For a majority of people, the term cookie is affiliated to a spicy chocolate chip which one has as a snack.

However, in reference to the internet, cookies aren’t on the dropdown menu. Unlike ordinary cookies, they are not physical objects.

Experts say that they do a great deal in making it more convenient for a person to browse the internet, citing that they can also be troublesome in case the same person is unable to clear or delete them.

Lambert Rulindana, a tech developer told The New Times that HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) cookies also known as internet cookies are essential to the modern internet but a vulnerability to the user’s privacy.

"They (HTTP cookies) let websites remember you, your website logins and more. But they can also be a treasure trove of private information for hackers,” he said.

Rulindana notes that while most cookies are perfectly safe, guarding online privacy can be overwhelming.

"Some websites are not secure, and this allows hackers to intercept cookies and view the information they carry. Frankly the cookies themselves are not harmful, but because they may carry personal information, it is better to use cookies on sites that are trusted to be secure” he noted

What are cookies and what do they do?

In essence, the term cookie refers to information stored by a website on the user’s local browser, said Patricie Nostalgie, a software engineer.

"They are basically used to keep track of visitors. If a user is browsing, the information he sees are stored somewhere in the cloud on a machine that we call Server. So the server has the task of processing the requests received from web browsers and reply back with the information requested,”

"And this takes a lot of resources as one server can be serving thousands of users. So sometimes developers can choose to store some general information on the client side so that when a user visits the website for the second time, he gets the info from his local machine without sending the request to the server,” he added.

What information can they hold?

Computer cookies according to Rulindana normally store private info including the amount of time a user spends on the particular website, different links a person clicks while using the website. Accounts they log into, pages visited among others.

What happens if you don’t accept a cookie?

The flip side of not accepting cookies is that some companies will not let users access their websites.

However, Rulindana said that, "But for the most part, you will still be able to access the majority of the internet without accepting cookies.”

Commenting on the advantage of accepting cookies, he added, "you will likely get a more tailored experience with more relevant content, so it is usually worth it, unless the user is particularly fearful about privacy”.

Are internet cookies safe?

Under normal circumstances, Nostalgie says that cookies are generally used to improve the experience of users.

But, he added that there has been controversy from privacy advocates who would rather not have information about themselves being stores, particularly relating to their browsing habits.

"Cookies are not safe as they are stored in plain texts, so it’s not advisable to accept cookies on high sensitive websites such as those with payment information,”Rulindana said.  

Odyssée Ndayisaba, CEO, Continuity Group noted that while some cookies can be deleted from the preferred browser, others cannot be deleted (persistent cookies).

"Most internet users are not digitally informed to understand cookies and risks they pose to their privacy and security and consequently protect themselves. Some websites have complicated privacy and security policies for an average user to understand,” he said.

"Cookies are a cyber-security threat and attack vector that also affect high risk sectors like healthcare, and financial services,” Ndayisaba added.

How do I clear my cookies?

Because cookies are stored on the user’s computer, it is possible to delete them

Some web browsers have the feature of setting security levels. If you don’t want cookies, just set the security level to "high”. That way you won’t even see those pop-ups.”

Users can delete cookies when they just go on browser settings and click on clear browsing data.