Glossary · Privacy and data governance
Cookie
A small piece of data a website asks a browser to store and send with later matching requests.
Also called: HTTP cookie, browser cookie
Definition
Cookies can maintain sessions, remember preferences, support security, or contribute to measurement and advertising. Their behavior depends on domain, path, lifetime, security attributes, and browser policy.
Why it matters
Cookie use affects authentication, personalization, analytics, consent, privacy disclosures, and third-party dependencies.
Common misunderstanding
Cookies are not all advertising trackers, and removing cookies does not remove every other form of browser storage or tracking.
Related terms
Related system family: Secure Integrations & Custom Tools
Sources
- Using HTTP cookies (opens in a new tab) · MDN Web Docs
Last reviewed July 16, 2026