When I go on Google, Facebook and other websites?

[Ali Al-Obaidi]

When I go on Google or other websites, I will see 'We have cookies' or sometimes 'We use cookies' what does actually mean? Is it the cookies food, hahaha no of course. So, what does it mean. Why do they use it?

[Ultima vyse]

Cookies, by their computer definition, are packets of information that are stored on your computer. They can be used for things like storing your log-in credentials on a site (for example, you'll log on to a site and ask it to remember you. It will put a cookie on your computer as a sort of identifier, if that cookie is there it will log you on like you asked. If the cookie is missing or expired, the site will ask you for the log-in information again). It can also be used to collect information about your browser usage. Facebook, for instance, might put a cookie on your computer, see that you browsed "combat boots" on Amazon, and then try to market you army games or cheap boots in advertisements on FB when you visit the site.

Pop-up ads and banner ads can also sometimes put cookies on your computer for the same purpose. If that's something you're not comfortable with, you can use programs such as Spybot to target and delete specifically the "bad" cookies without touching the useful ones.

[Nusaiba]

It means that their websites have a special feature that recognizes a device that visits it.
You may have noticed that when you sign in and go offline without logging out and when you visit the site again you have no need of signing in again as you have never signed out.
Hope this helps