When we talk about "cookies", we're actually using a linguistic shortcut. A cookie, in the strict sense, is a small file stored in a visitor's browser. But today, it's just one of many ways to collect data.
In reality, many tools can track a visitor's activity on a website:
scripts that send information to third-party services (like Google or Meta),
small pieces of code that remember a visitor's behavior (such as the language chosen or pages visited),
or even more invisible techniques that allow identifying a device without storing anything at all.
đ In summary, the word "cookies" is a generic term that encompasses all these collection mechanisms that are regulated by personal data protection laws â such as GDPR in Europe, UK GDPR in the United Kingdom, or CCPA in California. And these are the ones that must be submitted for consent when required by law.
âïž In the next articles in this series, we will mainly use the terms "services" or "vendors" to refer to these trackers, in order to better reflect the different forms of data collection.