#11 Say no to cookies

We don't ask you to accept cookies when you visit this site. That's because we don't use any. We've tried to make this site as light as possible, because all data has a cost.

Most websites will never be as lean as this one, because they do more—your banking, shopping, videos. Websites used to invest effort in keeping the data small. But with fast networks and cheap storage, data use has grown exponentially. And a lot of it is rubbish data.

All data has a cost It may seem small but it all adds up. Data means storage and processing, and that means power. Power means energy consumption, which keeps us reliant on fossil fuels.

So why say no to coookies?

Cookies are not bad, as such. They make many things possible, like logging on to websites and shopping. But recently we've seen an explosion in cookies that don't help you, at all.

Instead, these cookies track who you are and what you're doing, on a vast array of third party systems. A typical website visit can trigger an avalanche of requests to hundreds or even thousands of services around the world. All of them tracking who you are and how you behave. All of them are processing and storing that data and eating up power to do so. This is a massive extra energy cost whenever you use those sites.

It's also no good for you. It just means more popups, more intrusion, more interruptions on the way to your content. By saying no to cookies you aren't just helping make a better world, you're making your own experience better.

A cleaner, greener Internet

A cleaner, greener Internet would be a faster, more polite Internet.

Maybe saying no once in a while won't do much. But if we all start saying no, it'll be a stand against this flood. It forces the data partners to change, to improve. It's a movement towards something better.

It's a long journey

The more we act, the more we share, the more we have a movement towards a healthier, safer, more prosperous future for us all.

— 200 ways