Web cookies (also called HTTP cookies, browser cookies, or simply cookies) are small pieces of data that websites store on your device (computer, phone, etc.) through your web browser. They are used to remember information about you and your interactions with the site.
Purpose of Cookies:
Session Management:
Keeping you logged in
Remembering items in a shopping cart
Saving language or theme preferences
Personalization:
Tailoring content or ads based on your previous activity
Tracking & Analytics:
Monitoring browsing behavior for analytics or marketing purposes
Types of Cookies:
Session Cookies:
Temporary; deleted when you close your browser
Used for things like keeping you logged in during a single session
Persistent Cookies:
Stored on your device until they expire or are manually deleted
Used for remembering login credentials, settings, etc.
First-Party Cookies:
Set by the website you're visiting directly
Third-Party Cookies:
Set by other domains (usually advertisers) embedded in the website
Commonly used for tracking across multiple sites
Authentication cookies are a special type of web cookie used to identify and verify a user after they log in to a website or web application.
What They Do:
Once you log in to a site, the server creates an authentication cookie and sends it to your browser. This cookie:
Proves to the website that you're logged in
Prevents you from having to log in again on every page you visit
Can persist across sessions if you select "Remember me"
What's Inside an Authentication Cookie?
Typically, it contains:
A unique session ID (not your actual password)
Optional metadata (e.g., expiration time, security flags)
Analytics cookies are cookies used to collect data about how visitors interact with a website. Their primary purpose is to help website owners understand and improve user experience by analyzing things like:
How users navigate the site
Which pages are most/least visited
How long users stay on each page
What device, browser, or location the user is from
What They Track:
Some examples of data analytics cookies may collect:
Page views and time spent on pages
Click paths (how users move from page to page)
Bounce rate (users who leave without interacting)
User demographics (location, language, device)
Referring websites (how users arrived at the site)
Here’s how you can disable cookies in common browsers:
1. Google Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data.
Choose your preferred option:
Block all cookies (not recommended, can break most websites).
Block third-party cookies (can block ads and tracking cookies).
2. Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
Under the Enhanced Tracking Protection section, choose Strict to block most cookies or Custom to manually choose which cookies to block.
3. Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the top-left corner of the screen.
Go to Preferences > Privacy.
Check Block all cookies to stop all cookies, or select options to block third-party cookies.
4. Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Cookies and site permissions.
Select your cookie settings from there, including blocking all cookies or blocking third-party cookies.
5. On Mobile (iOS/Android)
For Safari on iOS: Go to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > Block All Cookies.
For Chrome on Android: Open the app, tap the three dots, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies.
Be Aware:
Disabling cookies can make your online experience more difficult. Some websites may not load properly, or you may be logged out frequently. Also, certain features may not work as expected.
FOI #25-507 (11-21-25, 5:50 am) - Subject - Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W Biography Generated by Microsoft's Artificial Intelligence : https://www.bing.com/search?q=michael+ayele+bio
Name - Michael Ayele (a.k.a) W
Affiliation - Association for the Advancement of Civil Liberties (AACL)
What I am requesting for prompt disclosure are records in your possession detailing your discussions about [1] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W as a Black Bachelor of Arts (B.A) Degree graduate of Westminster College (Fulton, Missouri) who (i) has never in the past contacted employees / legal representatives of Microsoft or the Bing/MSN search engine to solicit that they write and publish a “biography” of him; (ii) has on (or around) November 16th 2025 informed employees/legal representatives of Microsoft that the Bing/MSN internet search engine (ISE) (through the artificial intelligence powered Copilot) was generating a “biography” of him without his consent; (iii) has on (or around) November 16th 2025 informed employees/legal representatives of Microsoft that the Bing/MSN ISE (through the AI powered Copilot) was generating a “biography” of him without ever having asked for his input or authorization; (iv) has on (or around) November 16th 2025 informed employees/legal representatives of Microsoft that he objects to the Bing/MSN ISE association of his name with AI prompts (such as “michael ayele bio” and “michael ayele wiretap”) because of their tendency to generate inappropriate and misleading AI content that exacerbate racism and discrimination on the internet; (v) has on (or around) November 16th 2025 informed employees/legal representatives of Microsoft that he objects to the use of his name, his image, his likeness or written content as a trigger reference point for AI hallucination; [2] the Bing/MSN ISE as an artificial-intelligence-powered platform owned and operated by Microsoft that (i) has infringed on Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W’s right to publicity by generating an unsolicited and unauthorized “biography” of him through Copilot; (ii) has not contacted Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W at any time prior to November 16th 2025 to seek consent, verification or correction of the AI-generated “biography” and other content it was publishing in his regards; (iii) has associated Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W’s name with AI prompts (such as “michael ayele bio” and “michael ayele wiretap”) that he never authored, endorsed, or sought to have created; (iv) has allowed its Copilot AI system to generate content in ways that are factually incorrect, misleading, reductive and defamatory to the name, the image, the likeness and the published works of Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W; (v) has not escalated Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W’s November 16th 2025 complaint to the internal divisions responsible for AI ethics, safety, and legal compliance — including the Office of Responsible AI (ORA), Copilot Control System, Microsoft Purview Compliance etc; [3] Paolo Pavesich v. New England Life Insurance Company; [4] Haelan Laboratories, Inc. v Topps Chewing Gum, Inc; [5] Warren Spahn v. Julian Messner; [6] Vanna White v. Samsung Electronics America; [7] the terms and conditions of the contractual agreements concluded between UConn and Microsoft Corporation...
FOI #25-506 (11-20-25, 2:29 pm) - Subject - Video Footage
Name - Student Student
Affiliation - Student
I am requesting all video footage from ANY AND ALL cameras located in or around the rear parking lot of the 900 WB at UConn Stamford, as well as ANY AND ALL cameras located in the parking garage beneath the surface of the 900 WB building. I am looking for all this footage from the times of 6:55 PM - 11:05 PM.
FOI #25-505 (11-19-25, 10:21 pm) - Subject - student directory
Name - Andrew Kozlovski
Affiliation -
I am submitting a public records request for access to student directory information for all currently enrolled students.
Specifically, I am requesting the following directory fields:
Full name
University email address
Degree level (undergraduate, graduate, etc.)
Major or field of study, if designated as directory information
Year of study or expected graduation date, if designated as directory information
This request is limited to information your institution classifies as “directory information” under its FERPA policy. I am not requesting any data that is restricted, confidential, or otherwise non-disclosable.
Please provide the records in any available digital format (CSV, Excel, or text file) via email or download link. If there are any fees associated with fulfilling this request, please notify me in advance.
We're looking to make a Public Records Request for the following information for the undergraduate and graduate population (if applicable) enrolled at University of Connecticut-Avery Point in the current academic term:
• email addresses
• names
• majors
• class year
• participation in varsity sports
We're looking to make a Public Records Request for the following information for the undergraduate and graduate population (if applicable) enrolled at University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus in the current academic term:
• email addresses
• names
• majors
• class year
• participation in varsity sports
If any of that information is not available, we would request any and all of it that is.
FOI #25-502 - Subject - SmartProcure Public Records Request to University of Connecticut for Contact Information
Name - Karen Garcia
Affiliation -
SmartProcure is submitting a public records request to the University of Connecticut for all current employee/staff contact information. The request is limited to readily available records without physically copying, scanning, or printing paper documents. Any editable electronic document is acceptable.
The specific information requested from your record-keeping system is:
1. First Name
2. Last Name
3. Position Title
4. Department
5. Direct Phone Number (if does not exist, list main phone number with extension) 6. Business Cell Phone (if provided by University of Connecticut) 7. Email Address 8. Office Address (Address, City, State, Zip)
FOI #25-501 (11-18-25, 11:22 am) - Subject - 87 Franklin St Video Footage
Name - Student Student
Affiliation - Student
I am requesting all security footage from the exterior of the 87 Franklin Street, “The Lillian”, housing at the Stamford campus, from 8:30-8:50 PM on Monday, November 17th, 2025.
FOI #25-499 (11-15-25, 11:54 am) - Subject - HSIN Communications
Name - Student Student
Affiliation -
I am requesting any and all communications from university officials considering the use or collaboration with the "Homeland Security Information Network" or "HSIN" for short. This includes emails or contracts related to use of the system, either for football games or on campus.
Sources to specifically search include: Any emails to or from "HSIN.Helpdesk@hq.dhs.gov"/"HSIN@hq.dhs.gov".
Persons of interest include: Hans Rhynhart, Gene Labonte, Joann Lombardo, David Benedict, Jason Butikofer.