Maintaining 100% security and privacy is impossible when we browse the Internet, but there are things we can do to be a little safer, and one of them is block third-party cookies.
This simple operation can make your browsing less vulnerable to being tracked by others so they can offer you suggestions and advertising in the future, but it also has some drawbacks.
What are third party cookies?
Every time we visit a website we see a warning about the use of cookies, but there are still many people who don't know exactly what they are.
In a simple way, we can define them as small text files that a website other than the one you are visiting places on your device.
Imagine that while you are in an online store you see an advertisement for sneakers. The company that sells those shoes places a cookie in your browser and can thus track your activity. This This is what causes you to find very similar ads on different websites.
Third-party cookies allow companies to collect information about your interests and thus be able to show you more relevant advertisements because they are better adapted to your tastes.
There is no denying that they are very controversial. In a world where we are increasingly concerned about security and privacy, these cookies are responsible for collect data about our habits that can be used to try to sell us things. Furthermore, this constant monitoring can be intrusive and give us the feeling that we are always being watched, because all we have to do is spend two seconds looking at an advertisement and we will be “inundated” with advertisements for products similar to the one we have seen.
Can third-party cookies be blocked?
The answer is yes, most browsers give us options to block or at least manage third-party cookies. In addition, we can also use ad blockers to reduce the amount of advertising we see when we are browsing.
Another way to further improve security and privacy is to use the incognito browsing, because this deletes cookies once we close the browser window.
What happens if we block third-party cookies?
The thing is that we get more privacy, but it also has some negative consequences. The most important of these is that some websites depend on third-party cookies to function properly, so if you block them you may have problems loading these pages or viewing them correctly.
How to block third-party cookies in different web browsers
This action has its advantages and disadvantages, and you should weigh both to decide what is best for you. However, if you choose to block and later regret it, this option is reversible, so you don't have to worry too much.
To make the block you have to follow these instructions:
Google Chrome
- Open Chrome.
- Go to Settings. Click on the three vertical dots in the top right corner and select “Settings.”
- Go to Privacy & Security. In the left menu, find and select “Privacy & Security.”
- Configure cookies. Click on "Cookies and other site data."
- Block third-party cookies. In the “Block cookies” section, select the “Block third-party cookies” option.
Mozilla Firefox
- Open Firefox.
- Access the options. Click on the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner and select “Options.”
- Go to Privacy and Security. In the left panel, select "Privacy & Security".
- Configure cookies. In the “History” section, look for the “Custom history” option and click on the “Choose…” button.
- Block third-party cookies. Uncheck the “Accept third-party cookies” option.
Microsoft Edge
- Open Edge.
- Go to Settings. Click on the three horizontal dots in the top right corner and select “Settings.”
- Go to Privacy, Search & Services. In the left menu, select “Privacy, Search & Services.”
- Configure cookies. In the “Cookies and site data” section, click “View permissions.”
- Block third-party cookies. Turn off the switch next to “Allow sites to save and read data on your device.”
safari
- Open Safari.
- Go to preferences. From the top menu bar, select “Safari” and then “Preferences.”
- Go to Privacy. Click on the “Privacy” tab.
- Block cookies. In the “Block cookies” section, select the option that suits you best (for example, “Always”).
Opera
- Open Opera.
- Access Settings. Click on the Opera menu (usually represented by the Opera logo) in the top left corner and select
- "Setting".
- Go to Privacy & Security. In the left panel, find and select “Privacy & Security.”
- Configure cookies. In the section “Cookies and other site data” you will find several options:
- Block all cookies. If you want maximum protection, you can select this option, but please note that some websites may not work properly.
- Block third-party cookies. This is the most common option to block cookies that track your activity across different websites.
One of the peculiarities of Opera is that allows you to customize cookie settings, such as allowing cookies only from sites you visit regularly or blocking cookies from certain sites. It shows you a list of websites and you can individually configure which type of cookies you accept for each one.
Additional considerations
- Keep in mind that not all cookies are bad, Some are essential for browsing and if you block everything you may experience loading or functionality issues on certain websites.
- Look for a balanced setting that allows you to block most third-party cookies, but still allows you to customize your experience on the sites you visit most.
- Some browsers have advanced features thate te They allow you to better control which cookies you want to block and which ones you don't.
- You can explore other ways to protect your privacy such as browsing in incognito mode or using VPN services.
Now that you know how to block third-party cookies in the most popular browsers, it is up to you to decide how you prefer your browsing to be.