Page 706 - Windows 10 May 2019 Update The Missing Manual: The Book That Should Have Been in the Box

the web, it makes sense that Microsoft has poured a lot of effort into

making its Edge browser safe. Here are some of the ways Edge protects
your computer, your privacy, and you.

Privacy and Cookies

Cookies are something like web-page preference files. Certain websites—

particularly commercial ones like Amazon.com—deposit them on your hard
drive like little bookmarks so they’ll remember you the next time you visit.

On Amazon, in fact, a greeting says, “Hello, Casey” (or whatever your
name is), thanks to the cookie it uses to recognize you.

Most cookies are perfectly innocuous—and, in fact, are extremely helpful.
They can let your PC sign into a site automatically or let you customize

what the site looks like and how you use it.

But fear is on the march, and the media fan the flames with tales of sinister
cookies that track your movement on the web. Some websites rely on

cookies to record which pages you visit on a site, how long you spend on a
site, what kind of information you like to find out, and so on.

If you’re worried about invasions of privacy—and you’re willing to trade

away some of the conveniences of cookies—then Edge is ready to protect
you.

Cookie options

In the Edge browser, choose → Settings →“Privacy and Security.” Scroll
down to the Cookies pop-up menu. It offers three choices:

Block all cookies. No cookies, no exceptions. Websites can’t read
existing cookies, either.

Block only third-party cookies. A first-party cookie is created by
the site you’re currently visiting. (These kinds of cookies generally
aren’t privacy invaders; they’re the Amazon type described
already, designed to sign you in.)