These days you can’t visit a website without it asking you to allow cookies. What are cookies? Websites use them to track your journey and then ensure the site provides content according to your previous journey. For example, ads based on what you searched before, and products and content of a similar type to your previous visit. 
 Cookies are great for convenience and ease of use, but they’re not safe and can hamper your device’s performance.  

 When You Should, Or Shouldn’t, Accept Cookies 

Most sites won’t allow you access if you don’t accept cookies, but sometimes it’s best to count your losses, and not just accept because you want access. According to Norton.com, you shouldn’t accept cookies on unencrypted sites with no security for your personal information – in other words, a URL that starts with HTTP and not HTTPS. Also, avoid accepting third-party cookies, and anything flagged by your antivirus. Most importantly, never accept cookies on sites where you’ll be sharing sensitive information, i.e., banking or login details. 

For the same reasons, always delete the cookies from your browser. If you’re not yet convinced, remember that eventually, they’ll take up so much space that your device’s performance will be affected.  

How to clear cookies 

Most browsers have a simple method for clearing cookies, although they vary in some ways. One thing to remember is that perks like auto login will be lost when you clear your cookies. 

Safari 

On an iPhone you can clear your cookies by going to the setting app, tapping Safari and going into the advanced and website data options. Once there, the option to remove all data will be available. Click it to clear all cookies.  

Chrome 

On your smartphone, tap the three dots (aka “kebab list”), find settings and then go to privacy and security. Then tap the clear browsing data, and check the cookies and site data option. Then tap clear data.  

Opera Mini

On your mobile browser, click on your profile on the bottom right corner, then tap the settings icon on the pop-up. Look for the privacy tab, tap, and then scroll to the bottom for the clear data option. There you can select cookies and site data and tap clear data.  

Firefox 

Click Firefox on the top toolbar on the screen, select preferences and in the menu select settings. From there choose the privacy & security panel, select cookies and data and then click the clear data button to complete the process. 

Get Vodacom fibre

Vodacom offers a variety of home internet solutions, including fibre-to-the-home and LTE plans. Click here to check if there’s Vodacom fibre coverage in your area. Visit the Vodacom LTE site as well to see our LTE internet products.