Third-party cookies: protect privacy or sacrifice convenience?
Blocking third-party cookies can protect your privacy, but be cautious! This can cause some web pages to not work properly, which is very annoying, and you may eventually have to re-enable your browser to use cookies. This article will guide you on how to allow third-party cookies on your Mac and use the services that require them, and more importantly, we will explain different ways to browse privately without blocking all cookies.
Delete third-party cookies to protect your privacy.
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What are third-party cookies?
Third-party cookies are tracking files placed on your Mac by external network services when you visit a website. These files track and collect your browsing patterns, preferences, gender, device fingerprints, and other demographic information.
In some areas, data privacy laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CPRA) require websites to clearly state how they collect and use information. In order to comply with these bills, the website must display a pop-up window requiring you to accept or reject cookies. This raises the question, what are the uses of third-party cookies?
Often, advertising companies use them to serve ads. These ads will be more relevant, which explains why you see the same ad on different websites.
Note: Do not confuse third-party cookies with first-party cookies. First-party cookies help the website improve your experience. For example, a website uses first-party cookies to remember your Mac so that you don't have to re-enter your password every time you visit.
Why enable third-party cookies?
If you are purchasing products or services online, enabling third-party cookies can be helpful. Without them you will see random ads that are of no interest or are purely annoying.
For example, if you are browsing a yoga mat and can’t find the right one, other yoga brands can show you offers worth considering – provided that you have third-party cookies enabled.
Additionally, some websites use third-party services that require downloading their own cookies to your Mac in order to work. See messages on Safari like “Your browser seems to be blocking third-party cookies”? This is a sign that your browser does not allow certain third-party services to run the cookies required.
Yes, third-party cookies can cause privacy issues. No, they are not as harmful as malware infections. That's why learning how to allow third-party cookies on your Mac can sometimes help. In addition, you can manually delete cookies saved on your browser in the future.
For example, open Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data . Then, select the website where the cookies are stored or delete all cookies. Alternatively, you can try CleanMyMac X and avoid repeating these steps on different browsers. The method is as follows:
Advertisers are now unable to collect your browsing data because you have deleted all cookies, including third-party cookies.
How to block any browser from blocking third-party cookies?
By default, Apple disables third-party cookies in Safari and Mozilla Firefox. However, you may find third-party cookies enabled in Chrome. Either way, we'll show you how to enable them.
Safari is the default browser for Mac, which blocks third-party cookies by default. Therefore, if you are using Safari, you cannot access the services that require access to these cookies. To use these services, you must allow third-party cookies in Safari, as follows:
After enabling all cookies, you can use your Mac to access services that require third-party cookies.
Chrome should automatically allow third-party cookies. If not, follow these steps to enable them:
If you select "Block third-party cookies" or "Block all cookies", your Chrome browser cannot accept third-party cookies.
You have successfully enabled third-party cookies in Chrome. You should be able to access certain services, such as streaming from certain video hosting sites, which previously failed because they blocked third-party cookies.
Like Safari, Mozilla Firefox does not allow third-party cookies by default. You cannot correctly browse websites that require third-party services to work. Unless you enable cookies. Here is how to allow third-party cookies on Firefox:
Firefox now allows your Mac to download third-party cookies.
How to protect your privacy on your Mac?
Third-party cookies are sometimes useful, but other than that, it is best to ban them. If you block third-party cookies, advertisers will not be able to use your data without your consent. However, if you want to browse more privately, try the following options:
Invisible browsing with Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. In private browsing, browsers do not save cookies on your Mac, so you won't be a target for advertisers.
Warning – Invisibility mode does not fully guarantee your privacy. Even in invisible mode, your IP address may reveal your identity. If privacy is a major issue, consider using ClearVPN. It hides your IP address and makes you truly anonymous.
Please read also:
If you don't delete them, some cookies may slow down your Mac. In addition, some third-party cookies contain personal data and may be at risk if they fall into the hands of bad people. Additionally, cookie files accumulate quickly and are not noticed on your Mac.
To scan and delete cookies, try CleanMyMac X. Without switching between browsers, you can delete all tracking cookies in one dashboard in just a few steps. However, deleting cookies does not prevent ads from spreading your browsing experience. It just prevents advertisers from serving personalized ads. If you want to stop seeing ads on your website, use AdLock. The app blocks annoying ads and automatically plays videos.
To block ads with AdLock, install and launch AdLock and click the Ad Blocking toggle button. Now you can browse without interruption. You can also customize AdLock's blocking rules to allow ads to be served on specific websites.
in conclusion
Sometimes we disable third-party cookies just to find out that we need them again on certain websites. Therefore, we end up allowing all cookies on the Safari or other browsers we use.
There is no denying that there can be risks in keeping third-party cookies on your Mac, especially if you don't know what data it collects and where it sends it. Instead of repeatedly switching between allowing or disabling third-party cookies, use CleanMyMac X to delete them after each browsing session.
If you want an ad-free browsing experience, you can use AdLock regardless of whether cookies are enabled. It simply and effectively blocks ads. Best of all, you can try AdLock, CleanMyMac X and other privacy apps for free for 7 days on Setapp.
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