9/21/23, 9:29 AM Cookies: To block or not to block?

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Cookies: To block or not to block?
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September 20, 2023 4 min read

AdGuard VPN
Summary
1. Cookies are small text files that store information about your activity on a AdGuard
website. DNS
Third-party cookies are often (but not necessarily) used for tracking and targeted
advertising Other products
2. AdGuard offers features to block first-party and third-party cookies, but they both
may cause usability problems Purchase
3. We recommend blocking only harmful cookies — to do that, use AdGuard Tracking
Protection filter Blog
4. If you only want to block cookie notices, use AdGuard Cookie Notices filter
Support
Cookies are often associated with a great deal of annoyance: no one likes to be tracked,
and notifications on every web page don’t make browsing any more pleasant. My ButAccount
we
also know that cookies are little helpers that make the Web work better: they keep us
logged in to websites and remember our language and currency. So what should we do
about them?

A quick reminder of what cookies are

When you visit a new website, your browser downloads small text files called cookies.
These files store information about your activity on the website, such as your login
details, location, and language preferences. The next time you return to the website, it
recognizes you and may display content in your preferred language.

Cookies can be set by the website itself (first-party cookies) or by its partners (third-
party cookies), often in the form of ad banners or like buttons. Advertisers use cookies
to track the behavior of users across multiple pages, gathering data to target them with
personalized ads.

Why block cookies and which cookies to block

First-party cookies
These cookies are responsible for usability: they help websites remember how you
logged in or what your preferred language is. AdGuard offers a feature to block them,
too, it’s called Self-destruction of first-party cookies. You can find it in Tracking
protection or Stealth Mode. The cookies will be deleted after the time period you
specify.

However, we don’t advise you to block such cookies — it might break some websites.

Third-party cookies
These cookies are often used to track you across websites and place targeted ads. But
they’re also required to keep the information about your logins through social networks.
If you’re ready to periodically re-log in, here’s how you can block them:

In AdGuard for Windows, open Stealth Mode, scroll down to Self-destruction of

third-party cookies, and enable the setting

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9/21/23, 9:29 AM Cookies: To block or not to block?
In AdGuard for Mac, open Stealth Mode, switch to the Tracking methods tab, and
EN
enable Self-destruction of third-party cookies
In AdGuard for Android, open Tracking protection and set the protection level to
Home
High. Third-party cookies will be automatically deleted after 180 minutes. To
customize the setting, set the protection level to Custom
AdGuard Ad Blocker
In AdGuard Browser Extension, open Stealth Mode, scroll down to Self-destruction
of third-party cookies, and enable the setting
AdGuard VPN
Self-destruction of third-party cookies isn’t available in AdGuard for iOS — to block
them, you can use the method described below. AdGuard DNS

Harmful cookies: Third-party cookies used for tracking and Other products
advertising
Purchase
While AdGuard offers several tools to protect your privacy at the highest level, not
everyone is willing to sacrifice convenience. We understand that. That’s why AdGuard
Blog
filter developers thoroughly document harmful cookies and block them with AdGuard
Tracking Protection filter. How to find it? Support

In AdGuard for Windows, open Ad Blocker, scroll down to Installed filters, and enable
My Account
AdGuard Tracking Protection filter
In AdGuard for Mac, open Preferences → Filters. To add AdGuard Tracking Protection
filter, click +, check its checkbox, and click Subscribe
In AdGuard for Android, open Tracking protection and set the protection level to
Standard. The filter will be enabled automatically
In AdGuard for iOS, open Safari protection → Filters → Privacy and enable AdGuard
Tracking Protection filter

Or maybe just cookie notices?

Maybe you don’t really care about cookies, but the notifications “This website uses
cookies” annoy you. If you just don’t want to see them, enable AdGuard Cookie Notices
filter (in AdGuard for Android, you can find it in Annoyance blocking → Block cookie
notices).

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September 20, 2023 4 min read Privacy The more you know

Sofia Orlova

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