How Do Cookies Provide Personalized Content?

Cookies can make your web experience one that's tailored just to you.
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The video below gives a brief example on how a website provides personal content for the user. It does this by recognizing previous information entered into the database on its secure server, therefore bringing up past interests for the user to click on.

Click on the video below to learn more.

Video transcript

Anne requests web page: www.website.com to find a cheap flight to London.

www.website.com delivers content to Anne together with cookie ID ABC.

Anne books a cheap flight to London and types in her name, address and credit card details.

Anne's name, address, and flights details are transferred to www.website.com who store that information in a file in their database on their secure server - with the reference cookie ABC.

The personal data are not written into the cookie.

Four Weeks Later

Anne requests home page for www.website.com

www.website.com server reads cookie ID ABC and finds Anne's file in its database on its secure server by reference to the cookie ID ABC. Based on the personal information in Anne's file in the database, a personalized message is created and delivered:

"Hello Anne. Please click here for cheap flights to London for the holiday season."

Anne reads requested web page.

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