What are cookies?
Cookies are small files that the owner of a website or app places on your device, such as a computer, smartphone or tablet. This is done when you visit a website or use an app. Cookies enable the owner of the website or app to collect and store information about your visit, or about you as a visitor. Do you not give consent for placing cookies? Then you can still use most websites and apps normally.
On this page
Types of cookies
There are 3 types of cookies:
- functional cookies;
- limited analytics cookies;
- other cookies.
Functional cookies
Functional cookies ensure that a website or an app work properly. They remember, for example, your login details, language preferences and products in your shopping basket.
Consent
An owner of a website or an app does not need your consent for placing functional cookies. The owner has to tell you, though, that the cookies are placed. You can find this information, for example, in the privacy statement of the website or app.
Limited analytics cookies
Limited analytics cookies collect information about the visit to a website or an app, such as the number of visitors and the most visited pages. This information helps owners of a website or an app improve it. These cookies should not have a significant impact on your privacy.
Consent
You have to give advance consent for placing cookies that process your personal data. This may be the case with limited analytics cookies. The use of this type of cookies must also be mentioned in the privacy statement of the website or app.
Other cookies
Other cookies are cookies that fall outside the above categories. Often, these cookies also process personal data.
A well-known example are tracking cookies that track your internet behaviour. Tracking cookies collect data on how you use a website or an app. Such as what you click on, how long you visit certain pages, and what subjects you are interested in. This does not only happen on one website, but also on other websites and apps that you visit and use. Tracking cookies can therefore track you across several websites and apps.
By mapping out your behaviour across several websites and apps, tracking cookies can make profiles of you. About your interests, political preference and family situation, for example. Advertising companies use this information to show you targeted advertisements. Often, these activities involve processing of your personal data.
Example of tracking cookies
You look for shoes on an online shop. A pair of shoes catches your eye, but you decide not to buy the shoes yet. One day later, you see an advertisement for exactly the same pair of shoes on a different website. This may be caused by tracking cookies.
Consent
Other cookies, such as tracking cookies, have consequences for your privacy. That is why you have to give the website or app consent for placing this type of cookies. The website or app must also tell you clearly which information is collected, how this is done, and what happens with the information. Read more about this on the page Privacy risks of cookies.
What happens if I accept or refuse cookies?
Do you give consent for placing cookies? Then the website or app will store this consent. The organisation may retain your consent for many years. You can withdraw your consent for placing cookies in hindsight. But this is not always easy. Also see the page What you can do to protect your privacy when cookies are used.
You must be able to use the website or app normally, even when you do not give consent for placing cookies. It does not always work like that in practice. This is because some websites have a cookiewall.