being used,” says Daniel Markuson.  

How to stop cookies from tracking you

There are plenty of tools and tips to make your online activity more private. 

“First, navigate to your browser’s settings and choose to delete all the cookies stored in your browser. Most browsers also offer features to block unnecessary cookies automatically.  Second, use incognito mode. While incognito mode does not equal privacy, this is exactly what it was made for — setting aside a single browsing session that won’t save cookies and your history.

Finally, use a VPN. One of a VPN’s core features is to hide your IP address, which is critical if you want your online searches to stay private. You can also look at installing various types of tracker blocker programs. That means that third-party cookies won’t be able to gather data about people’s browsing habits and create a detailed profile on you.

Methodology: The survey was commissioned by NordVPN and conducted by the external company Cint on October 4-12, 2021. The survey’s target group was residents of France, the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Poland aged 18+ (nationally representative), and the sample was taken from national internet users. Quotas were placed on age, gender, and place of residence. 7800 people were surveyed in total, made up of 800 people from Spain and 1000 people from each of the remaining countries.