The HE Byte

WordPress & Jetpack Cookies

The following cookies are only applicable to people who are authorised to log in to our website’s User Interface.

The following list includes the most commonly used cookies, but there may be others.

WordPress Cookies:

  • wordpress_test_cookie

A session cookie, deleted when a user closes their web browser. WordPress sets this cookie when a user navigates to the login page. The cookie is used to check whether a web browser is set to allow, or reject cookies.

  • wordpress_logged_in_[UID]

A user’s login authentication details in an encrypted form. A session cookie which is deleted when the web browser is closed. WordPress uses these cookies to store authentication details, and their use is limited to the admin console area.

  • wordpress_sec_[UID]

A user’s login details in an encrypted form. A session cookie which is deleted when the web browser is closed. WordPress uses this cookie to indicate when a user is logged in, and who they are.

  • wp-settings-[nn]

Text indicating a user’s preferred settings. Persistent cookie, expires a little under one year from the time it is set. WordPress uses this cookie to customize their view of admin interface, and aspects of how the public pages are displayed.

  • wp-settings-time-[nn]

Text indicating a user’s preferred settings. Persistent cookie, expire a little under one year from the time it is set. WordPress uses this cookie to customize their view of admin interface, and aspects of how the public pages are displayed.

Jetpack Cookies:

  • tk_qs

Gathers information for Automattic’s own, first party analytics tool about how their services are used. A collection of internal metrics for user activity, used to improve user experience.

  • tk_tc

A timestamp for the last time a user was were logged into the WordPress.com site or visited a WordPress.com site.

N.B. Automattic have explained that all cookies starting ‘tk_’ are their cookies used for tracking purposes. They added, “If anyone is interested, we can certainly explain those on a as-needed basis but we don’t list every cookie possible.”

WordPress and Jetpack are both provided by Automattic.
For more information please see: Automattic’s Cookies Policy.

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