What cookies are
Types of cookies
Session cookies are temporary files that exist only during a browsing session. When the browser is closed, session cookies expire. They are generally used to identify users when they log on to a website, to remember the user and preferences during transition between the pages of the site, and/or to provide specific information which has been collected previously. The most common example is the shopping cart feature of an e-commerce website. When visiting a catalogue page and selecting items, the session cookie remembers those selections so they remain selected in a virtual shopping cart which the user sees at checkout. Without session cookies, at checkout the new page would not be able to present the items seen and selected in the previous pages and the cart would always be empty.
Persistent Cookies are files that remain active even after the browser is closed and help the sites to remember data and user settings for future reference. This allows faster access and saves time since the user is not required to log in again. In addition to authentication, other website features are available, including: language selection, theme selection, menu preferences, bookmarks or favourites, as well as many others. Preferences made during a visit will be remembered via persistent cookies for the next visit.
Third party Cookies
There are various types of cookies and some of them are known as third party. As an example, they are used by the first site visited by the user which may contain advertisements from another server or website owned by the third party. The browser collects information from a range of sources so that all elements are displayed on the same page visited by the user, thus creating more cookies in the corresponding browser folder. All these cookies can be directly removed from the browser or by using specifically designed programs, some of which are available free of charge. It’s also possible to block the creation of cookies in advance, but in this case some website services may not work as expected or may not be accessible.
Google Analytics is a service offered by Google Inc. that generates detailed statistics on website traffic and traffic sources. It is the most popular statistics service. Google Analytics can track visitors from all the links external to the site, including search engines and social networks, direct visits and reference sites. It also displays advertising, pay per click, email marketing as well as links within PDF documents. Click here for Google Analytics policies: http://www.google.it/analytics/learn/privacy.html .
Facebook Connect and Facebook Social Plugins are things like the Like button, the Share button, comments and other tools that let you share your experience off of Facebook with your friends and others on Facebook. Read more: http://www.facebook.com/help/443483272359009 .