A cookie is a small text file that is stored on your computer. Cookies can contain text and numbers, such as dates. Cookies are not programs and do not contain viruses or other malicious code. The purpose of cookies is to store specific information about users on a website so that the website can later recognize the user and load this stored information. This could include, for example, login information, information about previous visits, and which parts of the website the user has visited.

A cookie can only be loaded from the URL (website) where it was stored. Common cookies that are stored from a website are usually stored from the address you see in the browser's address bar. However, a website can also contain fragments and information that are retrieved from addresses other than the one shown in the browser's address bar. This could be, for example, a banner ad or analytics tools, but also regular content. In this way, cookies can also be stored from other addresses via the website you are actually visiting—so-called third-party cookies.

Some cookies (so-called session cookies) are stored only during a browser session and are deleted when the browser is closed. Other cookies (so-called persistent cookies) are stored for a specific period and are not deleted until after that period has passed.

No matter which browser you use, you can adjust the settings in your browser to prevent cookies from being stored. Some browsers allow you to apply this setting to specific websites only.