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Which of the following statements about cookies is true?
a. Cookies were originally intended to facilitate advertising on
web.
b. Cookies allow websites to off load the storage of information
about visitors.
c. Cookies always contain encrypted data
d. Cookies are text files and never contain encrypted data.
e. None of the above is true.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is: b. Cookies allow websites to offload the storage of information about visitors.
Explanation:
Cookies are small text files that websites store on a user’s device to track, personalize, and store information about the user’s interaction with the site. These files are typically created when a user visits a website and are stored in the web browser. Cookies allow websites to remember information between browsing sessions, such as login credentials, user preferences, language settings, and shopping cart items. This offloading of information enables websites to provide a more personalized experience for users.
Let’s break down each option:
- a. Cookies were originally intended to facilitate advertising on the web.
- This is incorrect. While cookies are used for advertising purposes (e.g., tracking user behavior for targeted ads), their original purpose was not to facilitate advertising. The first cookie, the “magic cookie,” was created by web developer Lou Montulli in the early 1990s to allow websites to remember users’ preferences and stateful information between page loads.
- b. Cookies allow websites to offload the storage of information about visitors.
- This statement is correct. Cookies help websites offload the responsibility of remembering certain information about the user without the need for more complex back-end database storage, particularly for non-sensitive data like preferences, themes, or language.
- c. Cookies always contain encrypted data.
- This is false. Cookies do not always contain encrypted data. While cookies can be encrypted for security reasons, especially when storing sensitive information like authentication tokens, they are not required to be encrypted. Many cookies simply contain plaintext information.
- d. Cookies are text files and never contain encrypted data.
- This is not true. While cookies are generally stored as text files, they can contain encrypted data if the website chooses to encrypt them, especially for security purposes. It’s common for websites to encrypt cookies to protect sensitive information.
- e. None of the above is true.
- Since option (b) is correct, this statement is false.
In summary, cookies are primarily used to store and track information about users’ interactions with websites, providing them with a more customized experience. While they may store encrypted data in some cases, they are not always encrypted, and their primary purpose is not limited to advertising.