First use of cookies on the internet

Http cookies are small pieces of data deposited within a user’s web browser by a website they are visiting, and keep a record of what a user does in that website. This record of activity can then be retrieved by the website’s owner on future visits by the user. They are considered by many as an invasion of privacy but can also make a user’s experience on a specific website more efficient by remembering details such as shopping trolley preferences and history. Cookies were invented by Lou Montulli (USA) while working for Netscape in 1994. Their first use on the internet was on Netscape’s own website, checking if visitors were first-time or had used the website previously.