"You probably already pay for internet access, but once you're online, surfing the web doesn't cost a penny. But as with many things that don't have a cash price, you pay in other ways. Advertisers and data brokers monetize their knowledge about your online habits and activities. They use data that your browser freely supplies to create a fingerprint that uniquely identifies you. As a result, they know where you go, how you behave, and what you buy."
"And yet, when you're interacting with a website, you really want some continuity. Early in the evolution of web browsers, cookies were invented to provide that continuity. Each cookie is a simple text file that lives on your computer, not on the site. The site can put information into the cookie, such as your preferred street address, things you've bought, or which page you were reading in an online novel."
When a browser requests a page, the server responds and generally does not retain a record of that visitor. Cookies were invented to provide continuity by storing small text files on the user's computer that a site can read on return visits. Third-party cookies from advertisers can appear on many sites and allow linking of a user's activity across those sites. Browser fingerprinting collects information the browser freely supplies to construct a unique identifier without storing data on the device. Fingerprinting leaves no traces and can identify users across sites, enabling tracking of browsing behavior, location, and purchases. Effective privacy measures are required to prevent such identification.
Read at PCMAG
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