In the current digital landscape, cookie duration is an essential consideration for maintaining online privacy and providing a positive user experience. Cookies are small data files websites place on users’ devices. They play a role in storing user preferences, authentication details and tracking users’ activities across the internet. In particular, some recent conversations touched upon using shorter cookie durations. These durations are highly variable, some as short as 21 days and others as long as 10 years. These time periods can have a profound effect on the way websites engage with users, and the way users control their online privacy.
The impacts of cookie durations go well beyond technical details. Currently cookie durations can be as short as 30 days, but up to 3,650 days (10 years). Most users still don’t know how long their data is likely to be stored. This absence of knowledge leads to serious concerns regarding consent and control over sensitive personal data. Cookies are an important piece of how we interact online today. So it’s critical for users and web site operators alike to know how long they last.
The Range of Cookie Durations
Durations can easily range from just a few minutes (e.g., tracking page views) to perpetuity (e.g., sharing information across platforms). For instance, some cookies are intended for a short lifespan and expire in 21 days or 30 days. These types of cookies usually help with remembering temporary preferences or sessions. In fact, cookies that last longer than 90 days are common, lasting up to 180 days and 398 days, as well as a maximum duration of 3,650 days.
What cookie duration should you choose to prioritize user privacy and responsible data retention practices. For instance, cookies lasting 720 days or even 1,832 days allow websites to store user preferences for extended periods, reducing the need for repeated logins or setting adjustments. Shorter cookies, like 90- or 366-day cookies, force users to have to reset more frequently. This can interfere with their browsing experience and make it feel less intuitive.
Beyond user convenience, these different durations have a fundamental impact on how companies respond to and manage user consent. These are just a few reasons why websites now often ask you to allow them to track you by accepting their cookies. In many cases, users are not adequately informed of what they are consenting to when they accept long cookie durations.
Implications for User Privacy
The ramifications of cookie durations are dangerous, especially when you consider the implications to user privacy. More durable cookies present new risks to data security and increased risks of misuse of personal information. The longer cookies remain on our devices, the greater the risk they can develop a wide ranging profile of each individual’s behavior. This profile can later be sold and weaponized for targeted advertising and other purposes.
Shannon Speir is an assistant professor and urban research coordinator for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. She emphasizes the importance of concerted action to address environmental and climate challenges. She argues that we need to stop focusing on individual actions when we talk about the environment. It’s important to understand this in consideration of the contract. They are small, but collectively, we can still have the opportunity to make a small really, really big difference. This feeling rings true in the world of online privacy as well. If individuals become more aware and active about cookie management, we can begin to shift the conversation on how data is protected at large.
Most consumers are unaware of how cookies operate, or indeed for how long their data is stored. As a consequence, they usually don’t have an incentive to act to protect their community’s online home. Help people understand the limits of cookies’ lifetimes. Remind them to periodically check their cookie preferences to make a big difference in their web privacy.
Strategies for Cookie Management
Considering this wide array of cookie lifespans, users can take a few key steps to gain more control over their online privacy. Taking preventative measures like regularly clearing cookies from web browsers can mitigate the risks of extended data retention. Users should consider adjusting their browser settings to limit cookie acceptance or opt for browsers that prioritize user privacy.
Knowing how to navigate different cookies policies on every website is key. Smart websites will often list out their cookie usage—often found in a privacy policy or terms of service. Users are directed to review these policies closely to understand how their information is being used and stored.
While cookies are integral to modern web functionality, the responsibility lies with both website operators and users to ensure data is handled appropriately. As John J. Kelly, a biology professor at Loyola University Chicago, notes regarding environmental cleanup efforts, “The results of this study demonstrate that certain stream characteristics…can determine where microplastic particles will be deposited within a stream.” Relatedly, learning about the properties of cookies can inform which approaches are most appropriate for addressing online data practices.