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Anatomy of Google analytics cookies

• toddh 15y ago
  Nice, I always wondered how they worked.
• dude_abides 15y ago
  Just wondering: Why doesn't a webserver encrypt the cookie value with a server-side key? This way, the information in the cookie (timestamps, pageviews, number of sessions etc.) can be safe from wireshark sniffers.
  • calloc 15y ago
    That would have to be done on Google's end, that is not something webmasters using Google Analytics are able to do by themselves.
    • dude_abides 15y ago
      Yep. I'm wondering why Google, in this case, wouldn't encrypt the value stored in its cookie. Is there any technical reason other than laziness?
      • calloc 15y ago
        I believe the cookies are set and manipulated by JavaScript, as such I'm not even sure it would be a good idea...
• CWIZO 15y ago
  Since Google is so keen on improving the speed of the internet (and good for them for that) I'm looking forward to the day when they'll only use one cookie for all their tracking (if that's even possible). GA is, by Google's standards, a speed hog right now, and Page speed always complains about it ...