The term "cookies" can be shorthand for broad categories of web tracking technologies. The categories below show up often on Penn properties. The categories are ordered by the most common occurrence.
| Category | What It Does | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Keeps the site working and secure | Keeps the site Login/session cookies, security tokens |
| Preferences | Remembers visitor choices | Language, accessibility, display settings |
| Analytics | Measures site usage and performance | Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Matomo |
| Advertising | Supports ad targeting and campaign measurement | Meta Pixel, LinkedIn Insight, Google Ads |
| Embedded Content | Loads third-party media or tools | YouTube, Vimeo, Maps, Social Widgets |
| Chat / AI Assistants | Supports visitor questions or conversations | AI chatbot, virtual assistant, support chat |
| Behavior Tracking | Records detailed visitor interactions | Session replay, heatmaps, click tracking |
| Personalization / Testing | Changes content based on visitor or test group | A/B testing, personalized page content |