Cookies Are Privacy Threats to Internet Users
Numerous websites can now use cookies to keep track of their users’ activities. According to Kaspersky, which is a global cybersecurity company, cookies are small text files exchanged between the web server and the user’s devices (Kaspersky). Cookies help web servers in collecting personal information such as emails, sites visited, downloads from the user’s computer. The fundamental purpose of cookies is to improve the browsing experience of the user. However, the use of cookies, especially from the third party, is tampering with the user’s privacy. Those who oppose this assertion believes that the use of cookies is significant for the website users since they enable user-customization functions such as remembering registered logins, preferences, selection of themes or even enhance the usability of the website for the user. Further, they believe that cookies help in analyzing the site and that the user is always responsible for accepting the cookies. On the other side, the proponents of the assertion that cookies tamper with the users’ privacy believes that, in some instances, cookies can be used to create user’s surfing habit profile thus invading their privacy. Although they claim that cookies tamper with one’s privacy is true, in some instances, this assertion is false. Ensuring safety and privacy for all web users should be a priority for all websites or web servers.
There is numerous information that demonstrates that cookies do not tamper with user’s privacy. First, the internet users are the one who permits websites to use cookies on their browsers. Before allowing a website to use cookies, a website is required to share both the privacy policy and cookies policy. According to Emily Stewart, who is a business and politics reporter at Vox.com, the privacy policy that companies provides aims at making the website user aware of the data that the website collects from them. Stewart asserts that the privacy policy requires the companies to be clear on the information that is collected on their site and why (Stewart). Further, one is given a chance not only to access their personal information but also to control or even delete this information. Therefore, the claim that cookies violates the privacy of the user is not valid since the user allows specific cookies to access their data. Further, the companies are precise with their cookies alert since one is always asking to read the cookies policy or the entire privacy laws of the company before accepting cookies.
The opponents of the claim that browser cookies tamper with the user’s privacy believe that cookies are small text files that hold a minimal amount of information about the user. In his article, Are cookies crumbling our privacy? Simon Hill, a senior editor and a technology journalist at Digital Trend says that, cookies are small text file and that the information contained in the cookie file is only used by the company responsible of the website. According to Hill, “the vulnerability of systems to damage or snoop by using Web browser cookies is essentially nonexistent” (Hill). Therefore, browsers cookies are not a threat to the user and instead makes the web browsing convenient to the user. With the help of cookies, the website remembers the user and keeps them updated with the appropriate content in the web. The original purpose of browser cookies was to help the webservers to recognise the user as well as their web preferences.
Although the original purpose of browser cookies was to enhance user experience in the website, many web servers have subverted this original intent by using browser cookies to track users’ movements. Therefore, browser cookies are invading the privacy of the user. In their article, An Empirical Study of Web Cookies, Aaron Cahn, a data scientist and a creative director at Tuber Science and other authors say that browser cookies are used by online advertisers and the data brokerage firms to gather much information about the internet users to deliver much-targeted ads (Cahn et al. 2). Therefore, the use of cookies in this context is not to enhance website usability but is to benefit the internet sellers to perform more marketing on the internet. These advertisers use third-party cookies to identify the movement of the user on the internet. The worst thing is that cookies sent by the third party follow the internet user from one site to another. This is not enhancing the user’s experience but is increasing sales through ads.
Although cookies contain less information about the user, they are still a threat to the user. According to Anthony D. Miyazaki, who is a Professor Department of Marketing & Logistics College of Business at Florida International University, cookies can be used to record numerous online information about the user. This information varies from innocuous data to more personal data such as user name and the passwords (Miyazaki 21). Information about user movement from one website to another as well as a track of the number of times a specific banner ad has appeared during an online session are sophisticated privacy issues. Big technology firms such as Google, Facebook, as well as Amazon, maybe having much information about the user that is collected by the use of cookies (Miyazaki 22). Therefore, using cookies in the web-browsers is a threat to the user’s privacy as more personal information is collected concerning the user with little of their consent.
Cleary both the opponents and the proponents of the claim that cookies tampers with one’s privacy are right. Though cookies help to improve users’ experiencing while surfing, they also collect personal data that would violate the privacy rights of the user. Third parties are the leading privacy threat to internet users. Their intentions in using cookies to acquire enough information about the user so that they can have targeted ads. However, this helps in enhancing website usability and assisting the user in accessing relevant information based on their preferences. Therefore, the solution to the issue of privacy while using cookies is a balanced approach that upholds the user’s safety as the priority while using cookies. This includes strategies such as having transparency and consent framework for the internet users (Stewart). Considering the privacy of the user will help the companies to gain more trust and credibility from the users. This is essential as it will increase the number of consumer to the companies.
The original intention of using cookies was to improve the user’s experience. This is essential since it makes internet usage easier and convenient. However, invading the user’s privacy through cookies is as well possible. Although there are multiple alerts concerning the use of cookies on the internet, it doesn’t help the user to make an informed decision concerning the data that is collected. Therefore, it is prudent to have a transparency and consent framework that will help the user to make informed decisions concerning the use of cookies. As a result, the fundamental purpose of cookies will not only be collecting information from the user but also enhancing the privacy of the user.
Works Cited
Cahn, Aaron, et al. “An empirical study of web cookies.” Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on World Wide Web. 2016.
Hill, Simon. “The History of Cookies and Their Effect on Privacy.” Digital Trends, Digital Trends, 27 Mar. 2015, www.digitaltrends.com/computing/history-of-cookies-and-effect-on-privacy/.
Kaspersky. “What Are Cookies.” Www.kaspersky.com, 24 Apr. 2018, www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/definitions/cookies.
Miyazaki, Anthony D. “Online privacy and the disclosure of cookie use: Effects on consumer trust and anticipated patronage.” Journal of Public Policy & Marketing 27.1 (2008): 19-33.
Stewart, Emily. “Why Every Website Wants You to Accept Its Cookies.” Vox, Vox, 10 Dec. 2019, www.vox.com/recode/2019/12/10/18656519/what-are-cookies-website-tracking-gdpr-privacy.
Reflections
What helped you adopt a tone to communicate with someone with whom you disagree?
I used the skills of Rogerian argument to communicate. First, I acknowledged their side and showed the significance of their position. This helped me to communicate my points well.
How did you arrive at your common ground?
I first considered the views of both the proponents and opponents. To arrive at a common ground, I have shown how the opponent would benefit by considering the opinions of the proponents.
What was your process for reviewing your paper after writing a first draft?
I have proofread my paper to ensure that it follows the Rogerian argument structure and is as well free of errors.