A tracking cookie detection manager accurately detects tracking cookies. The tracking cookie detection manager identifies a third party cookie, and generates at least two requests that result in separately downloading the third party cookie. The tracking cookie detection manager examines the separately downloaded third party cookies, and determining whether they each include a unique user identifier. If the separately downloaded third party cookies do each include a unique user identifier, the tracking cookie detection manager determines that the third party cookie comprises a tracking cookie. On the other hand, if the third party cookies do not each include a unique user identifier, the tracking cookie detection manager determines that the third party cookie is not a tracking cookie.