Web tracking  Web tracking is the practice by which operators of websites collect, store and share information about a particular user's activity on the World Wide Web. Analysis of an individual user's behaviour may be used to provide content that relates to their implied preferences and may be of interest to various parties. Some uses for web tracking are:   IP addresses is what identifies users on the internet. Websites can determine a user's geographical location from your IP address. Every device connected to the internet is assigned their own IP address that allows devices to communicate with one another. The IP address is a core component on how the internet works, and because of the uniqueness of the IP address, they can be used to track you. HTTP cookies are information that is saved by your web browser. When a user visits a website, the site might store a cookie so it can recognise the users device in the future. When the user returns to the site, it can read the cookie to remember the user from the last visit. Cookies can be used to customise the users browsing experience and used to deliver targeted ads. Some browsing activities that cookies can store are:   First party cookies are created by the domain the user is visiting. These are the cookies that are considered good. They help provide a better experience for users. Third parties are created by sites other than the one users are visiting. They insert additional tracking methods to record what you do online. On-site analytics refers to data collection on the current site. It is used to measure many aspects of user interactions including the number of times a user visits. Web browsing is linked to a user's personal information. Location, interests, purchases, and more can be revealed just by what page a user visits. This allows them to draw conclusions about a user, and analyse patterns of activity. Use of web tracking can be controversial when applied in the context of a private individual; and to varying degrees is subject to legislation such as the EU's eCommerce Directive and the UK's Data Protection Act. When it is done without the knowledge of a user, it may be considered a breach of browser security. In a business-to-business context, understanding a visitor's behaviour in order to identify buying intentions is seen by many commercial organisations as an effective way to target marketing activities. Visiting companies can be approached, both on- and offline, with marketing and sales propositions which are relevant to their current requirements. From the point of view of a sales organisation, engaging with a potential customer when they are actively looking to buy can produce savings in otherwise wasted marketing funds.