As you are aware that a cookie is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored on the user’s computer by the user’s web browser while the user is browsing. Cookies are used by the websites to record information of the user’s browsing activity as well as shopping cart details in an online store. The browsing activity may also include information entered in the form fields such as names, addresses, passwords, and credit card numbers. Some other cookies used to perform functions like authentication of logging details. A hacker may get into user’s data or into the website depending on their security.
Cookie technology has been in existence here for the last 20 years or so, many computer users were not aware of it for many years until they were shocked to know of their online wanderings.
To know more about cookies please read: What Is A Cookie?
Handling problem:
Computer experts say that the cookie technology has already outlived its usefulness.
Google and Facebook are also facing difficulty to track down the cookie traffic. The cookies do not work on apps, and Apple’s mobile version of Safari have blocked third-party cookies by default. Companies and the advertisers are looking for more effective ways. Large technological companies, startups and advertisers are searching for an alternative that will permit them to perform cookie-like functions on smartphones and tablets
India has the largest database of mobile users. The use of mobile and its increasing traffic is also the reason that forced companies and advertisers to think the other way. Mobile traffic generates 61% of internet activity in India.
Latest Innovations:
The advertisers are trying to reach the user on multi-platforms like desktops, tablets, smartphones and TVs. The companies are using proprietary software to match users and their browsing habits to the IP addresses to find out that a user uses a specific smartphone, tablet and computer with some amount of certainty. For example, a smartphone user sees an ad for flight timings for Bengaluru with the message that you were looking for the flights during your lunch time on desktop. This may become a reality very soon but it is not that easy to zero in on the user.
Big Data has already made its impact. A mobile ad company in USA has made apps to let them know as to how many times an app is being opened by a user each day. The company also gives ads in these apps. They have been getting so much amount of data that they themselves are bamboozled.
Conclusion:
Google is developing a super cookie that would allow advertisers to track online user’s activities. Apple had already introduced its super cookie last year for its mobile operating system, iOS.
Super cookie is supposed to provide more tracking control through browser settings.
Google’s Chrome browser has about 40 percent market share in online trading and that will certainly influence the business.
There is a warning for social media users, “The less you put out there, the fewer chances it might be used against you.”
One thing is clear with cross device advertising and super cookie are on their way, Internet users will need to be more vigilant.
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