Cookies, tracking and data protection: What you need to know now!

Cookies, tracking and data protection: What you need to know now!

Potsdam-Mittelmark, Deutschland - this day, July 19, 2025, the digital world is again in focus. The discussion about cookies and webtracking picks up speed, and the requirements for data protection also offer plenty of material for questions and discussions. A look at the basics is urgently necessary to better understand digital surfing behavior.

What are cookies? These small text files that are saved on our devices when visiting websites are more than just a technical detail. They enable users to recognize users the next time they visit, for example by storing login data and shopping carts. But there is also a downside: cookies can follow the behavior of users, sometimes even on various websites. The intended use makes the difference whether the cookies contain personal data or not. Technically necessary cookies, for example, are essential for basic functions such as the meeting management and do not require users' consent. On the other hand, the non-necessary cookies that track user behavior cannot be used without consent, such as datenschutz.hessen.de.

web tracking in the digital age

We live at a time when data represent the new currency on the Internet. Companies and online marketers use tracking to analyze the behavior of users and adapt their advertising accordingly. This is done to create a personalized user experience and to play out offers. Data such as website visits, length of stay and interests flow into the analysis. In affiliate marketing in particular, tracking is often used to increase the conversion rate. According to e-recht24.de, tracking can include various methods, including cookie tracking, fingerprinting and logfile analysis.

A particularly concise point is the fact that the use of cookies in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires active consent of users when it comes to tracking cookies. This regulation turns cookie banners into common practice on websites to obtain the consent of the users.

How can you protect yourself from tracking?

If you don't want your online activities, you have various options to counteract this. Cookies can be managed and deleted using the settings of the browsers. Private mode also offers protection or the activation of the "Do Not Track" function. The sensitization of users for these topics is particularly important, since protecting your own data in the online world is becoming increasingly important.

summarized can be said that cookies and web tracking are crucial instruments on the Internet, the use of which contains both opportunities and challenges. It remains to be seen how the legal framework will develop and to what extent better data protection is made possible by more conscious user decisions. Interested parties can find more information on this topic on the pages of zauche365.de.