Web cookies (also called HTTP cookies, browser cookies, or simply cookies) are small pieces of data that websites store on your device (computer, phone, etc.) through your web browser. They are used to remember information about you and your interactions with the site.
Purpose of Cookies:
Session Management:
Keeping you logged in
Remembering items in a shopping cart
Saving language or theme preferences
Personalization:
Tailoring content or ads based on your previous activity
Tracking & Analytics:
Monitoring browsing behavior for analytics or marketing purposes
Types of Cookies:
Session Cookies:
Temporary; deleted when you close your browser
Used for things like keeping you logged in during a single session
Persistent Cookies:
Stored on your device until they expire or are manually deleted
Used for remembering login credentials, settings, etc.
First-Party Cookies:
Set by the website you're visiting directly
Third-Party Cookies:
Set by other domains (usually advertisers) embedded in the website
Commonly used for tracking across multiple sites
Authentication cookies are a special type of web cookie used to identify and verify a user after they log in to a website or web application.
What They Do:
Once you log in to a site, the server creates an authentication cookie and sends it to your browser. This cookie:
Proves to the website that you're logged in
Prevents you from having to log in again on every page you visit
Can persist across sessions if you select "Remember me"
What's Inside an Authentication Cookie?
Typically, it contains:
A unique session ID (not your actual password)
Optional metadata (e.g., expiration time, security flags)
Analytics cookies are cookies used to collect data about how visitors interact with a website. Their primary purpose is to help website owners understand and improve user experience by analyzing things like:
How users navigate the site
Which pages are most/least visited
How long users stay on each page
What device, browser, or location the user is from
What They Track:
Some examples of data analytics cookies may collect:
Page views and time spent on pages
Click paths (how users move from page to page)
Bounce rate (users who leave without interacting)
User demographics (location, language, device)
Referring websites (how users arrived at the site)
Here’s how you can disable cookies in common browsers:
1. Google Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data.
Choose your preferred option:
Block all cookies (not recommended, can break most websites).
Block third-party cookies (can block ads and tracking cookies).
2. Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
Under the Enhanced Tracking Protection section, choose Strict to block most cookies or Custom to manually choose which cookies to block.
3. Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the top-left corner of the screen.
Go to Preferences > Privacy.
Check Block all cookies to stop all cookies, or select options to block third-party cookies.
4. Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Cookies and site permissions.
Select your cookie settings from there, including blocking all cookies or blocking third-party cookies.
5. On Mobile (iOS/Android)
For Safari on iOS: Go to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > Block All Cookies.
For Chrome on Android: Open the app, tap the three dots, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies.
Be Aware:
Disabling cookies can make your online experience more difficult. Some websites may not load properly, or you may be logged out frequently. Also, certain features may not work as expected.
Title: Improving the Alignment between Human and Large Language Model Classifications: An Empirical Assessment of Prompt Engineering for Construct Identification Presented by Kylie Anglin, Assistant Professor, Research Methods, Measurement, and Evaluation, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut Date: Friday, November 7, 2025, 1:00 PM, AUST 344 Link: WebEx Link Coffee will be available at […]
Title: Item Response Theory (IRT), Introduction to Bayesian Statistics, Bayesian IRT, & Machine Learning in Stata presented by Chuck Huber, StatCorp Date: Friday, 10/24/25, 10am - 3pm, ET, HALL 104. Meeting Link: Link WebEx Meeting Number: 2633 977 5419. Password: RMMESTAT Abstract: Item Response Theory: In this talk, I introduce the concepts and jargon […]
Dr. Sujit Ghosh, ’96 PhD Receives Prestigious VAIBHAV Fellowship Award. See for detail, https://statistics.sciences.ncsu.edu/2025/10/16/dr-sujit-ghosh-receives-prestigious-vaibhav-fellowship-award/
Title: The High-Dimensional Asymptotics of Principal Components Regression Presented by Alden Green, Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Johns Hopkins University DATE: Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 3:30 PM, AUST 434 WebEx link: Link Coffee will be available at 3:00 PM in the Noether Lounge (AUST 326) Abstract: We study principal components regression (PCR) […]
Title: Influence-Guided Subsampling under Measurement Constraints Presented by Lin Wang, Assistant Professor, Department of Statistics, Purdue University DATE: Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 3:30 PM, AUST 434 Webex link: Link Coffee will be available at 3:00 in the Noether Lounge (AUST 326) Abstract: Collecting labels for every point in a large dataset is often impractical due […]
Title: Constructing a Disease Outbreak Forecast Ensemble via Bayesian Gibbs Posterior Stacking Presented by Spencer Wadsworth, Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Connecticut DATE: Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 3:30 PM, AUST 434 Webex link: Link Coffee will be available at 3:00 in the Noether Lounge (AUST 326) Abstract: In collaborative forecast projects, the combining of multiple probabilistic […]
The 31st Pfizer Colloquium will be held in UConn, Storrs. Speaker: Professor Thomas A. Louis, Johns Hopkins University, October 29, 2025. The registration link is now open: https://uconnuecs.cventevents.com/event/Pfizer31st/summary
Statistics Colloquium: Analogy-based inference: a universal school of statistical inference Presented by Jamie Bowater, Research Fellow, Department of Public Health and Sports Sciences, University of Exeter, England DATE: Friday, October 3, 2025, 10:00 AM. Virtual Presentation Webex Link: Link Abstract: Standard statistical theory has arguably proved to be unsuitable as a basis for constructing a […]
RMME/STAT Interdisciplinary talk - Power Analysis Has Lost Its Way: New Methods To Bring It Back Home Presented by Prof. Gregory R. Hancock, Director, Quantitative Methodology, Measurement and Statistics graduate program, University of Maryland Date: Friday 9/26, 11AM, AUST 108 WebEx: TBD Coffee will be available at 10:30 AM in the Noether Lounge (AUST 326) […]