Cookies. They aren’t only the things you eat after lunch. They are also electronic means to track visitors to your website. A good definition is here. There are various types — including ones that stick to your web surfing activities known as “persistent” cookies.
Why does this matter? Cookies used by your website can violate state and federal privacy laws. Recently, for instance, a judge permitted a class action lawsuit against CNN to proceed for using cookies — even though the company had a pop-up banner.
So the contours of these legalities are quite tricky. Due care should be taken in your cookie strategy — especially as your business scales into different states, particularly California, where the California Invasion of Privacy Act can get your business fined or worse.