Which cookies should you reject to avoid unwanted advertising?

The dilemma of marketing cookies

The marketing cookies you can refuse on many sites allow you to see personalized advertising after a site visit because your browsing habits and interests may be tracked. Refusing these cookies does not mean you will no longer see ads. You will still be served ads online, but they will not be tailored to your interests or browsing habits. If you reject marketing cookies, you will see more random and possibly irrelevant ads. The question is what you consider "unwanted. Irrelevant ads or being tracked across different Web sites?

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Which cookies are best to reject?

For privacy-conscious users, third-party marketing cookies are the most problematic because they track you across multiple Web sites and build up a comprehensive profile of you. Social media cookies can also link your browsing habits to your social media profiles, which many people consider an invasion of privacy. If you have fewer problems with personalized ads but want to maintain some control, you can choose to accept only first-party cookies from websites you visit regularly. You can also be selective in which websites get permission for marketing cookies.

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Those who really don't want to see unwanted advertising are better off considering paid subscriptions for services you use often, as many platforms offer ad-free versions. In addition, some browsers today have built-in privacy protections that automatically block third-party cookies. Refusing marketing cookies does not completely solve the problem of unwanted advertising. It does reduce the extent to which you are tracked online, but may result in less relevant ads. The best strategy depends on what you perceive as "unwanted": being tracked or seeing irrelevant ads.

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The reality of the Internet

It is important to understand that the Internet and ads are inextricably linked. Advertisements fund the free content and services we use every day. Completely avoiding online advertising while actively using the Internet is simply not realistic. It is an inherent part of the experience. Instead of wondering how to avoid all ads by rejecting cookies, it may be more convenient to accept that marketing cookies work to your advantage from a personal perspective. They ensure that you see ads that somewhat match your interests and needs, rather than completely random ads that are totally irrelevant to you. You won't stop seeing online ads if you refuse cookies in a cookie banner in any case.

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