Cookie stuffing

On the World Wide Web, cookie stuffing is a deceptive technique employed in affiliate marketing, where individuals (affiliates) illegitimately set third-party cookies on users' web browsers to falsely claim credit for sales. In the typical affiliate marketing model, affiliates are compensated for driving sales through specially crafted URLs that set cookies on users' browsers. However, with cookie stuffing, affiliates use techniques like HTTP redirects, hidden iframes, or embedded Javascript code that discreetly sets cookies without the user's awareness.

Affiliate marketing programs widely prohibit the practice of cookie stuffing, and it can be considered fraud. The practice harms legitimate affiliates, and the loss of revenue for the retail company may cause increased prices, harming shoppers in general. Shawn Hogan, who was previously the top performer in eBay's affiliate program and earned over $28 million in commissions from the site, was found guilty of fraud for cookie stuffing in 2014 and was sentenced to five months in federal prison. Despite multiple high-profile cases, cookie stuffing is practiced by a relatively small number of rogue affiliates and regular users do not commonly encounter cookie stuffing.