CHARLOTTE, N.C. – You’ve probably seen the pop-up a thousand times: “This site uses cookies — accept or decline?” Maybe you click “Accept All” without thinking, assuming the website won’t work if you don’t. The truth is, in most cases, the site will work just fine whether you say yes or no. But clicking “Accept All” can open the door to far more tracking than you realize.

And no, we’re not talking about the kind you eat with a glass of milk.

What Are Cookies, Anyway?

Cookies are small bits of code that websites store in your browser. They help sites remember who you are when you visit again. That means keeping you logged in, saving your language or theme preferences, and remembering the items in your shopping cart.

These are called first-party cookies because they come directly from

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