Web cookies (also called HTTP cookies, browser cookies, or simply cookies) are small pieces of data that websites store on your device (computer, phone, etc.) through your web browser. They are used to remember information about you and your interactions with the site.
Purpose of Cookies:
Session Management:
Keeping you logged in
Remembering items in a shopping cart
Saving language or theme preferences
Personalization:
Tailoring content or ads based on your previous activity
Tracking & Analytics:
Monitoring browsing behavior for analytics or marketing purposes
Types of Cookies:
Session Cookies:
Temporary; deleted when you close your browser
Used for things like keeping you logged in during a single session
Persistent Cookies:
Stored on your device until they expire or are manually deleted
Used for remembering login credentials, settings, etc.
First-Party Cookies:
Set by the website you're visiting directly
Third-Party Cookies:
Set by other domains (usually advertisers) embedded in the website
Commonly used for tracking across multiple sites
Authentication cookies are a special type of web cookie used to identify and verify a user after they log in to a website or web application.
What They Do:
Once you log in to a site, the server creates an authentication cookie and sends it to your browser. This cookie:
Proves to the website that you're logged in
Prevents you from having to log in again on every page you visit
Can persist across sessions if you select "Remember me"
What's Inside an Authentication Cookie?
Typically, it contains:
A unique session ID (not your actual password)
Optional metadata (e.g., expiration time, security flags)
Analytics cookies are cookies used to collect data about how visitors interact with a website. Their primary purpose is to help website owners understand and improve user experience by analyzing things like:
How users navigate the site
Which pages are most/least visited
How long users stay on each page
What device, browser, or location the user is from
What They Track:
Some examples of data analytics cookies may collect:
Page views and time spent on pages
Click paths (how users move from page to page)
Bounce rate (users who leave without interacting)
User demographics (location, language, device)
Referring websites (how users arrived at the site)
Here’s how you can disable cookies in common browsers:
1. Google Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data.
Choose your preferred option:
Block all cookies (not recommended, can break most websites).
Block third-party cookies (can block ads and tracking cookies).
2. Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
Under the Enhanced Tracking Protection section, choose Strict to block most cookies or Custom to manually choose which cookies to block.
3. Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the top-left corner of the screen.
Go to Preferences > Privacy.
Check Block all cookies to stop all cookies, or select options to block third-party cookies.
4. Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Cookies and site permissions.
Select your cookie settings from there, including blocking all cookies or blocking third-party cookies.
5. On Mobile (iOS/Android)
For Safari on iOS: Go to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > Block All Cookies.
For Chrome on Android: Open the app, tap the three dots, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies.
Be Aware:
Disabling cookies can make your online experience more difficult. Some websites may not load properly, or you may be logged out frequently. Also, certain features may not work as expected.
Keep an inventory of the types of records you use to execute your business functions.
Destroy duplicate records that no longer serve an administrative need.
To the extent possible, organize your files/records (electronic too!) by record series and date.
Avoid piling records into storage boxes and stashing away. You’ll forget what you put in there and the destruction authorization process will be increasingly difficult. Furthermore, you may retire or leave and your replacement will be put in an unfortunate circumstance of cleaning up what you left behind. Try taking a more efficient approach and properly destroy your records before you leave or transfer to the appropriate staff member.
Label correctly. It’s tempting to save a file as the first thing that comes to mind, but be strategic. Pick a name that captures what the document is or its function, whether or not it is the final version, and include the date.
Execute the record destruction process on a routine basis (quarterly, semi-annually etc.)
If you rarely reference certain records with permanent historical value, talk with the University Archivist to determine if it would be appropriate to transfer such records to the University Archives. If accepted, you may still visit or contact the Archives if you ever need to consult the records.
If your office realizes that the state’s minimum retention requirement is too short for your business needs, create definitive longer standards that do reflect your business needs. The state’s requirements are just a minimum, however it is not good practice to keep most records indefinitely. Establishing administrative retention criteria will help you to strike a balance between saving what you need to while avoiding an unnecessary build-up of records.
Make sure records are secured properly. Anything with Personally Identifiable Information (PII) on it should be behind lock and key with access given only to those who absolutely need it to do their job.
Use box labels to help stay organized during a record clean-up effort (for example).
Keep
Shred
Shred with Permission (a copy of the submitted RC-108 form may work well)
May have Historical Value–contact University Archivist