Install a cookie manager on Microsoft Edge - Cookie AutoDelete
Browser cookies can be useful but are often abused to track your online activity across the web. In this guide you'll learn how to install Cookie AutoDelete, a web-browser add-on that automatically deletes unused cookies.
Browser cookies allow websites to preserve session data such as your login credentials or items in your shopping basket so that you don't lose information when you close the page. Unfortunately, cookies are also often abused to track your online activity across the web. Using a dedicated addon, you can clean your cookies regularily to ensure that no unwanted cookie is kept in your browser, limiting the efficiency of online trackers.
This guide takes you through the steps to install Cookie AutoDelete, an open-source web-browser add-on that helps you manage your cookies in automated ways.
Warning: Cookies are widely used on the web and this extension might break some website features. Be sure to understand what it does and how to disable it before installing it!
Note: There are likely other add-ons or apps available and you can test alternatives. At PI we believe add-ons/apps should be open source as they can be audited. By using an independent, open-source and unencumbered/free add-on/app, you are more likely to avoid products with conflicts of interest, spyware, data-leakage, or blockers with “acceptable ads” programs. Here we show the set-up and settings of one such add-on/app that we’ve used at PI; others are likely similar with varying levels of configurability.
Installation
Like any other add-on, install Cookie AutoDelete by visiting the [Microsoft Edge Add-ons Store][1] and clicking on Get (Fig. 1) and then clicking on Add extension when prompted (Fig. 2).
Upon successful installation you'll see the Cookie AutoDelete Welcome page (Fig. 3), and the extension icon is added to your toolbar. When you visit a website, the Cookie AutoDelete icon shows the number of stored cookies for that website. By clicking the icon (Fig. 4), you are able to clean cookies, and also "whitelist" (permanently) or greylist (until a browser restart) websites you trust to store cookies.
The extension disables automatic clean-up by default. To enable it, click the icon (Fig. 4) and then click on Auto-clean disabled. That way, you don't have to remember to manually clean your cookies: when you close a browser tab, any cookies no longer in use are automatically deleted. This is a double edged sword: this means that all tracking cookies will be deleted but also means you will be logged out of any session you currently had open. Enabling this option is equivalent to "starting anew" every time you open your browser (although you can keep your tabs open, you won't be logged in anywhere apart from the website you "whitelisted").
Avoid tracking from "whitelisted" cookies
If you want to disable Cookie AutoDelete for some website (e.g. your email client), you can "whitelist" it by clicking the icon and then clicking on Whitelist (Fig. 4). However, note that "whitelisted" cookies may still communicate between themselves and temporary cookies, thus tracking your activity.
Adding a site to the "whitelist" is particularly useful if you want to stay connected on a particular site (like your email account) even after your restart your browser.
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