What are persistent cookies?

Persistent cookies or permanent cookies are stored on users’ hard drive until it expires or until the user deletes the cookie. These cookies remain on a user’s device even after they close a web browser. Persistent cookies are used to collect identifying information about the user, such as Web surfing behaviour or user preferences for a specific Web site. Persistent cookies have an expiry date and will be destroyed when the expiry date is reached. Persistent cookies are also used to track user behaviour when they move around a site, and this data is used for optimizing and improving the website experience.